Please Tell Me It Gets Better.....

[reeferpdx415]

Ok. Just need someone to walk me off the ledge and tell me it gets better. I'm 8months in to my new mixed reef tank and I just can't get my tank to be happy. Every day there is something dying in the tank. Mostly corals but fish too. My trachy was the happiest in the tank. Left for 3 days, came back and it was basically dead. All of the sudden my Euphylia are melting. My Raja chalice was super happy and now it receding like crazy and won't stop. I have my LFS doing weekly maintenance which include a 15-20% water change each week. My parameters seem to be in a relatively good range. I have corals that are usually hard to keep thriving and corals that are usually bullet proof dying left and right. Just don't know what to do. Bummer is instead of walking in each day to enjoy my little piece of ocean I walk in each day stressed about what I'm going to find dying. Ugh!!

 

[JonoH]

Ok. Just need someone to walk me off the ledge and tell me it gets better. I'm 8months in to my new mixed reef tank and I just can't get my tank to be happy. Every day there is something dying in the tank. Mostly corals but fish too. My trachy was the happiest in the tank. Left for 3 days, came back and it was basically dead. All of the sudden my Euphylia are melting. My Raja chalice was super happy and now it receding like crazy and won't stop. I have my LFS doing weekly maintenance which include a 15-20% water change each week. My parameters seem to be in a relatively good range. I have corals that are usually hard to keep thriving and corals that are usually bullet proof dying left and right. Just don't know what to do. Bummer is instead of walking in each day to enjoy my little piece of ocean I walk in each day stressed about what I'm going to find dying. Ugh!!

Have you done an ICP - 8 Months is still pretty young for your tank. I struggled to keep things alive in my tank for close to the first year.

One thing that helped me was filling my sump with live Rock to add more beneficial bacteria. But that could just be anecdotal.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok. Just need someone to walk me off the ledge and tell me it gets better. I'm 8months in to my new mixed reef tank and I just can't get my tank to be happy. Every day there is something dying in the tank. Mostly corals but fish too. My trachy was the happiest in the tank. Left for 3 days, came back and it was basically dead. All of the sudden my Euphylia are melting. My Raja chalice was super happy and now it receding like crazy and won't stop. I have my LFS doing weekly maintenance which include a 15-20% water change each week. My parameters seem to be in a relatively good range. I have corals that are usually hard to keep thriving and corals that are usually bullet proof dying left and right. Just don't know what to do. Bummer is instead of walking in each day to enjoy my little piece of ocean I walk in each day stressed about what I'm going to find dying. Ugh!!

Are you using Tap water from faucet for anything or RODI water exclusively?
What lighting do you have?
What test kits are you using>
Are you adding any chemicals to your tank?

Can you post a video of tank and use bright white light, no blue

 

[JonoH]

Should have answered your original question also!

Yes it does get better! But the first year or so can be rough - depends on how the tank is set up etc!

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

What does your LFS have to say about the dying fish/corals? If they are doing weekly maintenance then they play a part in this.

 

[JonoH]

What does your LFS have to say about the dying fish/corals? If they are doing weekly maintenance then they play a part in this.

I would be questioning the LFS putting in high end corals in an 8 month tank... (Raja Chalice)

 

[BryanM]

Ok. Just need someone to walk me off the ledge and tell me it gets better. I'm 8months in to my new mixed reef tank and I just can't get my tank to be happy. Every day there is something dying in the tank. Mostly corals but fish too. My trachy was the happiest in the tank. Left for 3 days, came back and it was basically dead. All of the sudden my Euphylia are melting. My Raja chalice was super happy and now it receding like crazy and won't stop. I have my LFS doing weekly maintenance which include a 15-20% water change each week. My parameters seem to be in a relatively good range. I have corals that are usually hard to keep thriving and corals that are usually bullet proof dying left and right. Just don't know what to do. Bummer is instead of walking in each day to enjoy my little piece of ocean I walk in each day stressed about what I'm going to find dying. Ugh!!

One reoccurring theme I find here is trusting others with water usually does not end well. I know its an LFS and a service they provide, but if it were me before the water change I'd be testing their water, and I'd want a samlpe of their rodi water to test as well.

Without a bad tank mate that's chewing on corals, or a disease like BJD, etc - It almost always comes down to the water, sometimes inappropriately low lighting, but mostly what I've read here where there are mystery events, it often comes down to the water.

 

[JonoH]

Classic quote from David Saxby goes something like 'I dont keep Coral, I keep water'.

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

It gets better, you just have to want it to get better bad enough. Sometimes I felt I’d never figure it out, but I think the struggle can be part of the attraction. Luckily you have us so, let’s see all your parameters. What are you using to test? Can we see pictures. These things can help us figure it out

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

15-20% water change a week is a lot. With corals your tank will be consuming a bit of nutrients, so you’re going to need to be feeding a lot. I’m going to assume this is a low nutrient issue. Or a balance thing

 

[reeferpdx415]

Ok. Just need someone to walk me off the ledge and tell me it gets better. I'm 8months in to my new mixed reef tank and I just can't get my tank to be happy. Every day there is something dying in the tank. Mostly corals but fish too. My trachy was the happiest in the tank. Left for 3 days, came back and it was basically dead. All of the sudden my Euphylia are melting. My Raja chalice was super happy and now it receding like crazy and won't stop. I have my LFS doing weekly maintenance which include a 15-20% water change each week. My parameters seem to be in a relatively good range. I have corals that are usually hard to keep thriving and corals that are usually bullet proof dying left and right. Just don't know what to do. Bummer is instead of walking in each day to enjoy my little piece of ocean I walk in each day stressed about what I'm going to find dying. Ugh!!

Are you using Tap water from faucet for anything or RODI water exclusively?
What lighting do you have?
What test kits are you using>
Are you adding any chemicals to your tank?

Can you post a video of tank and use bright white light, no blue

Are you using Tap water from faucet for anything or RODI water exclusively?

Only RODI water from LFS. They leave 2x 5g jugs each week

What lighting do you have?
2x AI Primes. Though switching to 2x AI Hydra Edge 44s tomorrow

What test kits are you using>
I use Hannah. Only thing that has been high is phos at .7

Are you adding any chemicals to your tank? Just Alk, Calcium and Mag when they’re low. Just bought a Neptune Trident and will be installing that soon to monitor and adding a Dos to stabilize in real time.

 

[royaleFork]

It gets better. The start is always rougher than people make it out to be, and people make it out to be a terrible experience. Stability comes with time, patience, knowledge, and a lot of hair pulling.

Keep up the regular maintenance and testing, keep asking questions and learning, and it will come together eventually!

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

Are you using Tap water from faucet for anything or RODI water exclusively?

Only RODI water from LFS. They leave 2x 5g jugs each week

What lighting do you have?
2x AI Primes. Though switching to 2x AI Hydra Edge 44s tomorrow

What test kits are you using>
I use Hannah. Only thing that has been high is phos at .7

Are you adding any chemicals to your tank? Just Alk, Calcium and Mag when they’re low. Just bought a Neptune Trident and will be installing that soon to monitor and adding a Dos to stabilize in real time.

What size tanks is this?

Just wondering if you don’t have enough light with just two primes.

 

[reeferpdx415]

15-20% water change a week is a lot. With corals your tank will be consuming a bit of nutrients, so you’re going to need to be feeding a lot. I’m going to assume this is a low nutrient issue. Or a balance thing

Could be. I feed pellets 2x per day and Benepets 1-2x per week.

Fish are
Coral Beauty
Mystery Wrasse
Lineatus Wrasse
Purple Tang
Yellow Coris
Orange Spot Rabbit
LN Hawkfish
2x Small Clowns

 

[reeferpdx415]

Are you using Tap water from faucet for anything or RODI water exclusively?

Only RODI water from LFS. They leave 2x 5g jugs each week

What lighting do you have?
2x AI Primes. Though switching to 2x AI Hydra Edge 44s tomorrow

What test kits are you using>
I use Hannah. Only thing that has been high is phos at .7

Are you adding any chemicals to your tank? Just Alk, Calcium and Mag when they’re low. Just bought a Neptune Trident and will be installing that soon to monitor and adding a Dos to stabilize in real time.

What size tanks is this?

Just wondering if you don’t have enough light with just two primes.

Waterbox Marine 110. 80g Display Volume.

 

[reeferpdx415]

Ok. Just need someone to walk me off the ledge and tell me it gets better. I'm 8months in to my new mixed reef tank and I just can't get my tank to be happy. Every day there is something dying in the tank. Mostly corals but fish too. My trachy was the happiest in the tank. Left for 3 days, came back and it was basically dead. All of the sudden my Euphylia are melting. My Raja chalice was super happy and now it receding like crazy and won't stop. I have my LFS doing weekly maintenance which include a 15-20% water change each week. My parameters seem to be in a relatively good range. I have corals that are usually hard to keep thriving and corals that are usually bullet proof dying left and right. Just don't know what to do. Bummer is instead of walking in each day to enjoy my little piece of ocean I walk in each day stressed about what I'm going to find dying. Ugh!!

One reoccurring theme I find here is trusting others with water usually does not end well. I know its an LFS and a service they provide, but if it were me before the water change I'd be testing their water, and I'd want a samlpe of their rodi water to test as well.

Without a bad tank mate that's chewing on corals, or a disease like BJD, etc - It almost always comes down to the water, sometimes inappropriately low lighting, but mostly what I've read here where there are mystery events, it often comes down to the water.

They think it might be the Coral Beauty

 

[BryanM]

Set up your phone to video your tank, and walk away for 30 min.

Come back and review and see if you catch it in the act.

I have a couple reef safe with caution fish now, but I also bought an auto feeder and feed 3x a day, and that seems to have curbed aggression.

 

[reeferpdx415]

It gets better, you just have to want it to get better bad enough. Sometimes I felt I’d never figure it out, but I think the struggle can be part of the attraction. Luckily you have us so, let’s see all your parameters. What are you using to test? Can we see pictures. These things can help us figure it out

All posted below. And thank you!!

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

I don’t have experience with coral beauties. I know they eat coral but I’m not sure what corals. .i once had a file fish and it ate my acans. .7 phos is high but I’m not sure it would cause this unless you’re using gfo to lower it. how’s your. Nitrate level?

 

[JonoH]

Could be the Tang also - both my Blue Tangs have taken a liking to meaty corals and hammers/torches.

The Raja Rampage is probably not getting enough light, they seem to love high light.