Most of tank is dying

[40B Knasty]

API test kit isn't that bad for ammonia. It can be weird colored at 0 compared to what it shows on the color chart. If it is not showing a .5 which you can definitely identify it with or a 2. Which is the danger zone and that color you can definitely identify. Then it is probably 0. It's the nitrate test kit that is complete garbage. API pH & nitrite is also fine.

 

[Fishfinder]

I don't believe dead coral cause ammonia issues

 

[Docdiggy]

I agree with you on the API tests mentioned. I was told by someone else that dying sps can mess up your water. Especially if they are big. Which they were.

 

[Peng]

Stop the carbon reactor. Stop all of your nutrient exportation units except the skimmer, filter sock (optional), and a small mesh bag of activated carbon (optional).

This is my own experience so take it with a grain of salt. In a starved system acroporas go from healthy to loss of the bright colors & PE and then to pale or lightly brown. Their skin gets thinner and thinner and eventually they STN or RTN. If you have coral currently experiencing STN or RTN I would dip them in antibiotics. But more importantly I would not run any nutrient reactor and reduce the number of possible causal factors and get down to the basics. When I was running a biopellet reactor my corals were all pale and white and would die one by one. When I was running a phosguard/activated carbon reactor I would also get the same thing. But I hesitated because I wanted them to work so bad and I was living in denial because I'd see some algae (usually brown). It took me "just" about 2 years or so and several thousand dollars to finally pull the plugs. All the colors and growth came back and paleness was gone.

 

[Docdiggy]

Interesting..........it can't hurt to try.

 

[Docdiggy]

At this point I only have 3 fish in about a 100 gallon system so nutrients are not plentiful. Aside from the occasional sodium nitrate.

 

[Docdiggy]

The algae in my algae reactor has been slowly disappearing.

 

[Fishfinder]

What are all of your parameters?

 

[Docdiggy]

Alk 8.7
Phos .04
Nitrate 2-3
Temp 78
Cal 540

I had to dose nitrate to get it there. It always read 0. While phos was at .11. I overdosed nitrate to over 10ppm. It took some months, but I'm currently at the above levels

 

[Fishfinder]

That change in nutrients can cause the STN problems, it did for me.

 

[Docdiggy]

I do believe that played a roll. It might have made the phos level drop quickly. Randy Holmes said that dose shouldn't have caused much damage.

 

[Fishfinder]

Something made it drop, what do you use for PO4 removal?

 

[Docdiggy]

Small water changes and an algae reactor. However, I've read it can be a balancing act dosing nitrate or phos. Adding one can in turn lower the other.

 

[Livinlocal]

From what I have gathered, it looks to be caused from stability issues. Having your nutrients jump around that quickly will certainly cause rtn and stn. If you were at 0ppm nitrates, and dosed to o we 10ppm; that could be it alone. Also having po4 at or above .11 will also cause rtn and stn in a low nutrient system.

If you are still having die off, I wouldn’t take the carbon reactor offline. I get the theory above, but when you’re actually having die off, your corals are releasing toxins that will be obsorbed by the carbon, which otherwise could potentially make matters worse.

 

[Docdiggy]

Anything that's left dying is very small. All colonies of sps have been removed and relocated.

 

[Fishfinder]

I wouldn't necessarily take it offline. keep flow slow and make sure it's not stripping too much. Carbon is a good tool just don't overdo it

 

[Livinlocal]

What is your magnesium at? I noticed that you did not post the levels. With low mag, your corals won’t uptake the cal and alk as easily as with the proper mag level. With low mag, it will throw everything out of wack. I had something similar happened a couple years ago where my SPS seemed to loose color, and I couldn’t figure it out because all of my parameters were perfect, well except my mag. When I finally tested my magnesium, it was at 1150, after raising it to 1350, everything came back to normal. I’m not sure what your testing regimen is, but I typically don’t test magnesium which is why it went unnoticed. Even with my calcium reactor, it still went out of whack. Check your magnesium and let us know

 

[Docdiggy]

I tested that about a week ago. It came up at 1250 which i know is a little low. I've dosed a couple 100ml over that time. It's not something I test often nor dose often.

 

[Docdiggy]

The BRS calculator says it will take roughly 800ml to get from 1250 to 1350. I've been using their products for years.