Tank is crashing and cant figure out why

[ChrisQ0904]

I have a 180g sps tank and yesterday I noticed cloudy water and did a WC. I get home today and the water is even cloudier than before and I lost 9 of my colonies.

I am dosing kalk, running a denitrator, life reef skimmer, not using socks or floss, bare bottom (tiles). Running dragons breath in the refugium.

CA: 450
ALK: 8.2
MG: 1400
P04: Not tested
N03: 0 (salifert)
Salinity: 1.026

Any ideas what could be happening? Some colonies literally lose all tissue overnight from looking healthy the day before. I have looked for pests and never found any.

 

[Diesel]

Is there something you did to the tank in the last week or so?

 

[DLuce510]

How old is your system?

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Throw in a large bag of carbon and do a large wwc while you’re trying to figure things out

 

[ChrisQ0904]

Is there something you did to the tank in the last week or so?

Flush the denitrator once

How old is your system?

About a year

 

[bk_market]

Do you have a clam in your system?

 

[Retro Reefer]

Could be bacterial bloom, water changes typically just fuel it.. UV will clear it quick if it is bacteria

 

[Diesel]

That might be your issue right there, the denitrator.
It might triggered your system have a massive bacteria bloom.

Can you post a picture of that denitrator?

 

[ChrisQ0904]

Do you have a clam in your system?

No clams

Could be bacterial bloom, water changes typically just fuel it.. UV will clear it quick if it is bacteria

Hmmm, I'll try to source one

 

[Mattrg02]

Check for ammonia to rule out an actual crash of the biological system.

That looks like the spitting image of a bacteria bloom. I never had one affect anything other than my own mood.

Mine always burned themselves out. I also increased surface agitation since bacteria use oxygen.

 

[jda]

Test for ammonia ASAP. Nitrite if you can, but not as important. Are the fish breathing heavy? I would get some GAC on there and stop feeding the fish until you figure this out. If something is starting to die, then get it out.

Can you rule out a kalk overdose and a PH spike?

Salt does not cause a bacterial bloom unless it has organic carbon in it - nearly nobody should be using salt with organic carbon in unless there is a VERY acute and precise reason.

 

[ChrisQ0904]

Went and got an ammonia test kit and nothing there. Should not be a kalk overdose ph is at 7.8, if it is a bacterial bloom I didn't know i could lose corals from that. Possibly it is something else and this just happened at the same time... who knows.

Threw some carbon in the sump and hoping this resolves itself soon.

 

[Mattrg02]

Went and got an ammonia test kit and nothing there. Should not be a kalk overdose ph is at 7.8, if it is a bacterial bloom I didn't know i could lose corals from that. Possibly it is something else and this just happened at the same time... who knows.

Threw some carbon in the sump and hoping this resolves itself soon.

What are your nitrates at?

Edit: Saw they are zero.

 

[jda]

Bacterial blooms can use up all of the oxygen, any organic carbon that is around (not much in a normal tank, but a lot if you dose) and also snatch up all of the building blocks (N and P). However, they can make fish suffer as much as coral since they do not do well with low oxygen. A bacterial bloom does not HAVE to cause damage, but they can. This could just be an amalgamation of several unfortunate events.

 

[ChrisQ0904]

Bacterial blooms can use up all of the oxygen, any organic carbon that is around (not much in a normal tank, but a lot if you dose) and also snatch up all of the building blocks (N and P). However, they can make fish suffer as much as coral since they do not do well with low oxygen. A bacterial bloom does not HAVE to cause damage, but they can. This could just be an amalgamation of several unfortunate events.

Besides more surface agitation, should I add a few airstones?

 

[Mattrg02]

Besides more surface agitation, should I add a few airstones?

Definitely would help.

 

[Funlad3]

My money is also on the nitrate reactor. We just had a close call at my friend's store with his getting clogged and the bacteria going crazy. We drained and flushed it before it came back online, but it could have wiped out the tank.

Coral slime is a complex microbiome made up of all sorts of bacteria, algae, and other microorganisms that help fix different nutrients in the water that the coral cannot itself. Excess or foreign bacteria can throw the microbiome e way out of balance and lead to harmful infection and/or RTNing. Dipping affected corals in Iodine and lowering the tank temperature to 76º might help to get things under control.

Good luck!

 

[jda]

Do your fish have labored breathing? If so, then I would get as much O2 in there as possible.

 

[ChrisQ0904]

Do your fish have labored breathing? If so, then I would get as much O2 in there as possible.

Nope, fish seem to be breathing, swimming, and eating as normal.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Many possibilities. . . . . .
Pump- Is it running at full flow or clogged?
Lighting- Did you increase/decrease intensity?
Feeding- Have you increased feeding and load on tank?
External- Any visitors or kids who could have entered something into system without your knowledge?
Chemical- Any sprays or aerosols near the tank recently?
Heater- What is temp and did heater malfunction?
Salinity- Did you get a 2nd opinion to assure you are getting correct reading?
Window- Is tank at or near a window allowing natural sun light to heat the tank to dangerous temperature?