Hi Everyone,
This is my first post on this forum but I have been keeping reef tanks for the past 8 years. I have come here for help
To recap the past 4 years or so.
- Febuary of 2015 I fill my 40 breeder with the contents of my very successful 20 long I had in operation since august of 2012
The tank does ok but the coral never really grows like it did with the 20 Long.
By July of 2017 I have finally conceded that there is something wrong with my tank, many of the corals have died off and I am not getting any new growth.
I believe by the end of 2017 more than 75% of my corals and my clam I kept for over 4 years have died off. It is at this point I decided not to try finding the problem anymore and just enjoy the few corals I have that survive. My friend is dismantling his tank he hasn't done a water change in over 6 months and his coral is still doing great behind a wall of algae glass. It doesn't make sense.
At some point, probably winter of 2018 I call in a local reef tank maintenance guy to try and figure out my tank. He tests my water and finds that there is nothing way out of wack but to be positive I should send my water to germany and have a full labratory grade test done, which we do. Results come back and there is still nothing off with my water. His only idea is that I need to dose trace elements, which I do, but there is no change.
Defeated, I resign myself to the fact that I will never again enjoy a vibrant reef tank full of color and variety.
Fast forward to now - I have stared at this half hearted tank for too many years - It is time to make my reef tank great again!
The following are a list of possible problems and solutions I have tried over the course of more than 3 years:
Lighting - I have changed my lighting schedule, I have increased par and decreased par, I have changed between T5's and LEDs, I've run both.
Water changes - I have changed the water weekly, and biweekly for 3 or more months straight. I have tried not changing water for months at a time.
Temperature - I have fluctuated the temperature to almost every different opinion of the best temp online.
Calcium and alk levels - Tried everything under the sun at some point.
Changing salt mixes- tried 4 different brands.
Electrical leakage theory - thought i might be getting stray voltage in my tank, went down a rabbit hole of confusion on this one, never got a clear answer.
Water flow- Tried everything from 1 powerhead on low to upgrading return pumps and having 3 powerheads.
Feeding - Have tried feeding hardly anything , Ive tried feeding heavily every day for weeks at a time. I've added live phytoplankton and copepods
Gfo, carbon, chemipure, poly-filter, I've used them all.
Refugium - ran tank with one , ran tank without one.
The last few Ideas I have yet to try:
Water changes with nutri seawater - eliminates any possibility of the water i am using for water changes being the issue, but its a pricey experiment, how long do i try it for?
Siphoning out all of my sand - I remember hearing that old sand can be a problem. I really like my sand and am not a fan of bare bottom tanks, but this is the last thing i can think to do.
Do I need to Start over - I have a few friends who think I just need to start fresh, Get a new tank, fill it with fresh live rock, and all my problems will be solved.
I would really hate to start a whole new tank just to realize after investing $500-$1000 that I have the same issues as I do now.
Please let me know what you think. All I can think about is how to fix this tank, and I don't know the next step I should take.
Reef Tank Before Problems
Reef Tank After Problems
This is my first post on this forum but I have been keeping reef tanks for the past 8 years. I have come here for help
To recap the past 4 years or so.
- Febuary of 2015 I fill my 40 breeder with the contents of my very successful 20 long I had in operation since august of 2012
The tank does ok but the coral never really grows like it did with the 20 Long.
By July of 2017 I have finally conceded that there is something wrong with my tank, many of the corals have died off and I am not getting any new growth.
I believe by the end of 2017 more than 75% of my corals and my clam I kept for over 4 years have died off. It is at this point I decided not to try finding the problem anymore and just enjoy the few corals I have that survive. My friend is dismantling his tank he hasn't done a water change in over 6 months and his coral is still doing great behind a wall of algae glass. It doesn't make sense.
At some point, probably winter of 2018 I call in a local reef tank maintenance guy to try and figure out my tank. He tests my water and finds that there is nothing way out of wack but to be positive I should send my water to germany and have a full labratory grade test done, which we do. Results come back and there is still nothing off with my water. His only idea is that I need to dose trace elements, which I do, but there is no change.
Defeated, I resign myself to the fact that I will never again enjoy a vibrant reef tank full of color and variety.
Fast forward to now - I have stared at this half hearted tank for too many years - It is time to make my reef tank great again!
The following are a list of possible problems and solutions I have tried over the course of more than 3 years:
Lighting - I have changed my lighting schedule, I have increased par and decreased par, I have changed between T5's and LEDs, I've run both.
Water changes - I have changed the water weekly, and biweekly for 3 or more months straight. I have tried not changing water for months at a time.
Temperature - I have fluctuated the temperature to almost every different opinion of the best temp online.
Calcium and alk levels - Tried everything under the sun at some point.
Changing salt mixes- tried 4 different brands.
Electrical leakage theory - thought i might be getting stray voltage in my tank, went down a rabbit hole of confusion on this one, never got a clear answer.
Water flow- Tried everything from 1 powerhead on low to upgrading return pumps and having 3 powerheads.
Feeding - Have tried feeding hardly anything , Ive tried feeding heavily every day for weeks at a time. I've added live phytoplankton and copepods
Gfo, carbon, chemipure, poly-filter, I've used them all.
Refugium - ran tank with one , ran tank without one.
The last few Ideas I have yet to try:
Water changes with nutri seawater - eliminates any possibility of the water i am using for water changes being the issue, but its a pricey experiment, how long do i try it for?
Siphoning out all of my sand - I remember hearing that old sand can be a problem. I really like my sand and am not a fan of bare bottom tanks, but this is the last thing i can think to do.
Do I need to Start over - I have a few friends who think I just need to start fresh, Get a new tank, fill it with fresh live rock, and all my problems will be solved.
I would really hate to start a whole new tank just to realize after investing $500-$1000 that I have the same issues as I do now.
Please let me know what you think. All I can think about is how to fix this tank, and I don't know the next step I should take.
Reef Tank Before Problems
Reef Tank After Problems