- Joined
- May 6, 2016
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Tank has taken a turn for the worst the last couple weeks. Lost some of my big colonies of montiporas, chalice, cyphastrea. Hammer and frogspawn frags mostly dead, a big acan echinata colony had flesh melting off it left and right. Huge water change, and a ton of carbon had stemmed the issue for a week, now it is back. Torch looking beat, scoly starting to mimic the echinata. All seemed to have started with an Urchin dying. Yellow Eye Kole Tang looking very stressed, other fish in various stages of looking a bit off to not bothered at all. Oddly, my acros seem fine, my clam is fine, single peppermint shrimp, and plenty of bristleworms/hermits all alive, various zoa colonies looking 50/50 some angry some completely unbothered, same with GSP and Duncan. On a whim did a copper test, which came back .08. Low, but not what I'd want to see in a display tank. Same number in my top off, .03 in my NSW. ICP test kits and cuprisorb on the way, along with new filters for the RODI.
So copper seems to be stemming from my water, really hoping I correctly ID'd the issue. What confuses me is the different reactions. Acros which are supposed to be so sensitive to anything are looking like nothing is going on, while mere inches away flesh melts off LPS. Inverts looking fine, while the Urchin died. Makes me think it isn't copper that is the problem, but no other current ideas. 5 years without a problem like this, was just about to move many of these corals to a new tank for my boys while I convert the DT to acro dominant. Skimmer pump seems to have kicked it, and had a slow leak from a reactor I didn't tighten enough after refilling carbon. So thats three, uphill from here right?
So copper seems to be stemming from my water, really hoping I correctly ID'd the issue. What confuses me is the different reactions. Acros which are supposed to be so sensitive to anything are looking like nothing is going on, while mere inches away flesh melts off LPS. Inverts looking fine, while the Urchin died. Makes me think it isn't copper that is the problem, but no other current ideas. 5 years without a problem like this, was just about to move many of these corals to a new tank for my boys while I convert the DT to acro dominant. Skimmer pump seems to have kicked it, and had a slow leak from a reactor I didn't tighten enough after refilling carbon. So thats three, uphill from here right?