What to make of poly filter changing to a dark red in about 30 minutes?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Organic toxins are a possibility.

what was the aluminum level?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The magnet itself wouldn’t contain those, but it might have a coating on it.

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

Here are my results.

 

[biom]

Hello, I have been struggling with unhappy/dieing coral in my 100 gallon tank system that's over a year old. Up untill about 2 weeks ago everything had been great happy and growing. Then everything hit the fan. I've ruled out alk sable at ~8, salinity 1.026, phosphate .03, nitrates 10-15, calc 450, mag 1450, copper 0, ect.

At the end of my rope a friend suggested a poly filter pad for heavy metals. So I went to the LFS and grabbed two sheets. I cut up some pieces and put them in some high flow areas, I came back in about 30 to check something else and noticed the floss had changed to a pinkish color. Little while later it's pretty red.

First time using this stuff. Is it common to have it change colors in as little as an hour? Is this pink or red? How long should I let this sheet run before I swap to my next one? I swear my zoas already look better.

You could check if it is just cyano filtered on the pad by putting it in in a cup of cold RO water. If it is cyano the water will be soon colored in beautiful purple pink color, which I dont think will be the case if color change comes from metal ion binding.

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

You could check if it is just cyano filtered on the pad by putting it in in a cup of cold RO water. If it is cyano the water will be soon colored in beautiful purple pink color, which I dont think will be the case if color change comes from metal ion binding.

I tried this but it doesn't seem like any cyano is actually getting caught in the filter. I tried room temp RO at least, should I try some in the fridge?

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

So new developments. Long read, but I'm trying to include all the information I have so someone can help me because I don't know what to do. Everything was doing much better after the poly filter (which instantly made coral open when I first put it in there) and water changes for a few days. I backed off water changes all weekend, but i'm noticing that the coral is doing the same thing again. A lot of my zoas are partial closed or fully closed a candy cane is losing tissue, and bird nest aren't happy. I know that it is something wrong with this tank in particular because I moved a frag from my 20 that was doing great to this tank and it's slightly closed up like all the others. I am going to be doing a 25% water change today, followed by another one after 24 hours. I have moved some of the zoas to my 20 gallon and they are all doing just fine. I have recently done a near 100% water change over the coarse of the week in that tank as well for other reasons.

I got a new polyfilter pad and it is still turning the color in the picture at the start of the thread, however it is tanking longer than before. I added some chemipure blue at the advice of my LFS and i also noticed the white bits in the chemipure are turning the same color as the polyfilter. Not sure what the white bits are or what to make of this? This new poly filter was added after I noticed the coral was doing bad again and it didn't seem to help. I am at my wits end over here. What could be building up in my tank that is causing all of my coral (and me) to stress?

I believe I have ruled out heavy metals because the poly filter would take them out, and the ICP water test didn't show any heavy metals. Also more then 100% of the water have been changed since the test. I have an anemone in the tank that hasn't been liking any of this and I dont think hes going to make it. He still alive and moves around every other day, Could he be leaking something in the water? I also took my seachem matrix in a reactor off line today because I added it once all this happened, didn't change anything and want to rule that out. I did add a frag rack that has been out of the tank for awhile back into the tank a few weeks back, it had some old crusty coraline on it, but nothing major. could ammonia cause something like this? nitrites?

levels tested yesterday evening.
1.024 salinity
alk 7.62 hanna ppm
calcium 400 red sea brand new
nitrates 4 nyos brand new
phosphates .12 Hanna LR
I did notice that my API test for pH seemed to be testing pretty high, 8.6. but I think thats user error.
I have been dosing BRS soda ash 15mL ever morning and after noon to maintain alk.
all of this is in a 100 gallon system that is a year old.

I am open to any and all suggestions. I have no idea what to do.

Thanks, Dylan

 

[Nano sapiens]

A few suggestions...

1. Have you tried putting something like typical white filter floss in the filter to see if there is any color change?

2. When checking for 'Gelbstoff' (yellowing refractory organic compounds) we used to put a piece of bright white paper at the far end of a rectangular aquarium and look at it from the other end (looking straight on at the front viewing pane will typically not show the yellow color). If the paper looked yellow, obviously the compounds were present. Try this and see if the white paper looks any shade of pink or red.

3. Do you have a true to color picture of the tank you can post?

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

A few suggestions...

1. Have you tried putting something like typical white filter floss in the filter to see if there is any color change?

2. When checking for 'Gelbstoff' (yellowing refractory organic compounds) we used to put a piece of bright white paper at the far end of a rectangular aquarium and look at it from the other end (looking straight on at the front viewing pane will typically not show the yellow color). If the paper looked yellow, obviously the compounds were present. Try this and see if the white paper looks any shade of pink or red.

3. Do you have a true to color picture of the tank you can post?

1. I just placed a white filter pad in there to see how it does.
2. I tried the paper test, and the paper looks pretty much still white.
3. Not sure about true to color, but I set my lights to fully white to take the paper picture. The tank as a whole looks a little yellow/greenish? But I think that's just the algae on the rocks?

 

[Nano sapiens]

For the photo, was just concerned about getting an overly blue 'windex' look that is quite common these days where details are nearly impossible to make out.

This is indeed a head scratcher. I'd let the white filter floss stay in there for a few days (without the polyfilter) to see if any type of organism or physical material is causing the reddish color. After that, put a new polyfilter pad back in and if it turns red again, then it is likely that you have some chemical reaction/binding going on.

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

I did just fill a white bucket with water from a water hose and water from the tank. Tank water is on the left both times. It's obviously dirtier. First picture is under the inside light(white shop light) 2nd is under outside light(sun)

I would say their is a little bit of a pink hue to the water, what might cause this, and do you think this is effecting the coral?
I don't know that I have a few days to wait because my coral are not doing great.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Hmm, interesting. The bucket placed outside in the sun does look to have a slight pink tint. Based on your report that the Polyfilter appears to be helpful to the corals, then I'd say it's likely that whatever is causing the reddish color is suspect. Reddish/pinkish coloration is often associated with certain types of organisms such as(halophilic bacteria in hypersaline environments, aerial spores of green microalgae Trentepohlia annulate in freshwater/rain).

Since this is rather unusual, the first thing I'd do for any parameter that you are not 100% (or close to it), I'd have it double checked by an LFS or fellow hobbyist (especially your salinity and pH) using different test kits/instruments.

 

[biom]

I tried this but it doesn't seem like any cyano is actually getting caught in the filter. I tried room temp RO at least, should I try some in the fridge?

No, room temperature is ok. I’ve just made simple test for you. Picture attached. This is how water look after 2 hours soaking of filter sock in 1 liter RO water at room temperature. But if the amount of cyano is small there will be not that visible color. But the filter pad will turn bright green. You can see from the picture. It was pinkish brown before soaking.

 

[biom]

If phosphate is .12 I would lowered a bit and will add some activated carbon in case organic toxin is present

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

No, room temperature is ok. I’ve just made simple test for you. Picture attached. This is how water look after 2 hours soaking of filter sock in 1 liter RO water at room temperature. But if the amount of cyano is small there will be not that visible color. But the filter pad will turn bright green. You can see from the picture. It was pinkish brown before soaking.

I will go pull some filter floss in ro water right now and report back. It for sure didn't do that the first time.

Also I do have some seachem matrix in a reactor that I actually just took off line. Should I put it back in there?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Also I do have some seachem matrix in a reactor that I actually just took off line. Should I put it back in there?

I would.

it sounds like an organic toxin problem to me. It might be the pink color, or just be coincident with it (that is, another organic from the same organisms)

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

If phosphate is .12 I would lowered a bit and will add some activated carbon in case organic toxin is present

Can an upset anemone cause something like this to happen? I will put the rest of my seachem matrix back in the reactor and turn it on.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Can an upset anemone cause something like this to happen? I will put the rest of my seachem matrix back in the reactor and turn it on.

I've never heard of an anemone releasing colored pigments.

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

I've never heard of an anemone releasing colored pigments.

Can they release toxins? He looks like this. Use to twice this size.

 

[Dylan McKenzie Holloway]

Update: just did a 25% water change, put enough matrix in my system for 200 gallons on my 100 gallon system. Half of it is in a bag between sump baffles with a lot of flow, and some is in a reactor. Anyone know how long it would take for carbon to clear the water up? Also, how much flow should I put to the matrix. I have it in a reef octo BR-70. Right now I have it basically boiling with flow. Should I turn it up and get it's tumbling?

Also tested tonight,
Cal 420
Nitrates 5
mag 1400
pH 8.4
phosphate 0
alk 8.46

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Can they release toxins? He looks like this. Use to twice this size.

I've also not heard of it releasing problematic toxins to the water. I really do not think it is the explanation.