Neptune777
Premium Member
Bummer on the brass fittings....hope things start looking better for you after they are yanked....
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What is killing my reef?
- Thread starter baldgeek
- Start date
ricks,
I am not terribly concerned about backflow, I am certain the sump has enough space to handle it.
G-Money, the salinity stays pretty much right at 1.023. I test it using a sundial type of tester whose name escapes me right now. I sometimes double-check it with one of the thermometer types as well. That has never really been a problem though, as it has always been stable. That is one thing that has always struck me as odd. I have to replace a gallon or so per day lost to evaporation, yet salinity always stays the same. I understand that salt does not evaporate, it is just a little counterintuitve that you can replace lost salt water with fresh water, yet salinity does not change.
I really cannot wait to do the water change tomorrow and see the result.
Thanks again guys!
I am not terribly concerned about backflow, I am certain the sump has enough space to handle it.
G-Money, the salinity stays pretty much right at 1.023. I test it using a sundial type of tester whose name escapes me right now. I sometimes double-check it with one of the thermometer types as well. That has never really been a problem though, as it has always been stable. That is one thing that has always struck me as odd. I have to replace a gallon or so per day lost to evaporation, yet salinity always stays the same. I understand that salt does not evaporate, it is just a little counterintuitve that you can replace lost salt water with fresh water, yet salinity does not change.
I really cannot wait to do the water change tomorrow and see the result.
Thanks again guys!
G-money
Premium Member
Yes, but it completely depends on your total volume as well as the sensitivity of what you're using to test. Just to be sure, I'd check it with a refractometer if you know anyone who has one. The swingarm hydrometers are pretty well known to "drift".
I hope changing the valves does the trick.
I would run carbon or Chemi-pure, and metel-gone (if you can find it) in the system 24-7 in the system for the next 6-12 months for sure. If some copper is leaching from the rock that will keep up with it. Maybe even get a good canister filter for this media. Change it out every 2-3 weeks.
I bet you don't have ick, hehe.
I bet you don't have ick, hehe.
I concure with poly-filters. As far as starting over I would wait a while and see if you can add snails and have them make it. Snails are very sensitive to copper I believe. Also skim heavy. I remember reading about an experiment done by Shimek that showed that skimmer solids (slime) had like 4-5 times the heavy metals that the water did. Just another way to export heavy metals. Do try working at it for a year or so befor throwing everything out and starting over.
As for throwing everything out. I would not necessarily be against this had I not just done exactly that 3 months ago. Want to guess what were the ONLY items held over from the other tank?
Oddly, the skimmer does seem to be much more productive now than I have seen it in a long time, having removed the valves from the equation. I am going to look into the poly-filter pads as well.
I mixed up the 45G Tuffy last night and will commence with the water change today. Really sux that I started this thread to day after doing a water change last weekend. How much different would it be already if I had not done that.
As I said earlier, I am already amazed at how much of an improvement there has been. The mushrooms, brain, and a cup coral in particular showed an almost immediate improvement, and the red algae that has plagued me has already markedly retreated. I am so psyched about finally having my reef back-minus the blatant stupidity this time.
Also, I was not aware of the valved mentioned at home depot, but I did actually receive the ones from Ryan Herco yesterday. Can't believe they made it here that quickly.
Oddly, the skimmer does seem to be much more productive now than I have seen it in a long time, having removed the valves from the equation. I am going to look into the poly-filter pads as well.
I mixed up the 45G Tuffy last night and will commence with the water change today. Really sux that I started this thread to day after doing a water change last weekend. How much different would it be already if I had not done that.
As I said earlier, I am already amazed at how much of an improvement there has been. The mushrooms, brain, and a cup coral in particular showed an almost immediate improvement, and the red algae that has plagued me has already markedly retreated. I am so psyched about finally having my reef back-minus the blatant stupidity this time.
Also, I was not aware of the valved mentioned at home depot, but I did actually receive the ones from Ryan Herco yesterday. Can't believe they made it here that quickly.
ChemE
New member
To speed things up do an 80/20 water change. This is how it works
0) copper at x ppm
1) drain 80% of your display tank's water and discard (corals will get some air, fish won't be crazy about it but it's short term) (copper still at x ppm)
2) add enough fresh salt water to bring the display back to 40% full (copper now at 0.5x ppm)
3) drain 20% of the display tank's water and discard (copper still at 0.5x ppm)
4) add enough fresh salt water to bring the display back to 40% full (copper now at 0.25x ppm)
5) drain 20% of the display tank's water and discard (copper still at 0.25x ppm)
6) fill tank with fresh salt water (copper at 0.05x ppm)
This will get rid of 95% of the pollutants in your tank! It takes a little more than 13 20% water changes to accomplish the same effect!
0) copper at x ppm
1) drain 80% of your display tank's water and discard (corals will get some air, fish won't be crazy about it but it's short term) (copper still at x ppm)
2) add enough fresh salt water to bring the display back to 40% full (copper now at 0.5x ppm)
3) drain 20% of the display tank's water and discard (copper still at 0.5x ppm)
4) add enough fresh salt water to bring the display back to 40% full (copper now at 0.25x ppm)
5) drain 20% of the display tank's water and discard (copper still at 0.25x ppm)
6) fill tank with fresh salt water (copper at 0.05x ppm)
This will get rid of 95% of the pollutants in your tank! It takes a little more than 13 20% water changes to accomplish the same effect!
Update-
Did about a 50G chg this weekend and things are definitely on the right track now. I have the toughest brain coral on the planet, I must say. This poor fellow had withdrawn in a couple of places an inch or more from the mantle, but has now come back and is almost totally covering it again. There is also a cup coral that is polyping out again, though somewhat slower than I'd hoped. In any case, looks like another water change today (multiple ones are my only option since I have to cart the water from LFS), then we will see what happens. It does seem certain now that it is just a matter of time until I get the reef back, though, and given how long this saga has dragged on, accelerated water changes for the next few weeks are not something that particularly bother me.
Did about a 50G chg this weekend and things are definitely on the right track now. I have the toughest brain coral on the planet, I must say. This poor fellow had withdrawn in a couple of places an inch or more from the mantle, but has now come back and is almost totally covering it again. There is also a cup coral that is polyping out again, though somewhat slower than I'd hoped. In any case, looks like another water change today (multiple ones are my only option since I have to cart the water from LFS), then we will see what happens. It does seem certain now that it is just a matter of time until I get the reef back, though, and given how long this saga has dragged on, accelerated water changes for the next few weeks are not something that particularly bother me.
