Base up STN on acropora frags following stray voltage event

[Creggers]

Hello R2R,

Unfortunately all of my Acropora frags are STNing from the base up. I noticed less and less PE over a few weeks and starting yesterday I noticed some white appearing along the bases. The PE is basically completely gone at this point and has been for a few days.

Yesterday I found that there was some stray voltage in the tank, after getting shocked many times and finally sorted it out to be a heater and pump. Both were removed from the system. The slow decline began around the introduction of the heater (which is/was brand new) and it was throwing out a lot of current as I got shocked enough to make me second guess putting my hand in the tank.

From a parameters perspective, I had a small hiccup over the Christmas weekend where my ATO reservoir back drafted some saltwater and raised my salinity up to around 1.030. I slowly brought it back down with fresh RODI water over the course of around 3 hours. It was probably at this level for about two days while I was visiting my parents.

I have also been fighting to keep my calcium up, the same time that I was gone for the holiday it dropped to around 380 from 440. I've been very slowly moving that number back towards my target number (440).

Only new additions have been four fish; three blue reef chromis and one fairy wrasse.

I also moved my lights up about 4 inches higher (without adjusting intensity). There was a lot of par in the tank, probably around 350 in hot spots - with the move its only dropped on average around 50 par.

The only major event that I can account the STN to is the stray voltage, I'd be surprised if a .005 increase in salinity (would have occurred slowly) and a drop of 60ppt of calcium (once again slowly) would have that large of an impact.

I'm running activated carbon right now to remove any impurities from the water, but this would be remarkably surprising because anytime my hand goes in the tank for any period of time I put on a glove.

I'm also mixing up about a 15% water change right now that I plan on doing by the end of the day today.

I was wondering if anyone here had experience with STN caused by stray voltage, or if the series of unfortunate (albeit small) events all came together to push my acropora over the edge? I know these guys are considered hard to keep, but I find it hard to believe that a slight increase in salinity and a lower calcium number (that's within acceptable ranges) would kill them all off.

I will say that my LPS looked pretty unhappy until today as well, which is why I'm accounting all of my struggles in the tank to my voltage issue.



75 gallon tank with 20 long sump with refugium running alternative schedule
Params:
PH: 8.1-8.3 (Apex PH probe)
DKH: 10 (Hanna)
Calc: 410 (Hanna)
Mag: ~1350 (Red Sea)
PO4: .04 (Hanna)
NO4: 3.5 (Hanna)
SG: 1.026

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

How did you measure it? High current as well?

Typically people tell me that stray voltage won't hurt fish or corals... No path to ground. Not an electrician but that is how it has been explained to me in the past. You may have a rust or heavy metal buildup from the exposed wires.
What do you use to measure salinity? Could you be out of calibration?

 

[Creggers]

How did you measure it? High current as well?

Typically people tell me that stray voltage won't hurt fish or corals... No path to ground. Not an electrician but that is how it has been explained to me in the past. You may have a rust or heavy metal buildup from the exposed wires.
What do you use to measure salinity? Could you be out of calibration?

I measured it with my hand! Unfortunately it was the most reliable way to know something was off.

Salinity is measured with my refractometer - calibrated with fresh 0TDS RODI water.

The rust / heavy metal build up will hopefully show up in my triton analysis I just sent off, but I wont get those results in time to act which is why I'm running carbon & doing a WC. Thinking of grabbing Purit too and swapping it in for the carbon but I've read varying accounts of success.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Yeah I am more on the side that if something is painful to you it should be corrected anyways.

You should use calibration solution with a reference of 1.026 (You can mix a pre-weighed solution per online instructions too). When you calibrate with RODI it can skew the results (usually in the opposite direction of the calibration liquid used) which means that if you are reading 1.026 then you are likely actually sitting around 1.028. A gradual climb in salinity to say 1.032 (due to out of calibration scale) could be a cause of issues.

Not a stick head so I don't know much about the recovery but correcting those two might help.

 

[Creggers]

Just got confirmation from triton labs that they received my water sample. Hopefully there's some info there that'll be helpful.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Keep us updated once you get the results!

 

[jda]

I have had more STN from equipment leaking electricity than any other thing. One time, it was so minimal that I did not even get shocked in the tank, but went into the sump on accident and got a little jolt - almost overnight that frag tank did so much better. Do not discount this. Removing the stuff will help a lot.

Do not expect anything helpful from ICP. You might have a few things slightly off, but most of the time, they disappoint. I would not go chasing anything on the report without some serious thought.

 

[Creggers]

I have had more STN from equipment leaking electricity than any other thing. One time, it was so minimal that I did not even get shocked in the tank, but went into the sump on accident and got a little jolt - almost overnight that frag tank did so much better. Do not discount this. Removing the stuff will help a lot.

Do not expect anything helpful from ICP. You might have a few things slightly off, but most of the time, they disappoint. I would not go chasing anything on the report without some serious thought.

I'm hoping things start to look up - I'm only a day or so since removing the offending items. Who knows how long the currents been in the tank slowly hurting the coral though.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I have had more STN from equipment leaking electricity than any other thing. One time, it was so minimal that I did not even get shocked in the tank, but went into the sump on accident and got a little jolt - almost overnight that frag tank did so much better. Do not discount this. Removing the stuff will help a lot.

Do not expect anything helpful from ICP. You might have a few things slightly off, but most of the time, they disappoint. I would not go chasing anything on the report without some serious thought.

Is this mainly with sps? Again just going by tribal knowledge but that explains some serious stress I had about 6 months ago.

 

[Creggers]

Is this mainly with sps? Again just going by tribal knowledge but that explains some serious stress I had about 6 months ago.

My LPS has been miserable too - so I'm going to say it impacted my whole tank.

 

[jda]

...so about 50% of my frags and mini colonies did not care at all. Some, including some that I consider to be stable and easy going acropora, got really mad with thin looking skin, even less PE than usual (I don't get much anyway) and slow STN. It was infuriating for about about a week. Luckily, I caught it in time for most stuff, but lost a few. The next day, you could tell it was better.

I only had acropora in this tank, but I have heard that this is an issue for all types of coral.

I am not saying that there is not something else, but this likely was an issue.

 

[Creggers]

Got my ICP test back and everything is in okay ranges accept for my TIN and Lithium. TIN is at 14 and lithium is at 333.

Not sure where the tin is coming from, possibly from the heater/pump that was leaking. Doing a rather large water change today to hopefully bring it down.

Other than water changes, anyone know what else I can do?

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I would think you are on the right path. A heavy metal remover like poly filter (not sure if it helps with Tin...) or similar might help.

 

[jda]

Most tin comes from salt mix. Nearly all lithium comes from the salt mix too. I use regular IO and I have high lithium most of the time.

 

[nereefpat]

A lot of people report high levels of tin and lithium from their ICP tests. I wouldn't necessarily be worried about it.

I have had stray voltage cause tissue necrosis in SPS before.

 

[Cory]

Those levels of tin are frequently reported along with stn.

Magnets rusting have been known to release tin. Other suspects àre pvc pipes. New glass floated on molten tin. Nails and screws can be coated in tin. Hinges of doors rusting and the dust gets in. Swollen magnets from pumps and their magnets to attatch to the glass. Also check any algae magnets. This may also come from heaters but yours wasnt cracked.

 

[Creggers]

Those levels of tin are frequently reported along with stn.

Magnets rusting have been known to release tin. Other suspects àre pvc pipes. New glass floated on molten tin. Nails and screws can be coated in tin. Hinges of doors rusting and the dust gets in. Swollen magnets from pumps and their magnets to attatch to the glass. Also check any algae magnets. This may also come from heaters but yours wasnt cracked.

I’m doing water changes on a slightly more aggressive schedule than recommended by triton - did about 12% yesterday and doing another 20-30% today. At this point a majority of my SPS looks terrible but my LPS is looking better. Hoping I can get the tin outta the tank ASAP. Going to send in another triton test in a week or so after I cycle out as much water as I can.

 

[Creggers]

Adding some photos - the SPS all looks terrible including chalices and montipora. All of the LPS is poofy and happy, I’d assume AEFW if it wasn’t for the fact that montis and chalice look crappy too. Is there anything else I could be missing here?

 

[Cory]

Im not sure if tritons metal remover works. I cant remember the name but it basically is purified humic acid thaf makes your water brown. Metals attatch to it and you remove it with carbon. Maybe try that for tin.

 

[Creggers]

Just a quick update to see if anyone has any thoughts, because I'm at a complete loss here.

All of my fleshy corals are doing much better - Acans / favias / hammers / frogspawn / torches. Some of them actually look better than they ever have.

My stoney corals - acropora / anacrapora / montipora / stylo / birdsnest / chalice all have been looking worse and worse every day.

I keep wondering if there is a contaminate in the tank that the ICP test wouldn't pick up. The wild thing is my fleshy corals seem to be doing really well.

After I finish my water change routine, I plan on sending off another ICP test to see if I've solved the tin issue, but I feel like there must be something I'm missing here...