Trouble Keeping Coral

I can't seem to keep coral, of any kind. Everything I've read says that I should be able to keep them.
Tank is 75 Gal + 20Gal sump+ refugium
Params:
Ammonia, 0
Nitrite, 0
Ph, 8.1-8.2
Nitrate 5-10
dKH - 9
Phosphate .5
Gravity, 1.026
Temp 78-79
Lights T5-Ho 4 x48"
Filtration, Skimmer rated at 200 Gallons, 80 lbs of Live rockm which started as base rock at the time of the start up. Macro Algae, I have 2 6x4" Dragon Breath Macro Algaes attached to my powerheads.
I'm going to start running Carbon in a Media reactor as soon as I get home from work, Saturday I have a guy coming over with a couple bags of Chaeto for my sump.

I do a 15% Water Change using RO/DI water bi weekly.

Current Livestock is
Yellow Belly Blue Hippo Tang
2 True Percula
1 Yellow Goby
20 Hermit Crabs
5 Snails
1 very sad mushroom

The tank is currently 3 months old now.

I've tried Xenia, which died within a week
Pink Panther Zoas which lasted 2 weeks
Watermellon Zoas lasted a week
GSP which lasted a couple of weeks
Toadstool which lasted a couple of weeks as well

All the zoas ended up closing up after the first day and melted away
The Toadstool shriveled,
and the GSP closed up and turned purple.

Is there anything else I should be testing for?
Does anything seem out of wack?
Do you have a suggestion for my filtration?
Anyone had a similar problem?


Thanks

 

Yes well so much for reading , Old saying comes to mind and the thing about most book experts I have found over the yrs after meeting many of them is those who can't do teach and those who can't teach write about it ..

Its do'able heck I can even do it But about all any book will give you is theory and chemistry .

I'd ask what are you trying to keep alive and at just 3 months this tank is really not nearly ready for corals , I'd and also mention that the PO4 and NO3 are a tad high DKH is a bit low I see no mention of Calcium or Magnesium , what is the name of the skimmer you have and 4 T5 on a 75 is a tad under lite for some corals ..

 

I have to agree with Tangster although, I have to admit that I have been able to keep mixed corals under worse conditions regarding your chemistry.
On top of adding more lights, I'd advise that you run your carbon, maybe there's some contaminant in your water.
Get your PO4 down first, I like to use Granular Ferric Oxide instead of Aluminum Oxide in a reactor.
Your nitrates are not at very dangerous levels, but keep and eye on it.
And use some sea buffer to raise your DKH

 

Maybe try a ground probe? Also, are you getting everything from the same place? I'm kinda at a loss on this one . . . I have had xenia melt away before and then another kind thrive, but zoas and GSP will live in a bucket of saltwater kit by a flashlight. What are you doing for flow in the tank?

~Will.

 

Honestly, I don't know the name of the Skimmer. I got it from a friend who used it on his 150 Gal tank. It takes up about half of my sump and seems to do a good job pulling skimmate from my tank. What ever was printed on the side has since worn off

NO3 and PO4 were on the high side because I've come to learn I was over feeding. That's been corrected and those levels are steadily retreating.

DKH was at 11 but it was too high and I let it fall to 9.

With the mushrooms I switched to running 2 of my T5 lights instead of all 4 and had some extension, though not by much.

I have 2 Hydor Koralia 3's in the tank.

For my Media reactor I've mixed Carbon with Ferric Oxide to try and round out my filtering for the time being seeing as I don't know whats wrong.

All Corals have been from different tanks.

As for the tank being new I understand that and haven't tried to keep any kind of Stony coral and have stayed to soft corals. which as stated above should live in a bucket with a flashlight.

I've currently ordered a Calc and Magnesium test. I had a freak dog accident and lost those two tests.

 

You had the mushroom anemones to die ? what did they act like kind of shriveled up and wrinkly looking ? You have any corals that look good ? if so what type are they ? and exactly what all types do you have in there now ? I saw the question on the ground probe have you ever tested for voltage ? That is about the only thing I ever knew of that would make a mushroom look bad god I did not think they could be killed I have tried . I have actually injected them with poising, you have anything in there that may have ever been exposed to a copper medication treatment ?

 

Cu?

Test your tank for copper.

 

I thought it might of been copper too, but from my understanding Hermit crabs would of died too if there was a copper contamination?

Regardless I'll pick up a copper test today

I'll see if I can barrow a ground probe as well.

Actinodiscus coerulea - is the only coral that has lived any amount of time in my tank. It's lost its metallic blue hue and has shriveled up. It's not dead because during the day it extends a little bit, but it doesn't look "soft" like a healthy mushroom.

Actinodiscus coerulea is the only coral I'm currently keeping in my tank. I'm using it to gauge my waters condition, which currently isn't good.

All of my other invertebrates do fine are very active and show no ill effects to what ever if harming the coral.

 

Perhaps in this situation it may be more beneficial to you to have a sample of water tested by the city or another lab. What type of rock is in the tank and where did the substrate come from?

 

Sand came from a LFS and I mixed it with live sand from a tank breakdown when a friend moved.
Rock was base rock I got from a LFS