http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:51:48 +0000 Tue, 29 Jul 2014 16:09:02 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.03 360 www.utahreefs.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=72328 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/1by1.gif http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/ http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570979&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570979 Author: aporter360
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 29 2014 at 4:09pm

good to know, just grabbed some magnesium so i think that will help]]> Tue, 29 Jul 2014 16:09:02 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570979&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570979 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570947&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570947 Author: aceofspadeskb
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 29 2014 at 7:31am

If you're having trouble getting your alk up, check your magnesium level. 
]]> Tue, 29 Jul 2014 07:31:35 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570947&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570947 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570932&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570932 Author: aporter360
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 28 2014 at 10:23pm

good to know, tryin to keep alk up now]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2014 22:23:00 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570932&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570932 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570920&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570920 Author: Mark Peterson
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 28 2014 at 8:15pm

Alk below 8 dKH in that new tank - a definite cause for concern and easily the reason for SPS issues. Sorry for your loss.

Aloha
]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2014 20:15:21 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570920&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570920 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570870&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570870 Author: aporter360
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 28 2014 at 11:13am

good ideas, i have tons of macro algae that ive been running since day 1. my nitrate and nitrite levels were 0 yesterday. my phosphate checker isnt sensitive , only .25 res. not the .03 or such res. i removed all gfo and will be replacing the activated carbon today. i will also be getting a polyfilter as a precaution along with some test kits hopefully.
ca is 440 and alk stays round 7-8. im dosing more alk now to raise it to 8-9]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:13:47 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570870&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570870 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570855&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570855 Author: Mark Peterson
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 28 2014 at 8:18am

I'm disappointed I didn't get a call at 12:37 am 

pilotx44 wrote: ...the gfo was in the tank for about 3 weeks. i was using it to combat the usual cyano/algae outbreak with newer tanks

....Interesting.  Not saying it shouldn't be done but I would not do that. The usual algae outbreak in a new tank is actually a good thing. Algae eats a variety of polluting compounds in a natural way, which helps balance the environment and the tank chemistry. That's why you will always see me recommending the use of lots of Macroalgae for the first 3 months of a tanks life.

I'm not so sure that stripping PO4 from a tank that may not have any extra PO4 is good for the tank - and definitely not good for the coral. As I mentioned above, coral need a low level of PO4 for their symbiotic Zooxanthellae algae.

SPS in a new tank is risky anyway. It's this 90, right? http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=71745 (sorry I never got back about my suggestions regarding the stand. they were very minor modifications anyway). The Alk and Ca levels may be just fine but I'm with Nikki, we need to know those numbers along with the N compound levels. Now that PO4 has been essentially stripped from this system, knowing the current parameters is very important to figuring out what to do next.

Speaking of what to do next, I would remove all GFO media and replace the AC with new AC as soon as possible. The recent SPS deaths require some water polishing.

Aloha

P.S. Like Nikki said, the media works best when it softly tumbles. The inline media device is an admirable substitute  for a media reactor but IMO is unnecessary. A media bag filled loosely with 1 cup of AC placed near the return pump intake, flipped over from time to time to redistribute the granules/pellets will do a fairly good job. This is how I get the job done and at the same time keep expenses low for my coral farm, but I guess you saw that when you were here.


Edited by Mark Peterson - July 28 2014 at 9:13am]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:18:46 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570855&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570855 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570854&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570854 Author: ReefdUp
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 28 2014 at 1:28am

First off, GFO is supposed to tumble. Not hard, but it needs to move. Second, ferric oxide does,not provide usable iron to the tank, so you didn't overdose on iron.

The only real concern is that your fish shouldn't breathe the particulates. I wouldn't worry.

What are the rest of your parameters?]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2014 01:28:49 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570854&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570854 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570853&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570853 Author: aporter360
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 28 2014 at 12:37am

whoops, sorry got busy, well the gfo was in the tank for about 3 weeks. i was using it to combat the usual cyano/algae outbreak with newer tanks. so i decided to rig up a cheap diy inline reactor that worked quite well except i couldnt see into the media. i added pads inside the reactor to keep the media from moving and churning but it still did a little.. eventually the pads ended up with a layer of dust on them and i only realized this when a cloud of gfo dust expelled out my return. i immediately turned it off and decided to re engineer it a bit once i find some clear tubing.. but there was still a cloud of gfo dust in the tank. i figured i would monitor it and hopefully it would be filtered out. by removing the inline filter, i increased the flow to my tank thus increasing the flow into the filter sock which i placed extra gfo media that didnt fit into the reactor. i didnt realize until tonight that the media had gotten loose and had wrecked havoc inside the filter sock and im sure was tumbling about at high speed all day. i had a small bag of AC downstream under more calm flow, no churning so my guess is this coral was sensitive to the amount of iron along with another acro and the shrimp. ]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2014 00:37:29 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570853&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570853 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570847&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570847 Author: Mark Peterson
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 27 2014 at 9:02pm

Whoops, offline before responding to my questions.

I'm wondering if the GFO was just recently added because PO4 was tested and found to be elevated? PO4 builds up slowly in the water. The effect of elevated PO4 on SPS is a delayed response. The coral hangs on until it cannot hang on any longer and then it bleaches and/or dies in less than 24 hours.

In case I'm offline when you see this, please feel free to call or text me at 808-345-1049.

Aloha,
Mark

]]> Sun, 27 Jul 2014 21:02:31 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570847&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570847 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570846&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570846 Author: Mark Peterson
Subject: 72328
Posted: July 27 2014 at 8:46pm

I see that you are still online here. While waiting for your response, I'll add some thoughts.

The filter sock is a not a good place to keep any kind of media because the draining water tumbles the bag and/or media inside the bag, churning it up, making dust that spreads throughout the system. When AC gets ground into powder it can cause problems in the tank. A better alternative is to ensure the bags are securely closed and placed near the return pump strainer.

Coral produces slime and sloughs it off to remove any irritating particles and to expel waste.

If anything, newly added GFO (rusted iron) disbursing throughout the tank might cause problems by removing too much PO4 from the water too fast. The coral's symbiotic Zooxanthellae algae(which gives coral its color) need PO4 to survive.

Let's also look at other possible causes for this problem.


Edited by Mark Peterson - July 27 2014 at 8:53pm]]> Sun, 27 Jul 2014 20:46:26 +0000 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72328&PID=570846&title=iron-remover-bleached-coral#570846