SPS is dieing

[hyeclass]

2 MP60 in that sized tank it total overkill. You could get by with 2 MP40 running in ReefCrest mode at like 50%. Running 2 MP60 you'll need to likely run them at the lowest speed to not beat the living crap out of your corals.

I'd still point toward disturbing the sand though. If everything was fine prior to that event, that's more than likely the root cause and now you are getting advice on optimizing the system in general.

From the top they look good from the bottom where not much light they were getting bleached

Most likely it was the sand I do clean the gravel the sand bed the pump I have to put one in the right corner so it will cycle all the poops waste foos goes to sand

I need to take the sand out wash it on it’s water then put it back was it with the tank water

 

[Moscar]

From the top they look good from the bottom where not much light they were getting bleached

Most likely it was the sand I do clean the gravel the sand bed the pump I have to put one in the right corner so it will cycle all the poops waste foos goes to sand

I need to take the sand out wash it on it’s water then put it back was it with the tank water

You should watch the BRS 5 minute guide. Proven methods.
Your salt choice is fine. Just don't keep changing it. Stabillity.
Every change is a set back that may or may not have good results.
Every salt brand has fantastic tanks using it. The variable is the reef keeper.
Relax, slow way down and learn when something goes wrong or when something is great.
10%+ weekly or better yet smaller frequent (automatic) water changes with quality mixed water are a sure path for a long term great tank. Pick a path, and stick to it. Corals are adaptable, but LOVE stability. Enjoy the journey.

 

[hyeclass]

I like BRS they do talk about great topics and mistakes plus improvement on the tanks

When they talk about the topic they don’t say still with one salt don’t change it

I am going to still with fritz been using it for many yrs

Thank you

 

[Moscar]

I like BRS they do talk about great topics and mistakes plus improvement on the tanks

When they talk about the topic they don’t say still with one salt don’t change it

I am going to still with fritz been using it for many yrs

Thank you
[/QUOT

 

[hyeclass]

PO4 definitely high at 0.37ppm. Your dKH at 11 is higher than most but if it's stable at 11, no need to drop it.

I'd start by getting a better handle on the nutrients first and foremost. A water change can help that but the question is how did they get that high? Lack of caring for the system? Overfeeding? Here are different parameters from LiveAquaria:

All you can do is start working toward getting a better handle on parameters by having better husbandry. Unfortunately, at the point of where some of the coral look in the picture, likely they will not make it sadly. If RTN has started, only a matter of a day or so before they completely turn white. If STN, maybe you can save some of them by fragging the live portions and seeing what happens.

What you have to ask yourself though is what got you to this point? Try to fix that before investing in more coral, specially SPS. Sucks, but we all have been in this situation at some point and just have to reflect, slow down, and learn from it.

Just my $0.02.

do you use iron? i got this iron tester from hanna it's so bad i cannot even tell how much iron i got in the system

 

[hyeclass]

Yes if you stirred your sandbed and you haven't always kept it clean, you could have released a time bomb in your system. If that is all you have done and the lighting change didn't cause issues, I'd say that is the cause. Sand beds are good until they are not good. Going undisturbed for a long period of time, then getting mixed around will cause these types of issues.

One of the reasons, more and more hobbyists are going bare bottom.

what comes to sand bed, what should i do, take the sand out water it with the tank water and put it back? do a water change. I haven't been running my tank for a yr, the flow of the pump is wasn't that will done, i rearranged everything i made sure i have a space between the glass and the rock about 6" put the pump mp60 bottom corner another one on top left.

 

[mitch91175]

what comes to sand bed, what should i do, take the sand out water it with the tank water and put it back? do a water change. I haven't been running my tank for a yr, the flow of the pump is wasn't that will done, i rearranged everything i made sure i have a space between the glass and the rock about 6" put the pump mp60 bottom corner another one on top left.

Well that all depends on if you want to keep sand or not is the question. If you are wanting to clean your sand, you will go through a cycle unfortunately. If you simply want to remove the sand, you will go through a cycle but it won't be as bad as taking out the sand to rinse it then putting it back in.

Middle of the road suggestion is to just leave it alone and deal with the nutrients that leech into the water column (unfortunately though you will eventually need to replace the sand). Some recommend every 3 years, but there isn't a specific amount of time to say it's time to replace the sand bed. Just totally what you want to do with your system honestly.

For me it was easy decision, remove the sand completely and not deal with it ever again. Then I could do whatever I wanted to with the flow in my tank and not worry about sand being blown everywhere.

 

[mitch91175]

do you use iron? i got this iron tester from hanna it's so bad i cannot even tell how much iron i got in the system

Just what is in the Red Sea ABCD at this moment. I'll eventually stop using that in lieu of making my own elements. But will do a quarterly ICP test to see what levels are for certain elements. I wouldn't suggest dosing anything like iron unless you know you have a valid test. Could add to much and be detrimental to your system.

My suggestion is that you just keep doing water changes until you are at a point where you are so familiar with your system that venturing into more advanced reefing processes will be less detrimental overall.

 

[hyeclass]

Well that all depends on if you want to keep sand or not is the question. If you are wanting to clean your sand, you will go through a cycle unfortunately. If you simply want to remove the sand, you will go through a cycle but it won't be as bad as taking out the sand to rinse it then putting it back in.

Middle of the road suggestion is to just leave it alone and deal with the nutrients that leech into the water column (unfortunately though you will eventually need to replace the sand). Some recommend every 3 years, but there isn't a specific amount of time to say it's time to replace the sand bed. Just totally what you want to do with your system honestly.

For me it was easy decision, remove the sand completely and not deal with it ever again. Then I could do whatever I wanted to with the flow in my tank and not worry about sand being blown everywhere.

Your awesome thank you unfortunately I am going to keep the sand I don’t want a bar bottom it looks really cool with a sand I know it’s a lot of work I’ll just wash it put it back

I didn’t know you have to replace sand every three years wow

 

[mitch91175]

Your awesome thank you unfortunately I am going to keep the sand I don’t want a bar bottom it looks really cool with a sand I know it’s a lot of work I’ll just wash it put it back

I didn’t know you have to replace sand every three years wow

If you keep it clean you can get by, but most end up not stirring the sand. Ends of collect a lot of nutrients/detritus and is essentially a ticking time bomb that once disturbed can nuke your system.

 

[hyeclass]

If you keep it clean you can get by, but most end up not stirring the sand. Ends of collect a lot of nutrients/detritus and is essentially a ticking time bomb that once disturbed can nuke your system.

Just what is in the Red Sea ABCD at this moment. I'll eventually stop using that in lieu of making my own elements. But will do a quarterly ICP test to see what levels are for certain elements. I wouldn't suggest dosing anything like iron unless you know you have a valid test. Could add to much and be detrimental to your system.

My suggestion is that you just keep doing water changes until you are at a point where you are so familiar with your system that venturing into more advanced reefing processes will be less detrimental overall.

Thank you for your reply, that’s exactly what happen all my sps almost died they’re not cheap I paid so much and I see them die so sad

Thank you for your support really means a lot

 

[homer1475]

Anyone look at pics of the OP's tank?

There isn't enough sand in there to house a sleeping wrasse let alone stir up some sort of nasty. Looks to be about 2 inches in the front 4 inches of the tank, the rest is bare bottom.

 

[mitch91175]

Anyone look at pics of the OP's tank?

There isn't enough sand in there to house a sleeping wrasse let alone stir up some sort of nasty. Looks to be about 2 inches in the front 4 inches of the tank, the rest is bare bottom.

He had his rocks against the back glass so the amount of sand behind the rocks likely was more that in the front I'd imagine. He also mentions that his issues started after disturbing the sand. Only other change it seems was lighting change. Either way he has a nutrient problem that he will have to identify and resolve. Only he can truly understand that part. We all can just guess to what is really happening with his system without standing in front of it.

 

[hyeclass]

Definitely it was the sand in am going to do a another water change 25gal take the sand out wash it put it back I do clean the sand every time I do a water change
The rocks was pushed against the glass pump wasn’t circulating from the back

It killed 85% of my sps

 

[mitch91175]

Definitely it was the sand in am going to do a another water change 25gal take the sand out wash it put it back I do clean the sand every time I do a water change
The rocks was pushed against the glass pump wasn’t circulating from the back

It killed 85% of my sps

Something you can do to prevent having more leeching from the sand is to drain the water down right above the sand then scoop out the majority of it.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Definitely it was the sand in am going to do a another water change 25gal take the sand out wash it put it back I do clean the sand every time I do a water change The rocks was pushed against the glass pump wasn’t circulating from the back. It killed 85% of my sps.

Doubtful. I suspect the thing that is killing your SPS is overall instability. You have great equipment, but could it be that you need to learn how to use it, develop your husbandry skills, and learn how to keep the tank stable?

I hope you didn't lose a bunch of SPS corals. Don't feel like you are alone in your problem though. Many have been where you are. I had the same issue early on. It looked like the flesh was just falling off in clumps. Not on the base or the ends, but right in the middle. After that fiasco, I slowed way down. Over the next month or two I learned that calcium and alkalinity levels were extremely unstable and magnesium levels were w-a-a-a-a-y low.

Slowing down will help. Nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank.

 

[hyeclass]

Doubtful. I suspect the thing that is killing your SPS is overall instability. You have great equipment, but could it be that you need to learn how to use it, develop your husbandry skills, and learn how to keep the tank stable?

I hope you didn't lose a bunch of SPS corals. Don't feel like you are alone in your problem though. Many have been where you are. I had the same issue early on. It looked like the flesh was just falling off in clumps. Not on the base or the ends, but right in the middle. After that fiasco, I slowed way down. Over the next month or two I learned that calcium and alkalinity levels were extremely unstable and magnesium levels were w-a-a-a-a-y low.

Slowing down will help. Nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank.

what's to learn, very simple to use it's the construction how to build, definitely it was the sand, you haven't absorb what i have seen on my tank not sure even if you been in my situation steering the sand it did kill the SPS

unless if you have a different verse

i love the way i setup my mp60s i am so happy, not only that i gave a 6" space rocks and glass so the flow of the pump is great my skimmer is clean as my tank, i am facing

i even build my own calcium reactor plus programmed the apex

any ways

 

[ReefGeezer]

what's to learn...

I've discovered that there is a lot to learn when it comes to SPS. I'm still learning so I won't pretend to be the expert here. I didn't have any trouble learning to run my equipment. That was the easy part. The hardest lesson was how to balance and maintain the stable nutrient levels and water chemistry needed for SPS corals as conditions and bioload in my tank change. I still don't have those things down perfectly but my SPS corals do OK.

I was probably remiss when I didn't explain why I said I doubt your sand is an issue. It's really simple. It is just not deep enough to have developed pockets of nutrients or noxious stuff that would impact your corals. Stirring it probably released a ton of detritus and other solid matter. SPS corals aren't affected by these too much. The negative things people often warn us about are associated with stirring sand in old school deep sand beds (4-6" deep). That's where the lack of oxygen causes bacteria to create bad stuff. That doesn't happen is shallow sand beds, even where flow is pretty low, because oxygen is present.

 

[mitch91175]

I've discovered that there is a lot to learn when it comes to SPS. I'm still learning so I won't pretend to be the expert here. I didn't have any trouble learning to run my equipment. That was the easy part. The hardest lesson was how to balance and maintain the stable nutrient levels and water chemistry needed for SPS corals as conditions and bioload in my tank change. I still don't have those things down perfectly but my SPS corals do OK.

I was probably remiss when I didn't explain why I said I doubt your sand is an issue. It's really simple. It is just not deep enough to have developed pockets of nutrients or noxious stuff that would impact your corals. Stirring it probably released a ton of detritus and other solid matter. SPS corals aren't affected by these too much. The negative things people often warn us about are associated with stirring sand in old school deep sand beds (4-6" deep). That's where the lack of oxygen causes bacteria to create bad stuff. That doesn't happen is shallow sand beds, even where flow is pretty low, because oxygen is present.

I think the observation from the OP original image does suggest he has had those SPS in his system for some time based upon the size of the mini colonies that are shown. I believe that he had just never experienced disturbing the sand and having the fall out that he did from that occurrence.

But either way, he is taking any of the advice given and determining his course of action. None of us know 100% whether it was entirely the sand bed, the lighting change, or some other source that caused what he is experiencing.

All we can do is provide guidance best we can and allow the OP to decide if he feels either or numerous topics discussed may have been the root cause.

He is taking his first steps in getting his nutrients under control and cleaning his sand bed. Sure that he knows better than us all the conditions in which he found behind his aqua scape once moving around his rock work.

 

[hyeclass]

I've discovered that there is a lot to learn when it comes to SPS. I'm still learning so I won't pretend to be the expert here. I didn't have any trouble learning to run my equipment. That was the easy part. The hardest lesson was how to balance and maintain the stable nutrient levels and water chemistry needed for SPS corals as conditions and bioload in my tank change. I still don't have those things down perfectly but my SPS corals do OK.

I was probably remiss when I didn't explain why I said I doubt your sand is an issue. It's really simple. It is just not deep enough to have developed pockets of nutrients or noxious stuff that would impact your corals. Stirring it probably released a ton of detritus and other solid matter. SPS corals aren't affected by these too much. The negative things people often warn us about are associated with stirring sand in old school deep sand beds (4-6" deep). That's where the lack of oxygen causes bacteria to create bad stuff. That doesn't happen is shallow sand beds, even where flow is pretty low, because oxygen is present.

I

I think the observation from the OP original image does suggest he has had those SPS in his system for some time based upon the size of the mini colonies that are shown. I believe that he had just never experienced disturbing the sand and having the fall out that he did from that occurrence.

But either way, he is taking any of the advice given and determining his course of action. None of us know 100% whether it was entirely the sand bed, the lighting change, or some other source that caused what he is experiencing.

All we can do is provide guidance best we can and allow the OP to decide if he feels either or numerous topics discussed may have been the root cause.

He is taking his first steps in getting his nutrients under control and cleaning his sand bed. Sure that he knows better than us all the conditions in which he found behind his aqua scape once moving around his rock work.

It sure has been a great privilege and journey, the only think I have modified is the light moved the rock stir the sand I just tested my alk it was 12 every week I have to do a water change to get my cal and alk down, I haven’t been using my calcium reactor it has been off from couple of days I I am afraid the water inside the cal reactor will go bad should I run it for 1hr every day without co2