Corals dying
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: EMERGENCY FORUM
Forum Description: If you have an Emergency post here and you should receive a quick reply.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=76194
Printed Date: April 25 2024 at 4:04am
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Topic: Corals dying
Posted By: Fishflop
Subject: Corals dying
Date Posted: May 23 2015 at 9:48pm
| I've been having a problem with my corals dying and/or not looking so good. I have a 200 total volume, all parameters that I could test are ok - nitrates nitrites ammonia calcium and alkalinity magnesium iron and potassium. Phosphates were a little high (.08) and iodine was low (.3). I have sps, lps, zoas and mushroom and they're all being effected. I'm running Rox, skimming the heck out of my tank and temperature is right on. The only thing I haven't checked is my lights that I have had for 3+ years (ai vegas) (I don't have a par meter). Not all, but 80% of my corals are closed if not slowly fading away. Zoos closed and brown junk on them, monti going white and lps either completely sucked in or actually falling apart. There has been a tiny amount of diatom bloom, but nothing close to being a pandemic. Please let me know if anyone could help - I'd appreciate it =D |
Replies:
Posted By: Reefer4Ever
Date Posted: May 23 2015 at 10:03pm
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Pics might help since everything as you say that the parameters are all ok. What are the actual numbers from your testing. ------------- 90 gal reef w/refugium 24 gal softie tank 11 gal nano anemone tank 5 gal fresh water |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 23 2015 at 10:07pm
| My pictures are horrible. But calc was 460, alk 9.2, mag 1400+, nitrates 10, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, iodine .3, potassium can't remember, iron can't remember |
Posted By: Krazie4Acans
Date Posted: May 23 2015 at 10:19pm
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Have you tested for any heavy metals? This sounds a lot like a heavy metal toxin from what you describe. Pictures could help diagnose further but that's where I would go next. Cuprisorb would take most metals out. You could try that but I would test first. ------------- My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63568&title=krazies-nano-paradise" rel="nofollow - Tank Thread: |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 23 2015 at 10:37pm
| How do you test for heavy metals? And what type of metals would cause this? |
Posted By: kody72
Date Posted: May 23 2015 at 11:54pm
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I had this happen from a batch of bad carbon ------------- http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=60612&title=kody72-fishroom" rel="nofollow - KODY72 FISHROOM BUILD 281g DT 187g Rimless Frag ATI PM lighting SRO DSCR-300ext 8013908179 |
Posted By: kody72
Date Posted: May 23 2015 at 11:56pm
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Any cleaning crew dieing off? ------------- http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=60612&title=kody72-fishroom" rel="nofollow - KODY72 FISHROOM BUILD 281g DT 187g Rimless Frag ATI PM lighting SRO DSCR-300ext 8013908179 |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 12:05am
| The carbon was actually only put in after the ill-effects started popping up |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 12:06am
| And I put in some prime to help with the metals |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 7:03am
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SeaChem Prime is for removing chlorine and ammonia. It will do no good in this situation, except as the coral die off contaminates the water with increased N pollution. Did someone throw a penny into this tank? Copper could cause the issues you describe. There are several products for removing some of the common metals, including Copper. SeaChem Cuprisorb has been mentioned. http://poly-bio-marine.com/" rel="nofollow - Poly-bio-Marine's Poly Filter is the best I have used to adsorb a broad range of contaminants, though Seachem's Purigen and Boyd Enterprises Chemipure also work well. Assuming the fish are okay, right? Are other inverts(snails, hermits, worms, bugs, shrimp, etc.) dieing? Were Alk and/or Ca recently raised quickly? Lights were mentioned. Has the lighting intensity or photoperiod been increased recently? Coral are more sensitive to sunburn than people. Sunburn can be lethal if lighting is changed or intensity increased too swiftly. What is the current running temperature? Was there a temperature spike? How is the water source? Contaminants? What is the TDS of the water used for top-off and water changes? Was a new salt or new container of salt used just prior to this issue? Could any other contaminant have entered the water via buckets, hands, etc? Aloha, Mark  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Hogie
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 8:34am
| Have you checked for any electricity in the water? |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 2:17pm
| Sorry for the slow reply. Everything you said was normal no changes in the lights no quick increase of alkalinity and calcium The temperature is 76 and that is exactly why am running the carbon is just in case contaminants got in. and I do have two titanium rods in the tank one of the display in one of the sump |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 2:18pm
| I woke up this morning and my monti ports are getting white patches all over them, heads of euphelias are melting and my zoas that I had just peroxide dipped are almost covered in brown crap again |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 2:20pm
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Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 2:20pm
| It's a very bad picture but it's the only one I could get showing the blotching - the blue spots are actually white |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 2:35pm
| Could a razor do this? |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 3:15pm
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If you left a rotor blade inside the tank to rust and dissolve, then yes, that could cause your corals to react badly. But if you mean you just used a razor blade to scrape the glass, and then promptly removed it..? Then, no, that would not harm your tank. ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 3:21pm
| If a razor blade to scrape the glass had fallen in the tank. That could cause the ill effects I'm dealing with? |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 6:35pm
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Activated carbon does not remove metallic compounds so if the water has copper, lead, arsenic, etc they are still there, causing issues. A rusty razor blade rusting in the tank might assist in the deaths you are describing, yet pure Iron oxide (rust) is actually not too harmful. We use a specially formulated rust (Granulated Ferric Oxide) to remove Phosphate. Can you clean the glass and post a pic of the entire tank? (not the stand, just the tank) There are several items mentioned in my post above which have not been answered, such as: - are fish okay? - are other inverts okay? - top off water TDS? - whether a new bag/bucket of salt was used? Aloha, Mark ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 6:45pm
| Yup, everything but the corals are ok, I get my water from a lfs so the tds is always low, and I don't know for sure about if new salt was used. And I'd be happy to. Let me scrub the glass (didn't want to just in case it would harm something even more) and I have added some cuprisorb to a reactor and put it on the tank |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 7:03pm
| Hmm it won't let me post any more photos |
Posted By: Studboyt
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 7:21pm
| I was having a similar problem and got a grounding probe from OCD Reefs two days ago. I installed it and everything is looking way better already. Might wanna spend the 20$ and try it, can't hurt. |
Posted By: Fishflop
Date Posted: May 24 2015 at 7:23pm
| Already have 2 - one in the display, one in the sump =) |