All cards on the table, need help finding the issue

[gurthystag]

Hello all I'm not new to the hobby but I've also never had the issues I'm having. I've had coral die in my 120 gallon tank and some are doing ok but I wouldn't say thriving. Most notably I can't keep a digitata or birds nest alive, they die pretty quick. My tank is mostly sps but I keep some faster flow tolerant LPS as well. There is something wrong, and I'm not sure what is likely the true culprit. Below you will find my neptune parameters (note my salinity probe is off its actually 35 ppt the spikes are just air bubbles in the probe) after that you will see my rodi ICP followed by a tank ICP. My other parameters : Kno3 12 ppm and Po4 is 0.08 to 0.12 on average. Please give me your thoughts I've never had this kind of issue before my previous tanks always thrived relatively easy

 

[Wasabiroot]

Your rodi phosphates are about 1.3 ppm, which is *very* high. Are you sure this number is correct, and if so, did you recently perform a large water change? What is your TDS reading on your rodi?

When was the last time you changed your di resin in your unit? Just throwing stuff at the wall here.

Also not sure if the levels for heavy metals/trace elements are trending high in your rodi. Perhaps someone can chime in

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What icp company is this? The eight significant figures for the sodium measurement suggests a company that is somewhat lacking in science skill.

Some things are somewhat high or low, but I don’t see anything clearly a cause of problems.

I never found it useful, but iodine is low and might be worth a try to dose.

 

[gurthystag]

It's ICP-ANALYSIS.COM test kit, I run like 9 stages in my ro system and all my di resin is good. Total I have 5 carbon stages, 5 di resin stages, I cation 2 anion and 2 mixed beds. Two 100 gpd membranes. Brs brand. I've never confirmed it but I've always assumed the problem is coming from the water. Because I've done water changes then seen things get worse but sometimes things are fine. It's insanely weird.

 

[gurthystag]

Tds reader and I have 3 of them for different chamber sections all read 0 until the water passes through 2 final carbon blocks then It reads 08 but I figure that's just because it picking up particles from the carbon blocks

 

[gurthystag]

Tds reader and I have 3 of them for different chamber sections all read 0 until the water passes through 2 final carbon blocks then It reads 08 but I figure that's just because it picking up particles from the carbon block

 

[gurthystag]

 

[gurthystag]

These two pre stages are just extra precautions. I just don't see how anything is getting through unless the membranes are failing but they are only 1 year old

 

[gurthystag]

These are the corals that are doing well but others rapidly die within a week or so

 

[Woodyman]

Tds reader and I have 3 of them for different chamber sections all read 0 until the water passes through 2 final carbon blocks then It reads 08 but I figure that's just because it picking up particles from the carbon block

I would not run RO/DI through carbon blocks.

 

[The Farmer]

The last stages are those 2 carbon blocks?

 

[The Farmer]

DI should always be the last stage

 

[The Farmer]

I also don’t think you need carbon blocks or pre filters after the membranes

 

[gurthystag]

I admit I never did this till I just couldn't figure it out and thought chloramines or copper so I slapped those on, but respectfully how could that pose problems or be my problem. I suppose long term maybe but nothing in the icp is coming from carbon

 

[gurthystag]

The pre-filters are before the membrane and di resins

 

[The Farmer]

After di stage the water is stripped it starts to absorb everything, is could be carrying high p04 from the carbon

 

[The Farmer]

For the pre filters all you would need is 1, unless you remove the 2 carbon filter from the last stage add that to the 1 stage with 2 pre filters and the you would have 3 carbons then membranes after that 1 cation 2 anion and 2 DI that would be more then enough

 

[blaxsun]

Other than everything else mentioned, your alkalinity might be a tad on the low side.

 

[TheDuude]

Is there a reason you are running so many do stages? Seems overkill. And I agree with others the di should be last.

What salt mix are you running? Any recent changes there?

 

[gurthystag]

I run so many because when I previously lived I louisiana my resin would exhaust rapidly and I hated changing them so often.