Crab's is about ready to throw in the towel.

Righteous

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Messages
812
Reaction score
1,060
Location
Austin, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks again everyone for all the help, and kind words. I've left the tank alone other than skimmer cup cleaning and changing out filter socks. I noticed some polyp extension today on the troubled corals. The ICP lab test went in the mail yesterday. I'll update as soon as I see results. And will continue to keep you all posted.
Side question. If it is chlorine or chloramines, would it hurt anything to add prime to my water change water? It says it removes or detoxifies chlorine and chloramines so the biological filter can filter it out. Is this something I should just include in my routine maintenence? I'll obviously wait until the results come back, but just wanted to throw it out there.

Just an FYI, if you do add prime, and then start doing any ammonia tests, you can get false positives.

See FAQ at
 
OP
OP
Crabs McJones

Crabs McJones

I'm so shi-nay
View Badges
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
27,292
Reaction score
138,256
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

bluprntguy

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
877
Reaction score
1,315
Location
San Francisco
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

How maddeningly frustrating to be having problems like this and get back a nearly perfect ICP test.

ICP doesn’t measure alkalinity. Have you double checked that yet?

it does show lack of potassium and iodine. Do you dose anything for trace element?
 
Last edited:

CindyKz

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
1,872
Reaction score
2,040
Location
Greenfield, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I feel like this happens to a lot of us,-something is off, can't figure out what it is so we send off a Triton test, only to come back with a clean bill of health. I had the same experience when my coral health was degrading :( I was relieved to know that there was no heavy metal contamination, but didn't learn much else.

I wish I had better advice. In the end I removed everything that looked unhealthy and moved forward from there. I lost around 2/3 of corals but the coral losses stopped.
 

ajhudson15

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Messages
1,307
Reaction score
980
Location
Bloomington, IN
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
there is another thread that talks about low iodine and how it started affecting colors on corals. I know @HotRocks mentioned color loss and some other mentioned their monti's starting to die. someone also mentioned that algae can uptake the iodine before the corals can get it. sounds like you may have figured it out. lets just hope its that easy.
 
OP
OP
Crabs McJones

Crabs McJones

I'm so shi-nay
View Badges
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
27,292
Reaction score
138,256
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Gotta love the members on R2R. Multiple people identified this as an issue caused by low iodine. ICP test seems to have confirmed that.
I honestly dont think low iodine is the direct cause of this issue. The chaeto is what's consuming it. @HotRocks had darn near the same result and his tank is thriving.
But at this point I'll try anything
 
Last edited:

Paul Sands

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 7, 2019
Messages
329
Reaction score
402
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Gotta love the members on R2R. Multiple people identified this as an issue caused by low iodine. ICP test seems to have confirmed that.

Unlikely that low iodine is causing these problems. Unless you disagree with RHF:

I've not seen any evidence that typical SPS corals benefit from supplemental iodide and/or iodate (the forms of iodine in seawater).
 

ajhudson15

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Messages
1,307
Reaction score
980
Location
Bloomington, IN
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I honestly dont think low iodine is the direct cause of this issue. The chaeto is what's consuming it. @HotRocks had darn near the same result and his tank is thriving.
But at this point I'll try anything
could be a long shot but do you have any 3d printed stuff that could be degrading?
 
OP
OP
Crabs McJones

Crabs McJones

I'm so shi-nay
View Badges
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
27,292
Reaction score
138,256
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
could be a long shot but do you have any 3d printed stuff that could be degrading?
Nope. I dont even own a 3d printer. My uncle does but I dont have anything in my tank.
 
OP
OP
Crabs McJones

Crabs McJones

I'm so shi-nay
View Badges
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
27,292
Reaction score
138,256
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Unlikely that low iodine is causing these problems. Unless you disagree with RHF:
I agree. Any tank utilizing a refugium is going to show low iodine from the macro uptake.
 

Righteous

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Messages
812
Reaction score
1,060
Location
Austin, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'd also expect a pretty good ICP analysis after massive water changes. Iodine will certainly drop quickly with a large fuge. I dose weekly, but prior to that I had bottomed out Iodine without major effects. Dosing seems to help keep the macro algae healthy in my system most of all. Maybe it helps the SPS, but it's hard to tell.

It's still possible an organic toxin got into the system that wouldn't register on the ICP. I am still curious what the ammonia and possible chlorine levels are on a fresh batch of Fritz salt.... You could also send in an ICP on a fresh batch of Fritz if your curious.

Hope that ICP test makes you feel a little better, though!! I think if you keep running carbon, and just keep things as stable as possible things will recover.

Hang in there!!! :)
 

SeaDweller

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
3,369
Reaction score
4,776
Location
.
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That’s why I’m on the fence with testing. Do some people wait the whole duration to do something before they get results? Seems like wasted time (I know you didn’t) just a general question. People were successful before all this stuff.

Your formula for success was working for you before you did “X”. If in this case X was you changing salts, well I’d point my finger to that. People say you can’t blame the salt and it’s lame; if that’s the only thing that changed, how’s that lame? ICP comes back “perfect” and people say see! It’s not the salt, the results are perfect, but are they? Did they get EVERYTHING?

If your losses have stopped and things are recovering or at least stable when you switched to RS blue, then all I’d do is begin at this point as fresh.
 
OP
OP
Crabs McJones

Crabs McJones

I'm so shi-nay
View Badges
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
27,292
Reaction score
138,256
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That’s why I’m on the fence with testing. Do some people wait the whole duration to do something before they get results? Seems like wasted time (I know you didn’t) just a general question. People were successful before all this stuff.

Your formula for success was working for you before you did “X”. If in this case X was you changing salts, well I’d point my finger to that. People say you can’t blame the salt and it’s lame; if that’s the only thing that changed, how’s that lame? ICP comes back “perfect” and people say see! It’s not the salt, the results are perfect, but are they? Did they get EVERYTHING?

If your losses have stopped and things are recovering or at least stable when you switched to RS blue, then all I’d do is begin at this point as fresh.
The problems started before switching salts. I had been using fritz for a couple years. I switched thinking it could be the salt.
 
OP
OP
Crabs McJones

Crabs McJones

I'm so shi-nay
View Badges
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
27,292
Reaction score
138,256
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

DSC reef

Coral wasted
View Badges
Joined
Jan 8, 2014
Messages
15,906
Reaction score
50,359
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Zach, make your changes slowly. I know it's been a while but you switched to led's from halides and switching salts. I honestly don't think there's a contaminant or something neccesarily off. I believe it's a matter of stability and consistency. When a change is made sometimes results won't be seen for a while. I honestly believe if you keep doing what your doing your tank will level out and corals will recover.
 
OP
OP
Crabs McJones

Crabs McJones

I'm so shi-nay
View Badges
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
27,292
Reaction score
138,256
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Honestly, I've been seriously considering a reboot.
Take the old rock out and start with all new, and frag what I can salvage off my sps.
Reason being is I have mushrooms that are taking over the tank. Blue and Red mushrooms that are growing out of control and letting go and landing elsewhere in the tank. I was also giving the thought of bare bottom.
I'd be looking at getting this replacement rock, but 350 bucks is alot right now :S
 

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Unlikely that low iodine is causing these problems. Unless you disagree with RHF:
I think it's a big jump to think that Randy is suggesting that having zero iodine can't be a problem. That is much different than his assertion that he hasn't seen benefit to supplemental iodide additions. Every time I have seen him discuss this he has been careful to qualify his statements by saying that he hasn't seen evidence of it or it hasn't matched his experience. I have never seen him definitively state that iodine isn't necessary for coral health.
As cheap as iodine supplements are when compared to coral I would consider dosing it because as Randy has said, it doesn't seem to do any harm. If there is a chance it would help, it seems like a reasonable action to take.

A better argument could be made that the salt mix should contain enough iodide such that the frequent water changes that have been performed should have corrected the issue.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 38 47.5%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 42 52.5%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 16 20.0%
  • None.

    Votes: 21 26.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 8 10.0%
Back
Top