Please help me analyze my 1st Triton test results

[Scythanith]

Hello All,

I have a 270g mixed reef you can find here. I recently had a large rtn/stn event and I couldn't figure it out. It started on one coral (not new to the system and spread out from that point like a wild fire. Currently the death has stopped, seemingly confused by a large encrusted sunset montipora. But up to that point it eradicated a bunch of Acropora sp. and a M. setosa. As far as all my tests told me my numbers were all in the wheelhouse. I also use a microscope professionally and could not see any unwanted pests on the corals I removed from the system. I only observed a magnificent foxface picking at the dead skeletons once algae started to grow on them. A bit of background info:

• I use all Tropic Marin products (TM Bio Actif Sea Salt, TM Bailing 3-part, TM K+ & A- Elements)
• I guess that's a lie, I also dose Zeovit Pohl's Xtra
• I use GHL dosers to deliver the dosing (recently re-calibrated since the death started. They were only off by 5ml/min)
• RO/DI system testing 12ppm on the clean side (I know I need to change the cartridges and the DI resin is pretty spent)
• I do a ~45g water change every 2 weeks
• I use Hanna Alk, Ca & PO4 handheld testers
• I use Red Sea Pro Test kits for Mg, NO3 & PO4

My corresponding kits test results vary quite a bit in the Ca (478ppm) and Mg (1260ppm). I performed the tests at the same time as drawing the water for the Triton vials (or at least within 10 minutes).

So Triton says I am way low on Ca (323 mg/l), high on Mg (1449 mg/l), and have dangerous levels of Boron & Molybdenum. The test mentioned Mo can cause cyano, and I do have a little patch of it in the back section of the tank. So what do you all think I should do? Where is my Boron coming from?

 

[twilliard]

Cyanobacteria is introduced into tanks. (If it is cyano) may be spirulina also.
Have you taken a coral tissue scraping at the base of the stn?
You say you use a scope but at what power?
Have you tried graham staining?
Honestly your triton numbers are not that bad and I would contribute some of those high levels with salts or additives.

 

[Scythanith]

I use a zeiss stereomicroscope and my current objectives allow me to get to 80x power so nothing too crazy. I was more looking for macro-pests. I have not taken a scraping, only a large fragment of the active deterioration edge which I looked at in as best detail I could manage. No I have not tried graham staining. I do have a friend that works for a government microbiology lab. I will ask him if they can look at some samples.

 

[twilliard]

I have found bacterium that I suspect is in relation to stn at 2500x
This is not conclusive but the population of this bacteria far outweighs the population of zooanthelle at the degradation base.

 

[DLuce510]

Your test look pretty good actually, besides the low calcium. There could be a hundred different reasons this happened. I lost a lot of acros last year just from one heater getting stuck on, then adjusting it, then it didn't come back on. A swing from 80 to 74 degrees was enough in one shot. So I wouldn't just focus on any build up of chemicals it could be many things. If you want to do a w/c with the Triton salt it will bring some of these into a more generally accepted range but may not solve all problems. I've found no water changes to be the greatest benefit of Triton, keeps things extremely stable.
Gorgeous system, by the way, snakes and all.

 

[Scythanith]

My profilux monitors all of the regular parameters and nothing has gone batty. I honestly don't want to change salt, and I don't think it's the salts fault. Maybe TM uses Boron/Boric acid in its products to help buffer pH but I have been using the product for almost 2.5 years now, so this is a build up over that amount of time. I guess that's not completely true unless it's in the salt mix itself as I am doing NSW changes.

I'm not thinking of going all-in Triton, I just wanted Triton to highlight potential problems. I will pick up some new Ca tests and try to figure out why mine seemed so far off. Any recommendations on high-end Ca tests?

Thanks for the compliments, we worked hard on the basement!

 

[Scythanith]

Mr. Balling has been helping me out and figures the trace elements I am dosing aren't the cause, as none of the other trace elements in the solutions are exaggerated. Yes K+ has Boric acid, and A- has Molybdenum but they don't believe that is the cause for the elevated numbers on the Triton test results, and I am inclined to agree. but that means I still don't know what those two elements are high.

He also suggested I drop my alk into the 6-7.5 range with his Balling system. I am going to slowly dial back my Part B and see how it goes. Ca might come up as well once I drop the dKh values.

I may have a line on getting some work done by the pathology/microbiology department of the local university veterinary college. See if they can see anything I can't, which I am sure they can lol!

 

[Scythanith]

I sent a fresh made new salt water sample to Triton as well. Cleaned out my mixing container and changed out my RODI cartridges so it should be a pretty legitimate representative sample. Looking forward to those test results. As well I bought a different (Salifert) Ca test and it was definitely more in line with the Triton results for Ca. So I have been boosting my Ca with ~1.25l of the Part A mixture for the last three evenings and had it up to ~365ppm before I had to take off for work. I will be gone for a couple weeks now so I will get my wife to mix it up for me and dose it to continue raising it.

 

[Sabellafella]

Indeed everything does look great, the problem is i believe below 360(for calc) organisms will hault calcification

 

[Scythanith]

Tell that to the coraline algae going nuts in my tank

Thanks for the info though!

 

[wiszmaster]

Have you received your latest tests back from them?

 

[Scythanith]

Nope, still haven't received notification of the NSW test.