Tank dying out!

[fishtk75]

I started 5 years ago with 75 gallon and every thing was growing wild first 2 years filling up the tank nice. With all zoos and mushrooms, button, star polps, xenias softies and one or two hard candy cane corals.

Then 3 year after I see one or two slow then stop and dye back.

Lighting 4-65watt CF 10-12 hours but burn out this year.
now this year 4 - 54watt T5 10-12 hours
PH 8.1
SAL 1.025
Cal 420
Alk 3.0 meq
Nitrites 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrates 10
temp 79
Mag 1300
Feed Kent coral accel, marine snow and coral vital.
Salt - first year Tropic marin, then Red sea, then Coral life,
Last 2 years IO

Fish- six line wrasse, power blue tang, 3 clown fish, blue damsel.
Cleaning crew - snails, red blue legs crabs


Is there any thing someone may have this happen like this and things they did to find out why.

Anything that you can think of would be a help.

 

[rkelman]

If you only have 4 54w bulbs over a 120 you don't have enough light. That could be the issue depending on what coral is dying back. Your signature says you have MH lighting and VHO's I'm confused.

 

[jbird69]

Your perameters look pretty good. Your calc and alk are bit skewed but I wouldnt think enough to cause your die off. You didnt show a test of one of the biggest coral killers, phosphates. Are you using RO/DI water? Are you running a skimmer? I agree you dont have much light but your livestock isnt an especially light-hungry bunch. How old are your bulbs? do you find youself fighting algae problems?

 

[luther1200]

I think he has MH and VHO's over a 120. And the T5's over the 75.

Do you have a pic you can post. Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.

 

[Dave Harms]

Re: Tank dying out!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14763295#post14763295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishtk75
...
Lighting 4-65watt CF 10-12 hours but burn out this year. ...

Are you saying your bulbs burned out? If so, they had already been useless for corals for a long, long, long time. This could cause your corals to die back.

 

[Rich D]

do you do water changes consistantly?

 

[tkeracer619]

Did you acclimate to the new lights? As Dave Harms asked did you let the pcs go long enough they burnt out or was it just the ballast that died?

Sandbed? How deep?

 

[Creade]

We require more info on the lighting questions!

 

[fishtk75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14763333#post14763333 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rkelman
If you only have 4 54w bulbs over a 120 you don't have enough light. That could be the issue depending on what coral is dying back. Your signature says you have MH lighting and VHO's I'm confused.

Sorry,
I am talking only on my 75 tank. I change with RO/DI water every two weeks.
Sandbed 4-5 inches.
Eurofeef Skimmer
Phosphate .045mg this has been this way even when I first started the tank. Tried all thing to lower it.


CF Light the wiring and sockets burned up on the CF fixture. I have been changing the CF lamps every 6 months.
Now I have T5 Nova 4-54watt I see buts out more light than the CF corallife. Yes slowly acclumate the lights on the 75 tank.

As you read below MH and VHO is on 120 tank.

 

[fishtk75]

I checked PHo4 = .03 meg/l

The old light fixture Corallife 4-65watt CF but as I say it must have baked the sockets and the wires got fried tried to put new sockets but no go too bad.
I replaced it with a Nova 4-54watt T5 fixture.
But I do not understand with the old fixture everything was growing well with that light.

 

[fishtk75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14764361#post14764361 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tkeracer619
Did you acclimate to the new lights? As Dave Harms asked did you let the pcs go long enough they burnt out or was it just the ballast that died?

Sandbed? How deep?

4-5 iches deep sand bed.

The socket and wires burn out and fried.

 

[fishtk75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14764066#post14764066 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bubbles129129
do you do water changes consistantly?

Yes change water two times a month 20%

 

[fishtk75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14763939#post14763939 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jbird69
Your perameters look pretty good. Your calc and alk are bit skewed but I wouldnt think enough to cause your die off. You didnt show a test of one of the biggest coral killers, phosphates. Are you using RO/DI water? Are you running a skimmer? I agree you dont have much light but your livestock isnt an especially light-hungry bunch. How old are your bulbs? do you find youself fighting algae problems?

phos= .03 meg/l

use RO/DI water yes
Skimmer Euro reef 3g

Have new T5 Nova 4 54watts lamps now.

 

[fishtk75]

Anyone have anything that may help find the problem?

 

[JasonD]

I would run some carbon to take out some possible toxic metals or substances in the tank.

jason

 

[rfosgategt]

post a pics

 

[kretzkiller]

I would guess that the corals are not used to the new light. I would take 4*54 watt T5 over 4*65 PC anyday. Are any of them doing ok? If so, pinpoint if they are highler or lower in your tank. You might be able to determine whether the lights have something to do with it.

 

[fishtk75]

This was happening years before I got this new light. Things were dying back.




This is picture today.

This is what is was in 2002 using 4-65watt CF lights.

 

[rynon]

Run carbon, Purigen, whatever takes bad stuff out of water. Stop using your RO/DI and buy distilled, it's totally pure.....just in case.

Something is WAY off for things to get that bad, that's a dramatic change. Check for stray voltage too, although I think that would affect fish.

 

[fishtk75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14794940#post14794940 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rynon
Run carbon, Purigen, whatever takes bad stuff out of water. Stop using your RO/DI and buy distilled, it's totally pure.....just in case.

Something is WAY off for things to get that bad, that's a dramatic change. Check for stray voltage too, although I think that would affect fish.

I have ground probes in tank.
I will put more Carbon in tank. Has to Carbon How much you put in per gallon?