Corals dying like clockwork

[Zbutcher]

If not nutrients , are you tweaking lights flow at all?

something is causing corals to be shocked and want to bail, theres a change in something drastic enough to make them want to bounce

Nope lights have been the same and flow is also the same. The only nutrients not stable are nitrates and phos so that's the only thing I can think and the answer is carbon dosing to keep stable

 

[Zbutcher]

If all your parameters good I suspect bacteria issue..send it to aquabiomics test and see what the results are

Is bacteria even fixable?

 

[Nate Chalk]

You can see ive stopped since im getting better results but i now have automated alk and phos nitrate i test 1-2 weeks

 

[Zbutcher]

Within the acceptable range?

or no

i struggled with this too my tanks about the same age adding more rock and carbon dosing helped

Nitrate is in the 40s and phos is .26

 

[Zbutcher]

You can see ive stopped since im getting better results but i now have automated alk and phos nitrate i test 1-2 weeks

dang that's very stable

 

[Nate Chalk]

dang that's very stable

But you can see there are spikes , bottoming out all hurting progress and killing coral

gfo start small, skimmer, filtration keep the same, you have a rack i dont see much rock

 

[Zbutcher]

But you can see there are spikes , bottoming out all hurting progress and killing coral

gfo start small, skimmer, filtration keep the same, you have a rack i dont see much rock

All rock is in my sump.

 

[Nate Chalk]

All rock is in my sump.

Got it , is it alot of rock? Like enough for the ratio suggested 1lb per gallon or whatever

 

[aarbutina]

Quickly looked over your IPC numbers, you may want to take this with a grain of salt but it’s possible that your zinc levels are too low. That being said, it is possible that zinc levels are hard to quantify or don’t get great resolution with the ICP test. The only reason I really mention it was during my last IPC test my zinc levels read “0” and made me start looking into it.

Have I don’t anything to adjust for this in my own tank? No. But I have thought that my SPS have been struggling a little when they had not previously.

just good for thought

https://www.faunamarin.de/en/wissen-en/zinc/

 

[Zbutcher]

Got it , is it alot of rock? Like enough for the ratio suggested 1lb per gallon or whatever

No it is probably about 50 lbs

 

[Zbutcher]

Quickly looked over your IPC numbers, you may want to take this with a grain of salt but it’s possible that your zinc levels are too low. That being said, it is possible that zinc levels are hard to quantify or don’t get great resolution with the ICP test. The only reason I really mention it was during my last IPC test my zinc levels read “0” and made me start looking into it.

Have I don’t anything to adjust for this in my own tank? No. But I have thought that my SPS have been struggling a little when they had not previously.

just good for thought

https://www.faunamarin.de/en/wissen-en/zinc/

Interesting point!

 

[john90009]

I wasn’t able to read the whole thread but why kinda rock do you have? Marco?

 

[Zbutcher]

I wasn’t able to read the whole thread but why kinda rock do you have? Marco?

Ocean rock from 20 years ago that I bought off a person shutting down there tank

 

[SunnyX]

Ocean rock from 20 years ago that I bought off a person shutting down there tank

Old tank syndrome.

There is something in the hobby called old tank syndrome. I don’t believe we know what causes it, but at a certain point aquariums begin to crash. Testing reveals almost nothing and the exact causes are a mystery. Also, 20 years is a long time, and who knows what the previous owner may have been dosing and what has saturated the rock. ICP cannot test for everything and if all other parameters are in line I would look to the rock as being the culprit here.

If it were me, I’d dump that rock and order some real live rock, say from KP Aquatics, and go from there. Keep in mind that you will need to cure the rock for at least a couple weeks before placing it in your main system. Also, some Microbacter7 wouldn’t hurt.

Good luck.

-Sonny