please help.

I am having a dilemma with my tank. I have a 90 gallon tank and I am not that happy with the coral aspect of the tank. The tank has been cycled and has been running for almost a year also has tested good every time every week. I do weekly water changes and acclimate the corals as needed. I have not had any diseases. I have over a hundred pounds in live rock, I have multiple powerheads for water flow, I use a skimmer when I’m not feeding fish or the corals that I have in the tank now, I have a refugium, 2x 250 metal halide lights with 4 t5’s, I have everything needed to have a great tank and I just don’t know what is going on or what the deal is with my tank. My fish are healthy and some of my corals have flourished. I have frog spawn for a long time, some galaxia still alive that I have had for a while, zoa’s that grew so much then just stopped and closed up, I “tried” a small piece of sps and failed. I have done research and I haven’t brought coral for a while due to I don’t want to kill them. The only problem I see in my whole situation is that I have my overflow go into a micron filter bag that “overflows” into the fuge. That is the only problem that I can see. I am thinking about converting a 55 gallon tank to a sump, as of right now I have a 30 gallon tank for a sump. I am getting micro bubbles coming from my skimmer going into the tank sometimes but I don’t think that would offset my tank. If anyone could help me out please do so!!!! I know there is NO MAJIC trick to keep corals but I am trying to figure out what or where I did wrong. I would like to house corals and the fish I have right now and when I get my own home maybe upgrade to 125 or larger. The fish that I have now: purple tang, coral beauty, blue tang and scooter blenny. Please please someone help, I listen very well no hard feelings so say what you want.


if in wrong thread sorry.

 

Let's get started.

Unfortunately you have yourself getting ready to start an ASAP thread. Often times we are left feeling a tad helpless when we see a thread that simply says.
"Help! My fish are dieing".

Please fill out as much of the following info that you can. Not only will it help us help you, it's good stuff to know about your tank. And will aid in the future health of your tank and its inhabitants.....
COPY/PASTE and fill in the blanks..... Just do your best

Brief description of the problem.
A picture(s) will also help.
PARAMETERS (important)
Temperature:
PH:
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
Salinity:
dKH/KH/Alkalinity:
Magnesium:
Calcium:
Phosphate:
Test kits you own:
Liquid or Strips:
Brand Name:
Are they Expired?:


Tank size?
Estimated total system?

Reef, fish only or, freshwater?

Current inhabitants? What and how many?
Clean up crew?

How long has your tank been set-up?

Substrate.
Type?
Depth?

Live rock?
How much?
Did you recently add some?

Filtration.
Type?
Protein skimmer?
Do you wet or dry skim?
Maintenance schedule for filtration?
Drilled tank/hang on back overflow?
Sump/refugium. What's in it and how much?
Macro? What kind?

Lighting.
Lighting type?
Age of bulbs?

Feeding
What?
How much?
How often?

Water change schedule.
How much?
How often?
What salt brand?
Water source?

Additives/supplements used?

Do you have a ground probe?
What kind of flow does your tank have?

Any additional info you would like to share.... Including anything different that you have done/not done.

Let's get to the bottom of this. Any of the above info that is questionable to you is pertinent to keeping a happy/healthy tank/wallet.

 

Are you sure that you didn't just have a zoanthid specific nudibranch that ate all of them?

SPS corals are challenging for even very experienced hobbiests. I'm not sure that this frag's death was due to something wrong with your tank.

Please list your parameters. At the top of the ASAP forum, there is a form that you can copy and paste.

 

Brief description of the problem. Read above…. In addition to up there I have noticed that my snails, have all pasted away, and the coralline algae has stopped growing on the back glass just the rocks. And the coralline is mostly red/maroon color with some purple. Also I have notice also with the zoa’s that I have left over are like flipped kinda inside out like over on itself. Or just completely closed up for a while,
A picture(s) will also help.
PARAMETERS (important)
Temperature: 81
PH: 8.3
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Salinity:.1.024
dKH/KH/Alkalinity: 9
Magnesium: 1200
Calcium: 460
Phosphate: 0
Test kits you own: all above
Liquid or Strips: liquid
Brand Name: API also took it to local fish store they use redsea I think.
Are they Expired?: nope


Tank size? 90 drilled
Estimated total system? 110 with 30gal sump

Reef, fish only or, freshwater? 4 fish some coral

Current inhabitants? What and how many? Blue tang, purple tang, coral beauty, scooter blenny
Clean up crew? Yep, blue leg hermits, cerith snails.

How long has your tank been set-up? Year and a half

Substrate. Sand
Type? Mix
Depth? 3 inch

Live rock? yes
How much? 100+
Did you recently add some? no

Filtration
Type? . Overflow into micron bag return mag 9.5 for now bc when cleaning my mag 12 the bolts were rusted and broke.
Protein skimmer? Yes, corallife 125
Do you wet or dry skim? dry
Maintenance schedule for filtration? Every day checking and every week water changes ranging from 10 gal to 15.
Drilled tank/hang on back overflow? drilled
Sump/refugium. What's in it and how much? Fefugium in sump about 10 gal
Macro? What kind? Caulerpa and some chaeto and some green leafy plant

Lighting.
Lighting type? 2 250watt metal halide light with 4 54watt t5 actinic.
Age of bulbs? 4-5 months.

Feeding
What? Mysis shrimp, krill, seaweed
How much? 1 lil block of both, 5 2inch strips of seaweed
How often? Seaweed everyday and shrimp every other day

Water change schedule.
How much? 10 gal
How often? everyweek
What salt brand? Instant ocean
Water source? WAS tap with declor, NOW RODI

Additives/supplements used? Once in a while kent super buffer dkh

Do you have a ground probe? No
What kind of flow does your tank have? Mag 9.5 kor 4 and 1104 I think?? Something like that

Any additional info you would like to share.... Including anything different that you have done/not done. The only think that I have done other than the normal would be changing the rocks around once. I think that might have to do with the snails passing, but I could be wrong. I clean the filter bag when needed. Brush off the rocks almost every day. The lighting is on timers for 7 hours for the MH and 9 hours for t5 1hour before the MH come on and 1hour when the MH goes off. Been trying to stop the bubbles from the skimmer entering the main tank, but they still get into the main tank…….. that’s why the 55 gal came to my head to make another sump refugium. I want you to help me help you help you help me help you.

i will add if something or anything comes to mind when i get a min
thank you to anyone in advance!

 

ak47soljia

I have read this a few times now and I cant see any obvious problems (mag?)

micro bubbles - they are a unisightly nuisance, but they dont cause any major issues
you can help to prevent them by adding a sponge or sock to the skimmer return, and that should diffuse or absorb the bubbles

to sum up

you have lost some Zoanthids - my fireball angel ate a few of mine before I removed him
as Inwall indicates above , this could be predation rather than water quality or other parameter issue

and a SPS frag did not do well - your in a massive club with that one , describe what happened with the SPS - was it rapid skin seemed to peel away or did the colours fade and then it started to go white?

as said, I dont see any major issue with the parameters you listed (although I like my Mag closer to 1500 I dont believe yoiur mag level is your issue here)

are you adding anything to the tank, thats not covered by above checklist?

are you running carbon? as in mixed reef tanks that does help IMO

Steve

 

No sir, I don’t add anything that I can’t test. The only thing I add once in a while is the dkh buffer by kent. I don’t think declor is an additive that will hurt or makes a difference.

The sps slowly died it was in the tank for about 5 days then started to decay slowly.

I run carbon off and on to be honest. I don’t run it all the time, when I do run it I put it in a lil whisper hang on filter.

 

copper? have you tested for it?

you don't seem to have very much live rock... but your other params seem fine... so that's probably not relevant.

 

ak47
Temp 81 - is this constant? or has it been fluctauting? SPS in particular dont like high temps and go down hill rapidly if temp gets to high - could it have reached over 84 / 85 recently in your tank?

what else you got in there? chemical warfare can often account for the demise of SPS in mixed tanks

could you get a full tank photo up , that might also give us some clues

but once again- It does not sound like you have a major problem IMO
everyone loses corals at some time or other

Steve

 

I noticed you said you didnt have a ground probe. I was feeling the same way with my corals - and spoke with a very trusted LFS and he suggested that I might have a little bit of stray current that would make my corals be very unhappy and die. I added the ground probe last week and things do seem to be a little perkier.....not sure if it is actual fact or just a correlation.

 

Have you added dechlorinated water? I thought you were using RODI? That should not require dechlorinator. When did you switch to RODI? you indicated that you "were using tap and now RODI." That tap is probably mostly in your tank still. It could contain heavy metals including copper that could be damaging your corals. Take your tank water to the LFS and have them test for copper.