Red dragonet dieing and snails trying to escape

Treenk

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First off
Salinity - 1.024 (dropped from 1.027 trying to fix the problem I already had)
Ammonia - 0
No3 - 1
Po4 - .04
Kh - 8.4 ( I think that dropped from 9-10)
Ca and mg - both off the charts on my salifert but it's been that way from the beginning without problems.

Ok so ive problems for a month or more now, but now I'm making it worse. First I was playing with my ai prime trying to get different color for a picture and lost the settings I've had it on. I cant mimic it even close back to the way it was. Second I bought both a mandarin and ruby red goby. Even though my reading were the same my 2 most expensive zoas frags on my rack were struggling. I caught the mandarin goby hosting the rack so I cut my loses and found him a new home. Now I traded him for my first 2 pieces of sps, he literally broke them off and gave them to me. So when I got home I used the coral life puddy to put them onto rocks. 2 days later the rack is looking worse than ever I watched it for a week or so and it wasnt doing much better. I was told maybe my salinity is a bit high for zoas, and my iodine could be low. so I slowly changed the salinity from 1.027-1.025 over about a week. And added a little iodine not much, since I was waiting for salifert iodine test. I got the salifert test and it said 0 iodine. So just to see I put iodine in the sample about 20% of and it showed some iodine but not off the charts like it should. So I didnt touch the iodine again. Everything seemed to be doing just about the same. I asked about the puddy and I was told that shouldn't be a problem. So then I used more to secure a goniopora, and my wave maker back on to its housing (yes the flow is different now, it fell what can i do). I also made a new frag rack and used it to attach a magnet from an old power head. Yesterday I was pretty worried about the tank. Nothing looked good including the fish. I did a 35%ish water change same water same salt as normal. Today they are way worse I just saw the dragonet laying at the bottom I tapped at the glass to try to get it to move and it wouldn't so I got the net to take her out. As soon as it left the water it started moving but not before it laid almost dead. When i put it back in it stayed on the first rock it fell to. I have a mexican turbo, and a trochus that are both halfway out of the water trying to find somewhere better. I have no idea what I should do now I changed so much. Feels bad.. :(
 

Ding2daDong

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Wow, sorry to hear about all this going on. No matter what you will get through this and things will be okay.

Firstly, do a decent water change. I would test your new water in all parameters pH, Cal, Alk, Mg, and make sure it's the same temperature. Maybe a 20-30% water change or possibly more. I would do this each day for a couple days. Likely the dragonet will not make it. Those can be tough fish to keep, they're finicky eaters. Was the fish looking very thin in the belly region?

Secondly I would not dose iodine/iodide any more, or at least until you figure out a bunch of what else is going on.

How does your temperature swing throughout the day? Issues with algae? Where do you get your RO/DI water for mixing saltwater and your water for top off?


Also, what do you mean off the charts for Cal/Mg, I need a number. What's your numbers even if it's the highest? What is your pH? Do you have a lot of water agitation in the aquarium? Lots of gas exchange? With any nitrates or phosphates I would not recommend attempting SPS. Especially loose, newly fragged SPS. I would only buy/trade SPS or corals that have been fragged and are starting to grow onto the frag plug. This assures they're healthy and doing well. Not fun rushing things into your tank just for them to die.

Let us know how it goes and wishing you the best.

-Matthew
 

Uncle99

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An “off the chart” mag level will kill snails, slow them down, or make them want to leave.
Not sure how you could get mag that high unless dosing.
Bring mag down through water changes to 1260-1360 ppm
CA needs to be in the slot 420-460 ppm as it affects alk.
 
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Treenk

Treenk

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Well with salifert there is a syringe and once you use the entire thing its (maxed) no when I refill the syringe and do the math of the extra i need the magnesium is 1900, and calcium about 700. It has been this was from when I got the tests 4-5 months ago and growth has been great until all of this. I have no idea why it is so high the water I put in isnt even that high and I dont add any supplements for it. I make my own ro/di water which does have 1ppm tds after completion, which is actually lower than the water I got from lfs. I use instant ocean reef Crystal's which does have a higher ca mg than normal but only 1400 mg cant remember ca. The weird thing is that my gonerpora and anchor have grown more in the last month than they ever have.
 
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Treenk

Treenk

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My phosphate level has doubled it's normal amount in the last month or so. But still not high enough it should bother zoanthids. I have phosguard but last time I did that it zeroed it out for over a month, that stuff is crazy.
 

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