Help....Can not seem to get the swing of this....

[ccejka]

I have had my tank up and running for about 7 months and we finally starting to get growth out of my monti and some other hard corals, hammers and torches looking good.

I leave for 4 days for work and come back to my hammer just being a skeleton, toadstool showing no extension and all of my hard coral bleached.

Cal 480
Alk 7.2 (was normally 8.0)
Phosphates .047
PH 8.5
Salinity 1.027

That was all I tested yesterday, I am loosing my mind with this tank I test weekly have been doing everything I can think of but can not seem to succeed. I am on the edge of calling it quits and going to a freshwater tank. I do have an angel that I think is eating some of the coral and working with LFS to get him a new home but that still doesn't explain the Monti and other bleached corals. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MikeyLikesit]

Hi!
from other posts I’ve read, i see others suggesting that it may help to take photo, include what you use as filter/sump and media that is used too.

Sorry this happened, following thread.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Lights? What flow?

Tank size?

if you’re making any changes following testing, I would stop testing.

 

[ccejka]

Tank is 225 gallon tank with a 45 gallon sump. I have 4 60" T5's running 9 hours, 3 kessil a160, and a reef brite 60"

Flow I have 4 mp 40s 2 on each end of the 6 foot tank running on a reef link at 60% ramping down over night to 20%

 

[ccejka]

I haven't made any changes for a 4 or so weeks just test to see the tank level out but this happened.

 

[ccejka]

For filter media I am running 3 4" filter socks that are changed every 3 days. I run some GFO and Carbon on separate reactors. The fuge is cheato and runs a 12 hour cycle at night. I am dosing 2 part alk @ 125ml per day and cal @ 250ml per day then aquavitro fuel @ 50ml per day.

 

[MikeyLikesit]

Did you put new GFO in before you left? How much is in the reactor? GFO can lower Alk.it can also cause calcium carbonate (raise cal).. what color is your media? Is it white?
is your GFO somewhat new? Did you do anything new to it?

 

[ccejka]

I add new GFO about a week before I left I add the recommended amount on BRS and it is brown in color.

I haven't added or changed anything and the guy watching the tank said he just feed the tank. This is what is driving me crazy

 

[ccejka]

Would anyone recommend pulling the GFO off line?

 

[MikeyLikesit]

How much GFO did you add? I am. It one time give “what to do advice” but that is the first thing that popped out to me was the GFO possibly causing some issje

 

[ccejka]

2 cups is what my notes say

 

[Mykawl]

That sounds like a lot of light I think people running hybrids only run the t5’s for 4-5 hours

phosphates are definitely high
What are nitrates at?
Magnesium?
What is your water change policy?
That sounds like some heavy dosing for frags but I’m not experienced with big tank amounts

the angel definitely is partly to blame but obviously something else going on.

High light high nutrients imo

 

[MikeyLikesit]

sorry You have to deal with this. Don’t give up though brother!

 

[BeejReef]

That's a stunning aquascape. Don't give up! I'm at just about the same point in the journey and I can just feel it starting to get easier. I'm sure you're just about the crest the hill and hit the downslope for some easy coasting.

hard to say with being gone four days. There's always that dread opening the door.... and then leaving the wife to carry in all the luggage while I obsess over the tank.. lol.

Biggest variables in my mind would be the feeding change (assuming automatic feeder). Perhaps that set off your angel to go after coral more aggressively. Assuming you run an ATO. If not, 4 days is long enough to raise your salinity enough that corals may decline. Have seen others note that leaving the house for days caused ph to elevate... usually a good thing though.

 

[ccejka]

That sounds like a lot of light I think people running hybrids only run the t5’s for 4-5 hours

phosphates are definitely high
What are nitrates at?
Magnesium?
What is your water change policy?
That sounds like some heavy dosing for frags but I’m not experienced with big tank amounts

the angel definitely is partly to blame but obviously something else going on.

High light high nutrients imo

I run the T5's as my many source of light right now the A160's will barely light the tank once the T5s turn off.

I will test the magnesium today and nitrates I ran those other test because I have the Hanna's. That is interesting about the phosphates from all the reading I have done people have warned me about going much lower and running ultra low. I do 2 gallon water changes a day.

Thanks for the input I will take what ever I can get for help at this point.

 

[ccejka]

That's a stunning aquascape. Don't give up! I'm at just about the same point in the journey and I can just feel it starting to get easier. I'm sure you're just about the crest the hill and hit the downslope for some easy coasting.

hard to say with being gone four days. There's always that dread opening the door.... and then leaving the wife to carry in all the luggage while I obsess over the tank.. lol.

Biggest variables in my mind would be the feeding change (assuming automatic feeder). Perhaps that set off your angel to go after coral more aggressively. Assuming you run an ATO. If not, 4 days is long enough to raise your salinity enough that corals may decline. Have seen others note that leaving the house for days caused ph to elevate... usually a good thing though.

I know that is what I am trying to figure out what had changed.

Feeding I just hand feed frozen on Monday Wednesday Friday. Then pellets on Tuesday and Thursday and the weekends. I do run an ATO on the tank. And tank is located in my retail business that is open 7 days a week so their wasn't much change as far as activity.

 

[DMG Reef]

I'm not on the GFO-haters bandwagon, but I do believe that it is often misused. I put 5 tablespoons in my reactor for a 112 gallon system so that the phosphates are reduced very slowly. GFO is very aggressive. Your phosphates are not too high at .04 and with the margin of error on test kits, it might actually be zero. I think that is the root of your problem.

 

[ccejka]

I'm not on the GFO-haters bandwagon, but I do believe that it is often misused. I put 5 tablespoons in my reactor for a 112 gallon system so that the phosphates are reduced very slowly. GFO is very aggressive. Your phosphates are not too high at .04 and with the margin of error on test kits, it might actually be zero. I think that is the root of your problem.

I did test with PPB Hanna tester to try and make sure I got the most accurate reading I could.

What is your suggestion? Remove part of the GFO, all of it and add a smaller amount?

 

[DMG Reef]

I did test with PPB Hanna tester to try and make sure I got the most accurate reading I could.

What is your suggestion? Remove part of the GFO, all of it and add a smaller amount?

I would definitely reduce the amount of GFO and change it out more often. If your test result of .04 is accurate, you don't want to reduce phosphates any lower in my opinion.

 

[ccejka]

If I am at 2 cups of GFO of BRS High Capacity. Should I cut they amount in half?