Slowly Losing SPS!

[Biglurr54]

So my system has been slowly losing SPS small frags go first and bigger colonies are taking longer. Frags go in looking great. They stay colored up and looking nice for a few weeks. Then they slowly lose color. They brown out and then they slowly lighten up. As they lighten up they lose tissue and algae will cover the skeleton. I have blown algae off and the tissue has rebounded some on certain frags. I test water params every Saturday and I test Alk every other day.

Salinity: 1.025
Alk: 10.30
Calc: 430
Mag: 1350
Nitrate: 10
Po4: 0.01


I have started trying to figure out the color issue since August. I started by removing GFO. Then shortening the time the fuge is lit and the time the skimmer was running. I increased feeding. By October the fuge was down to 6hrs of light, the skimmer was completely off line, and GFO had been out of the system for a while.

I did an ICP test at the end of august. The test came back with elevated Tin (5.19 ug/l) and low Iodine (27.12 ug/l). I have looked for tin source and could not find anything.

I just submitted another ICP Test.

In November I lowered the Fuge light to 5 hrs and I stopped all water changes. Nothing seems to help.


I feed pellet and flake twice a day with a feeder and I feed approximately 3 frozen cubes of homemade food.


I put a calcium reactor in line this weekend and I am lowering my alk down to 8.5 to 9 dkh.


My lighting is a 400w giesemann 17.5k bulb driven at 400w super lumens. In December I lowered to the 400w setting. The halide runs for 7 hours a day. I also have Rb and UV led supplement bars driven at 75%. The leds are on for 10 hours but ramp up and down.

Heres my build thread. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/biglurrs-175-build-with-pics.379567/

 

[Reefer40b]

I would guess your Alk is probably the issue here, I would keep running your skimmer at least half time at night, keep fuge on for 8hrs and keep alk in the mid 7's. Good choice on removing GFO imo, stuff only kills things, Just my 2 cents. If iodine is low corals will suffer from higher light, I would water change 25% first week and then do 10% per week there after.

Im not sure if that amount of tin would be bad or not so someone else can chime in there...

 

[Biglurr54]

I am lowering my alk with the introduction of the carx. Im aiming for 8.5-9. Thats where I had good success in my 60 cube.

What is the point of adding the skimmer back inline and increasing the fuge light? I barely have phosphate detected. If i add the skimmer and the fuge wont i lose that little phosphate i have worked so hard to get!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

As I recall, the tin reading is normal in salts and not really an issue, but I'll leave that one to experts. For Iodine, how often and what percentage water changes are you doing? IMO, Iodine can be easily maintained with regular water changes. I agree on the Alk. While your Nitrate is not necessarily low, your Phosphate is and that warrants lower Alk. I'd suggest dropping SLOWLY to 8, then possibly further if you don't see an improvement. How old is the tank?

 

[Biglurr54]

My water change was 2.5 gallons every day. Then I stopped because i couldnt get phosphate up. Now i am changing it out as needed for my QT systems. (approximately 5 gallons a day.)

I plan to drop slowly over a week or two.

The tank was a 60 gallon cube that was packed with coral after 2 years. I upgraded the tank to the 175g and cycled it and moved everything over from the 60 cube. That was about 9 months ago.

 

[Reefer40b]

I am lowering my alk with the introduction of the carx. Im aiming for 8.5-9. Thats where I had good success in my 60 cube.

What is the point of adding the skimmer back inline and increasing the fuge light? I barely have phosphate detected. If i add the skimmer and the fuge wont i lose that little phosphate i have worked so hard to get!

Skimmer is great for keep water oxygenated. Fuge light will also disapate CO2 if its growing. Phosphate is really easy to get back. 1tsp of reef roids per 100 gallons dosed broadcast feed, do this a few times a week until you see a mild algae show up. then from there dose as needed maybe 1 once a month or keeping to a couple times a week depends on the tank.

 

[miPapareef]

I added flexible PVC pipe in my system and it made my tin go from 0 to 5.321 in about 2 weeks. Some SPS tissue receded and other SPS just lost color and tissue got really thin. I added Coprisorb for an 8 week period and it took out all the tin and haven't had an issue since. It also dropped Molybdenum and Vanadium to zero.

 

[Reefer40b]

Easy to over look but make that your salinity is actually at the 1.025-1.026. Also temp is not too low, it is that time of year where most run heaters at least.

 

[Biglurr54]

Interesting about the flexible PVC. I used a bunch of flexible pvc to get the plumbing to the basement. I might run some coprisorb.

I may also run the skimmer with out a cup to help with adding oxygen. I dont think this is the issue though.

I am planning on adding reef chili to my frozen feeding. Every time i have used the stuff in the past i end up with a cyano outbreak. I have sworn coral food off so many times because it has always ended in cyano.

 

[Hersheyb]

low nutrient tank and high alk is not great for corals. This is probably the cause of your issue... your phosphate/nitrate ratio seems off, I don't know the exact ratio but probably from the GFO you were running. Keep feeding, and make slow changes, nothing too dramatic.

 

[Reefer40b]

Interesting about the flexible PVC. I used a bunch of flexible pvc to get the plumbing to the basement. I might run some coprisorb.

I may also run the skimmer with out a cup to help with adding oxygen. I dont think this is the issue though.

I am planning on adding reef chili to my frozen feeding. Every time i have used the stuff in the past i end up with a cyano outbreak. I have sworn coral food off so many times because it has always ended in cyano.

Wasn't really saying the skimmer was part of the issue just saying that it can help and at times i shut mine off. If you do dose the reef roids like mentioned keep it on with a cup. High import high export.
Never used reef chili but anytime you introduce a new food the bacterial balances change and cyano is possible, also easily fixed usually or it disappears on its own in a healthy balanced tank.

Whatever you do decide to do, just keep it consistent.

 

[ihavecrabs]

I am lowering my alk with the introduction of the carx. Im aiming for 8.5-9. Thats where I had good success in my 60 cube.

What is the point of adding the skimmer back inline and increasing the fuge light? I barely have phosphate detected. If i add the skimmer and the fuge wont i lose that little phosphate i have worked so hard to get!

As I recall, the tin reading is normal in salts and not really an issue, but I'll leave that one to experts. For Iodine, how often and what percentage water changes are you doing? IMO, Iodine can be easily maintained with regular water changes. I agree on the Alk. While your Nitrate is not necessarily low, your Phosphate is and that warrants lower Alk. I'd suggest dropping SLOWLY to 8, then possibly further if you don't see an improvement. How old is the tank?

Agreed on both of the folks above and their recommendations as well as where your headed.

Lowering alkalinity slowly and raising phosphates up a bit.

 

[billwill]

Don’t discount the possibility of a pest of some sort, regardless of what you can see unless you’re using a big magnifying glass or microscope already

 

[Biglurr54]

Don’t discount the possibility of a pest of some sort, regardless of what you can see unless you’re using a big magnifying glass or microscope already

What should i look for to prove pests? I doubt its pests but i wont rule it out either.

 

[GonçaloS]

Have you checked your heaters? If water is getting inside them, that’s the tin source. It kills sps slowly, I’ve been dealing with that problem until figured the heaters had some moisture inside..

 

[Biglurr54]

I checked my hearers. They are aqueon pro which are plastic vs the glass ones. Can't see if mosture is inside.

 

[GonçaloS]

I checked my hearers. They are aqueon pro which are plastic vs the glass ones. Can't see if mosture is inside.

The most common source for tin is solders, so there aren’t many ways of it getting in aquariums. It usually comes from heaters or damaged cables.
If I were you, I would buy new heaters and do another icp test after changing more than 100% of your aquarium volume with water changes..

 

[Biglurr54]

I think I solved my issue. It was bad salt. I switched to fritz salt. A fee local reefers told me about the bad salt. I went to see a local guys tank today and he had the exact same issue, tried the same corrections, and only found that switching salt fixed it. I switched salt after using my remaining fritz. When I switched to io salt and did a few changes for quarentine fish, I notice my corals have stopped stn and have turned around.

If you are using Fritz salt Stop immediately and do a massive water change with a different brand.

Check out the Facebook group on the bad fritz salt.

 

[daelie]

I think I solved my issue. It was bad salt. I switched to fritz salt. A fee local reefers told me about the bad salt. I went to see a local guys tank today and he had the exact same issue, tried the same corrections, and only found that switching salt fixed it. I switched salt after using my remaining fritz. When I switched to io salt and did a few changes for quarentine fish, I notice my corals have stopped stn and have turned around.

If you are using Fritz salt Stop immediately and do a massive water change with a different brand.

Check out the Facebook group on the bad fritz salt.

Where is this facebook group? I've been using Fritz salt for well over a year without any issues.

 

[Biglurr54]

Two of my buddy's warned to to stop. They are far better reef keepers than me. They watned be bit I didn't listen. I learned the hard way.