These punks have been eating my LPS. ID anyone?

[eraserhead187]

I would shoot for a target of 35ppt for your SG, all your test kits are made/designed for this SG, so your testing will be skewed until you reach that target. What ATO are you using currently? I would turn off your ATO when testing or doing maintenance that requires you to pull water from your tank that would otherwise initiate the ATO to start up. The two things that will derail a nano reef are salinity fluctuations and temp swings. A range of 1.023 to 1.026 is not stable and should be avoided. Adjusting your skimmer (dry vs. wet), setting a smaller range for your float valves/sensors on your ATO (or get a better ATO?) and calibrating your refractometer with the proper solution will all help.
The other thing that I would recommend for nano reefs would be using a higher quality salt mix. I'm sure there will be people countering my advice, but for nanos, using a high quality salt mix is one of the keys to success and makes water changes a breeze and uncomplicated.
Getting back on topic a little, bristle worms will never attack or eat healthy tissue. This notion that bristle worms are bad and should be removed from a healthy system is simply wrong. There are polychaete worms that do attack and consume living tissue, but they are not bristle worms. One day I would like to write an article about bristle worms, but I don't have the time right now. There numbers are based on food supply, that's it. If you have lots of them, then check how much you're feeding and how much goes uneaten? Sorry, I have a huge soap box about bristle worms.
To the OP, your elegance could've had something that moved to your other LPS and initiated the problem? There are too many variables to look at and pin down the culprit.

Thanks, minus. My original theory was that something came in on the elegance and did a number on my other LPS. Removing them, dipping, and putting them in a different tank seems to have saved them.

What type of salt would you recommend? Definitely open to suggestions! The ATO is a Tunze nano, but it has a float type sensor and not the optical type. The skimmer is pretty small and doesn't really do a great job. I did order a new one for this other biocube that is at home, and it may be nicer, so I may switch them out. I was just very much space limited since I have no sump, just the overflow in the back. It's a biocube 32 with the Steve's LED lighting upgrade. Got a custom media basket for it to make room for the skimmer.

I'm all good with bristle worms as long as they aren't eating anything valuable, which doesn't seem likely. So the more the merrier, as long as they don't get like 2 feet long!

Thanks!

 

[minus9]

Thanks, minus. My original theory was that something came in on the elegance and did a number on my other LPS. Removing them, dipping, and putting them in a different tank seems to have saved them.

What type of salt would you recommend? Definitely open to suggestions! The ATO is a Tunze nano, but it has a float type sensor and not the optical type. The skimmer is pretty small and doesn't really do a great job. I did order a new one for this other biocube that is at home, and it may be nicer, so I may switch them out. I was just very much space limited since I have no sump, just the overflow in the back. It's a biocube 32 with the Steve's LED lighting upgrade. Got a custom media basket for it to make room for the skimmer.

I'm all good with bristle worms as long as they aren't eating anything valuable, which doesn't seem likely. So the more the merrier, as long as they don't get like 2 feet long!

Thanks!

I used the Tunze 3155 ATO on my 22g nano without any issues. I still use it on my 20g QT and it's worth the upgrade. For salt, Tropic Marin Pro all the way. If you want the alk to be a little higher, simply bump it up with some soda ash, but honestly, it mixes exactly where I like it, just under 8dkh. If you want to keep stoney corals, then dosing is in your future. It can be as simple as TM all for reef. If you haven't watched BRS' 5 minute guide, then it's worth a watch. In fact, most of their series are worth watching, so much valuable information for new and experienced reefers.

 

[eraserhead187]

I used the Tunze 3155 ATO on my 22g nano without any issues. I still use it on my 20g QT and it's worth the upgrade. For salt, Tropic Marin Pro all the way. If you want the alk to be a little higher, simply bump it up with some soda ash, but honestly, it mixes exactly where I like it, just under 8dkh. If you want to keep stoney corals, then dosing is in your future. It can be as simple as TM all for reef. If you haven't watched BRS' 5 minute guide, then it's worth a watch. In fact, most of their series are worth watching, so much valuable information for new and experienced reefers.

Thanks! I am actually on my way to my local place right now to pick up another skimmer and a few other things. I will see if they stock that salt, which I am almost sure they do. I'm not super into SPS, but I love a lot of the LPS stuff so I will probably need to keep it up. In the past I've liked to keep it around 10dKh. Thanks again, and I will check out the other tunze. I'll need one for the other tank at some point anyway