Help can't keep hard corals.

[Volkman]

I need some help here. I have been losing almost anything hard coral wise the last couple months and some of my softies are starting to go too. My calcium was very high, above 600 so I have been doing 40g water changes about every 10 days or so to reduce it and stopped dosing it all together. I dose Alk and calcium, again, currently not dosing calc. Here are my params:

Alk: 6
Calc: 500+
Nitrate/Rite: Zero
Am: Zero
Phos: Zero
Ph: constant 8.2-8.3
Sal: 1.024
Orp: 500+
Temp: 76.7-77
180g display tank
75g sump
10g fuge
Total system volume is approx 220g
4 Aqua Illum Vegas 9" above waterline
2 MP40's in addition to the returns pumping around 2000gph

Any idea whats going on? Know the calcium was causing some issues, but why are the nuclear Candy Canes dying/receding and the regular green ones thriving? Lost my new chalice, lost birds nest, all acro/sps, etc. Lights too intense, too low to the water surface? Don't get what's going on and would really appreciate any and all help guys! THanks a ton! Pictures and video in the post below.

Bob

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

High calcium is not usually a coral killer.

The alkalinity is low, if that is 6 dKH. I'd advise boosting it to at least 7 dKH. I generally recommend 7-11 dKH, unless it is an ultra low nutrient system.

Why is the ORP so high? Are you adding oxidizers like ozone or permanganate?

What are you using for top off water? RO/DI?

Are other inverts like shrimp, crabs and snails doing OK?

 

[Dan1789]

How old is your tank?

 

[Volkman]

Tank has been running a little over a year.

Thanks Randy. I'll bump the alk up a touch, knew that was on the low side.

Regarding the orp, not adding anything. Just has always been above 450 ish

Use rodi and all the filters are good and changed regularly.

All cuc are good, have plenty of snails, misc crabs, cleaner shrimp and peppermint shrimps and a single sand sifting star.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How are the nutrients kept low?

Maybe they are too low?

Are you dosing organic carbon?

 

[Volkman]

Here are some pics, more coming

 

[Volkman]

Couple more

 

[Volkman]

Reef octopus 250 skimmer and I do not and have never ran carbon

 

[Volkman]

Zoas, bubble tips, carpet, acans, shrooms, hammerheads, palys all doing well. Feed mix or mysis, brine, nori, reef boom and cyclopeeze/fish egg mixture 1/day. Sometimes mysis/brine 1-2/day.

 

[Volkman]

Lighting schedule.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Reef octopus 250 skimmer and I do not and have never ran carbon

I meant organic carbon, like vodka, vinegar, etc.

 

[Volkman]

Haha, sorry. Nothing like that. Little Kettle One for me, but nothing for the tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well, I don't see anything standing out as a likely cause. Maybe a bacterial infection of some sort.

 

[Volkman]

I've never been able to keep acro/sps hard coral for some reason. How long would a infection hang around and how would I be able to diagnose and treat that? Thanks for all the help Randy.

 

[beaslbob]

following along
does iodine/iodide affect the rtn issues
perhaps I have missed it have you looked at the tank with a red flashlight at night? For worms.

 

[Volkman]

I haven't lately Bob, i will tonight. But would they munch all hard corals indiscriminately and nothing else?

 

[beaslbob]

I haven't lately Bob, i will tonight. But would they munch all hard corals indiscriminately and nothing else?

I heard they munch on soft corals. Lookup the Oregon reefs worm incident.

 

[Volkman]

All my softies are good, just the hard corals I'm having a issue with.

 

[Volkman]

Bump

 

[reef life]

I always compare water pars with other test kits if everything is balanced and problems continue. Like Randy said, Alk is Low!