Scratching my head???

[Onixom]

I would note that that product contains lots of components, so it is not really evidence of the utility of iodine specifically (which never seemed useful in my tank, nor is there a known need for iodine in the published scientific literature for most corals).

“Coral Elements•N vitamin and mineral micronutrient complex replaces crucial minor and trace minerals lost to carbon filtration, protein skimming and ozone and provides essential vitamins for growth of live corals and other invertebrates.”

I do not actually see iodine mentioned. Do you know that it contains iodine?

Continuum Aquatics | coral elements•N

Yes as i have never put any Iodine dosing stuff in and only use this once a week but i get water tested at LFS and it shows positive on Iodine
Dont get me wrong im not sure if it is iodine or the other components that help as im still learning but when i asked about my Xenia shrivelled they suggested Iodine and to use this bottle and if that didnt put enough in the use straight iodine dosing

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes as i have never put any Iodine dosing stuff in and only use this once a week but i get water tested at LFS and it shows positive on Iodine
Dont get me wrong im not sure if it is iodine or the other components that help as im still learning but when i asked about my Xenia shrivelled they suggested Iodine and to use this bottle and if that didnt put enough in the use straight iodine dosing

I dosed iodine specifically for 10 years, and then stopped all iodine dosing for the next 10 and didn’t detect any changes.

iodine comes in with foods. Nori has a ton. When I had Triton run an icp test years after last dosing it, there was still some iodine present, but not the full NSW level.

 

[czoolander]

I dosed iodine specifically for 10 years, and then stopped all iodine dosing for the next 10 and didn’t detect any changes.

iodine comes in with foods. Nori has a ton. When I had Triton run an icp test years after last dosing it, there was still some iodine present, but not the full NSW level.

So tested alkalinity twice again tonight

Test #1. 8.0 Test # 2 7.8

my last test from Monday night was 7.9

brightwell neomarine is supposed to mix at 7.5 so I’m reading high alkalinity?

1.025 on the hanna digital
1.026 on the atc refractometer

no consistent results.

I’ll assume I’m close enough on peramiters to use this water for a water change? Or would you dump this batch ?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It seems fine to me.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

So tested alkalinity twice again tonight

Test #1. 8.0 Test # 2 7.8

my last test from Monday night was 7.9

brightwell neomarine is supposed to mix at 7.5 so I’m reading high alkalinity?

1.025 on the hanna digital
1.026 on the atc refractometer

no consistent results.

I’ll assume I’m close enough on peramiters to use this water for a water change? Or would you dump this batch ?

I agree, the 7.8-8.0 Alk seems fine. However, I am confused as to what you are trying to solve here. Are you trying to figure out why you are losing coral, or are you trying to figure out if you should be calibrating with a 35 ppt solution vs RODI water?

 

[czoolander]

I agree, the 7.8-8.0 Alk seems fine. However, I am confused as to what you are trying to solve here. Are you trying to figure out why you are losing coral, or are you trying to figure out if you should be calibrating with a 35 ppt solution vs RODI water?

Well trying to figure out a few things yes . One of which is why some coral are dying and others are doing great

why my salt is supposed to mix at 7.5 alk and a new batch on 4 tests nothing is close to 7.5

I pretty much decided this week I’m buying a Neptune haha

the coral loss I think might be from my rabbitfish/ coral beauty and the two major alkalinity spikes . But can’t be sure which is frustrating. Oh well

did anyone look at the pictures I sent and see anything that I might be missing?

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Well trying to figure out a few things yes . One of which is why some coral are dying and others are doing great

why my salt is supposed to mix at 7.5 alk and a new batch on 4 tests nothing is close to 7.5

I pretty much decided this week I’m buying a Neptune haha

the coral loss I think might be from my rabbitfish/ coral beauty and the two major alkalinity spikes . But can’t be sure which is frustrating. Oh well

did anyone look at the pictures I sent and see anything that I might be missing?

I looked at the pictures and you have a nice tank. I assume that the Birdsnest and Digi that were pictured were the ones lost. The BirdsNest did look like it may have already been STN'ing (slow tissue necrosis) on the sand bed, but hard to tell. Nice polyp extension on both.

To tell whether your mixed water is really off or not, we need to get the Calcium measurement as well and if you can, the Mag. Only looking at Alk doesn't rule out testing error. If all three are high for your measured salinity, then I would say there are errors in your salinity measurement. If they are all over the place, then possible testing error for those tests.

While Neptunes are great, just like everything else, there can be issues. It is not necessarily a solution for your problem. Try making @Randy Holmes-Farley 35ppt solution and then calibrate your refractometer. Then measure your salinity. If it measures the same calibrated to 0 ppt with RODI as it does calibrated to 35 ppt with Randy's solution, then we can probably rule that out as a problem. It would definitely be quicker and cheaper than a Neptune system.

 

[czoolander]

I looked at the pictures and you have a nice tank. I assume that the Birdsnest and Digi that were pictured were the ones lost. The BirdsNest did look like it may have already been STN'ing (slow tissue necrosis) on the sand bed, but hard to tell. Nice polyp extension on both.

To tell whether your mixed water is really off or not, we need to get the Calcium measurement as well and if you can, the Mag. Only looking at Alk doesn't rule out testing error. If all three are high for your measured salinity, then I would say there are errors in your salinity measurement. If they are all over the place, then possible testing error for those tests.

While Neptunes are great, just like everything else, there can be issues. It is not necessarily a solution for your problem. Try making @Randy Holmes-Farley 35ppt solution and then calibrate your refractometer. Then measure your salinity. If it measures the same calibrated to 0 ppt with RODI as it does calibrated to 35 ppt with Randy's solution, then we can probably rule that out as a problem. It would definitely be quicker and cheaper than a Neptune system.

Yes the digi and birds nest were the two lost . I got two zoas at the same time and both are doing well . I get that zoas are hardier but I got these two sps because they were also supposed to be tolerant of tank peramiters and changes .

so maybe my fish killed them ? Or maybe like you say it already had stn ?

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Yes the digi and birds nest were the two lost . I got two zoas at the same time and both are doing well . I get that zoas are hardier but I got these two sps because they were also supposed to be tolerant of tank peramiters and changes .

so maybe my fish killed them ? Or maybe like you say it already had stn ?

While those two SPS are hardier then most, they are a lot more difficult to keep than softies and LPS. Keeping any type of SPS takes a lot more work. If keeping that type of coral isn't important to you, your tank looks great and you can keep a lot of other corals that are much easier.

 

[czoolander]

While those two SPS are hardier then most, they are a lot more difficult to keep than softies and LPS. Keeping any type of SPS takes a lot more work. If keeping that type of coral isn't important to you, your tank looks great and you can keep a lot of other corals that are much easier.

I do like soft corals better then sps but I would like some sps in there too as I want to keep a full mixed reef . I do have one sunset montipora I added before these two digi and birdsnest . It hasn't died still looks the same as the day I added so not really growing . But not dying for SPS is a big win for me haha

So not sure why the digi and birds died .... Could it have been me gluing the frag plug wrong ? Too much glue on the bottom of the coral ? The foxface and CB angel can pick away at the digi and birdsnest but hard to pick away at the plating montipora???

 

[homer1475]

Mixed is the hardest to keep. Depending on the coral, their requirements are different.

I personally just lost an old meat coral I've had for years, simply because I cranked up the flow for the larger colonies of SPS I now have. LPS like low flow, SPS like high flow, it's tough to get it just right for both.

Different corals, different requirements.

EDIT:
Certainly not impossible, but is is much harder to keep a mixed reef.

 

[czoolander]

Mixed is the hardest to keep. Depending on the coral, their requirements are different.

I personally just lost an old meat coral I've had for years, simply because I cranked up the flow for the larger colonies of SPS I now have. LPS like low flow, SPS like high flow, it's tough to get it just right for both.

Different corals, different requirements.

EDIT:
Certainly not impossible, but is is much harder to keep a mixed reef.

Totally! That makes sense for sure just my delusional thinking to want all my coral , fish and inverts to live in Harmony haha I’m going to buy more soft corals and dabble occasionally in lps and sps

 

[Mark Bradley]

I dosed iodine specifically for 10 years, and then stopped all iodine dosing for the next 10 and didn’t detect any changes.

iodine comes in with foods. Nori has a ton. When I had Triton run an icp test years after last dosing it, there was still some iodine present, but not the full NSW level.

I’ve done 3 ICP tests over the last year and they advised me to dose 0.05ml of iodine twice a week so that’s what I do. Everything seems great so I’ll keep it up.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’ve done 3 ICP tests over the last year and they advised me to dose 0.05ml of iodine twice a week so that’s what I do. Everything seems great so I’ll keep it up.

Did the iodine dosing have any apparent effect?

 

[Mark Bradley]

Did the iodine dosing have any apparent effect?

Things were in good shape (good coral growth) when I had the test done - but I’m only in my third year of reef keeping so I’ve followed the expert advice. Everything is still looking bright and colourful but hard to say if that is as a direct result

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Things were in good shape (good coral growth) when I had the test done - but I’m only in my third year of reef keeping so I’ve followed the expert advice. Everything is still looking bright and colourful but hard to say if that is as a direct result

ok, thanks!