High Phos inverts dying

[cdnco2004]

A few weeks ago I got a large duncan colony with 98 heads that I added to my 75g DT until my 210g is ready. I started to feed Reef Roids and in the last week or so my snails started dying off. My hammers all started to stay mostly all closed and drab colored. The Duncan started to look more brown as well. I tested water parameters and most were good but my phos was over my Hana limit of 0.90. I moved my corals to my 50g which had phos of 0.12.

After the move the Duncan got all its green back and the hammers all opened up all the way. I went a head and added Phosguard to start to bring the phos down in the 75g. Today is my maintenance day and did my WC and testing. My 50G that I moved the corals to today my phos was up over limit as well. I did feed reef roids 1tsp twice a week as I was doing before. And now that tank is also at 0.90 (well who knows what it is, its just more than 0.90). The hammers today are all upset and closed up again as well. I retested my 75g and its still over limits as well. This morning one of the two cleaner shrimp in the tank had died. Just now I found the second cleaner shrimp who was alive and eating this morning also dead. So something is defiantly up. I ordered Phosphate-E from Brightwell and it should arrive tomorrow. So that should help to bring the numbers down since PhosGuard is not helping.

What else should i look for? I also sent a ICP sample off today but that wont help much until they come back.

Here are my water parameters on the 75g and 50g

75G
Phos: Overlimit 0.90
Nitrate: 16.5
Alk: 9.4
Cal: 434
Mag: 1350
PH: 8.1
SG: 1.027

50G
Phos: Overlimit 0.90
Nitrate: 5.4
Alk: 10.4
Cal: 471
Mag: 1460
PH: 8.0
SG: 1.027

I use TropicMarin Syn-Biotic. I do not dose anything. Corals are all Leathers and LPS. I am pretty sure the high phos came from the reef roids. I am a heavy feeder, but they eat all the food. I am not sure what to do, but something is for sure up with the shrimp dying today and the snails over last few weeks.

Any advice?

 

[cdnco2004]

Also my phos levels were never high until after I started reef roids. I did start at 1/4tsp and worked up to the 1tsp. But I forgot about the ramp up, I am pretty sure thats why the 50g jumped to overlimit in one week where it took a few weeks for the 75g. I have read lots of posts about people with phos issues with Reef Roids. I won't be continuing it. But what I am confused on is that from what I read phosphate is not toxic which leaves me worried the high phosphate is not whats killing my inverts.

 

[Lavey29]

Reef roids is well known to elevate phosphate.

 

[cdnco2004]

Reef roids is well known to elevate phosphate.

As I said I have read above.

 

[Lavey29]

As I said I have read above.

And yet you still used it and now wonder why you have extreme phosphate levels....lol.....good job

 

[cdnco2004]

I have since read that and you are no help here so please, move on.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Also my phos levels were never high until after I started reef roids. I did start at 1/4tsp and worked up to the 1tsp. But I forgot about the ramp up, I am pretty sure thats why the 50g jumped to overlimit in one week where it took a few weeks for the 75g. I have read lots of posts about people with phos issues with Reef Roids. I won't be continuing it. But what I am confused on is that from what I read phosphate is not toxic which leaves me worried the high phosphate is not whats killing my inverts.

Roids and likely nitrate also causing issues
Sounds like a nice colony but does not need constant feeding
2-4x a week and mine gets mysis which is better energy source
Any level of po4 higher than 1.0 is an issue
Running. Chemipure elite will bring that phos done steady and keep it in check

 

[DaJMasta]

I don't know if I have a good answer as to why you may be losing things, but I don't think it's the phosphate - my tank has been regularly at 1-2ppm for the last year and my inverts have been doing fine (and spawn regularly). Unless it spiked up in a week or less, I wouldn't expect that to be a problem.

Are you doing regular water changes (are they getting adequate iodine?) Are the shrimp new to the tank at all (maybe high salinity meant some shock?) Do you have anything that could have developed a taste for shrimp? Is there a noticeable smell from the stressed coral? Could something have accidentally fallen into the the tank?

 

[cdnco2004]

I don't know if I have a good answer as to why you may be losing things, but I don't think it's the phosphate - my tank has been regularly at 1-2ppm for the last year and my inverts have been doing fine (and spawn regularly). Unless it spiked up in a week or less, I wouldn't expect that to be a problem.

Are you doing regular water changes (are they getting adequate iodine?) Are the shrimp new to the tank at all (maybe high salinity meant some shock?) Do you have anything that could have developed a taste for shrimp? Is there a noticeable smell from the stressed coral? Could something have accidentally fallen into the the tank?

I also don't think it's phosphate. But don't know what it could be. I do weekly 25% wc. Shrimp have been here months. I do not know about iodine. They were not killed, no wounds. They died. No noticeable smell.

 

[cdnco2004]

Roids and likely nitrate also causing issues
Sounds like a nice colony but does not need constant feeding
2-4x a week and mine gets mysis which is better energy source
Any level of pi4 higher than 1.0 is an issue
Running. Chemipure elite will bring that phos done steady and keep it in check

I was feeding the coral 2x per week the reef roids. The fish get freeze dried brine shrimp 1x day and seaweed extreme 3x a day and nori for grazing.

 

[Tamberav]

I have found corals do not like major swings in nutrients. Yes, people run higher nutrients successfully but how quick they got there is another question.

 

[cdnco2004]

I also daily change my filter socks and empty my Skimmer cups. I have a Fuge with thriving cheto and Sea lettuce.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I was feeding the coral 2x per week the reef roids. The fish get freeze dried brine shrimp 1x day and seaweed extreme 3x a day and nori for grazing.

What you feed is a choice you as an owner makes but I recommend adding:
LRS fish frenzy
Marine cuisine
Spirulina brine shrimp
Mysis shrimp
New era or similar pellets

 

[cdnco2004]

Any ideas of things to check? There has to be something going on besides the Phosphate. I do not think that caused the two cleaner shrimp to die and I do recall reading that shrimp dying are a canary in the coal mine type of thing.

 

[Hydrored]

Wait for ICP, see if copper or other heavy metals, also double check your salinity.

I had a bad heater that was putting voltage in my sump causing the ground probe to erode putting copper in the tank, inverts were the first to die off causing me to look

 

[Pkunk35]

Well, I personally think it is the roids, a full teaspoon is a lot of roids, would require a lot of WC imo, I don’t even think filtration is gonna get all that if broadcast and if you have sand where the stuff is just going to deposit into.
As mentioned I would totally discontinue that practice, that’s a crazy high phosphate level and as said I think higher levels are more about the journey rather than the final number.

 

[cdnco2004]

I already stopped the roids trust me. Not wort it. I am going to try Phosphate-E from Brightwell it is supposed to work right away and is very precise. It should arrive today. I tried Phosguard but saw no changes.

 

[Fishy888]

Unless it spiked up in a week or less, I wouldn't expect that to be a problem.

I was going to say that but you beat me to it. My phosphates are at 1ppm but the only inverts I lost were two astreas that some hermits ousted for their shells. How many rounds of RR did you feed to each tank and how long between feedings?

 

[Fishy888]

As mentioned I would totally discontinue that practice, that’s a crazy high phosphate level and as said I think higher levels are more about the journey rather than the final number.

Well put. In my case I fed much heavier than I normally would since I had dinos. I am in the process of bringing them down to manageable levels however.

 

[cdnco2004]

I was going to say that but you beat me to it. My phosphates are at 1ppm but the only inverts I lost were two astreas that some hermits ousted for their shells. How many rounds of RR did you feed to each tank and how long between feedings?

When I started the roids it was 1/4tsp 2x week slowly upping to full TSP 2x weekly after I got the large duncan colony. I did go like 3 weeks with out testing (ran out of 2 reagents) but still doing regular WC.

I think part of the problem on the 75g is that I used XAqu's In/Out Overflow system. I have come to find that all it does is surface skim water out of the tank it does not have any kind of siphon or real suction of the water out of the tank and I do not think enough detritus etc gets pulled out. Not sure how ever. I am looking into what I can do to replace the overflows. I still think Roids caused the phos spike just not sure if that is what caused the inverts to start dying.