Tank will not sustain any corals - yet fish are ok.

[BrokenReefer]

According to the color chart, the phosphates are on the low end -- don't quote me on that. If I had the answers, I wouldn't be seeking advice - ha! I do believe that my phosphates are slightly elevated, though I would suspect to see more problems with the inverts. Aside from doing h2o changes, and not running any phosban or similar, any other ways to pull phosphates out?

I have not tried a poly filter - I'll see about picking one up tomorrow.

[Every1jockzjay]

The sand that u re-used was yours? Maybe it was previously treated with copper? I was using a hydrometer that was about .003 off and my salinity was around 1.029 and i was seeing negative effects but nothing died.

[Sn8kbyt]

Salinity is high should be 1.025 - 1.026 and phosphates really high should be .05 to .00.

Adjust/fix those 2 and it will be easier to diagnose any issues if you still have them.

[BrokenReefer]

Salinity since the water change is now at 1.026, going to lower it again tonight with another small water change.

Phosphates - aside from a water change, how do I lower those?



Also @Every1jockzjay -- the sand was from the previous tank setup, which was never treated with copper. That's not to say some copper didn't leech in from things, all water pipes in my house are copper - could that be a cause?

Per a recommendation from a previous poster, I'm going to pick up polyfilter tonight before going home and see if that changes colors on me.

[anbosu]

Originally Posted by BrokenReefer

Salinity since the water change is now at 1.026, going to lower it again tonight with another small water change.

Phosphates - aside from a water change, how do I lower those?



Also @Every1jockzjay -- the sand was from the previous tank setup, which was never treated with copper. That's not to say some copper didn't leech in from things, all water pipes in my house are copper - could that be a cause?

Per a recommendation from a previous poster, I'm going to pick up polyfilter tonight before going home and see if that changes colors on me.

1.026 is where it should be, you don't need to lower it any further.

I would consider running a poly filter on the tank to see if there is something in your tank that shouldn't be.

Your light acclimation seems to make sense, so I don't think that is the issue. Hopefully it was just a combination of shock from the move and the high salinity, although I would guess that you have something else going on as well.

[Zacktosterone]

I can only imagine what your salinity would be after some water evaporates. like others have said, 1.025 - 1.026 is where you should be. also that calcium reading is fine "slightly higher then my preference but not possibly harmful. That magnesium is a little high, your phosphates you said you could get under control. that's all i've noticed so far. Invest in a gfo reactor or start vodka dosing to get your phosphates under control if you can't find anything else

[BrokenReefer]

Vodka dosing -- use the premium stuff? Lol!

I remember reading about that years ago and completely forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder!

[Zacktosterone]

Originally Posted by BrokenReefer

Vodka dosing -- use the premium stuff? Lol!

I remember reading about that years ago and completely forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder!

haha whatever your fish prefer! maybe add some lemon. Hey I'm glad I could help

[BrokenReefer]

I have a few bottles at home - my employee's usually buy me a bottle for Christmas. I don't tend towards vodka at home, good thing it's not whiskey dosing ... I would really be in a bad spot then! I can't give away the good stuff to my fish

[TFP Marine Biologist]

I would not rely on dip test strips to give you accurate information, especially if they are old ones that you got from a friend. I would highly recommend that you get some quality test kits, like Salifert for example, to really make sure that water quality is where you think it is. At the very least see if someone close to you has kits you can borrow, or a LFS that will test your water for you, so you can compare results. In a tank of that size, the quickest and easiest way to correct water quality problems is with water changes, just make sure that you are matching your salinity and temperature, so you are minimizing the stress of a water change in a small tank. It is also very important to have a good source of make up water, RO/DI is the best is possible, especially if your house has copper pipes.

[greech]

If the shrimp is alive, metals should not be the issue. Might want to make sure that is a pepp shrimp and not a camel shrimp. The look very similar but the latter will dine on your corals.

While the corals you have tried are mostly hardy, Euphyllia and zoas have been known to melt pretty quickly for no apparent reason. You might try something like a favia out of the bargin bin at your LFS and see how that does.

I don't think 0.5ppm PO4 killed your corals, certainly not that quickly. Maybe if these were acros but that isn't the case.

[arnoldrew]

Originally Posted by BrokenReefer

Also @Every1jockzjay -- the sand was from the previous tank setup, which was never treated with copper. That's not to say some copper didn't leech in from things, all water pipes in my house are copper - could that be a cause?

As far as I can tell, copper pipes will not cause detectable levels of copper in your water.

[Hal]

Originally Posted by arnoldrew

As far as I can tell, copper pipes will not cause detectable levels of copper in your water.

In a normal setup, that's true. However if you have any electricity leakage that makes it onto the pipes, such as from a faulty electric water heater, for example, the electricity will cause your copper pipe to degrade and eventually burst (it takes a while). Guess where the copper that is degrading goes?

Frankly, this is a long-shot. Besides, I believe that RO units will remove some/most of the copper.

After seeing that the chem parameters are mostly normal, I'd start looking for coral predators. What do the corals look like as they die?

[arnoldrew]

Originally Posted by Hal

In a normal setup, that's true. However if you have any electricity leakage that makes it onto the pipes, such as from a faulty electric water heater, for example, the electricity will cause your copper pipe to degrade and eventually burst (it takes a while). Guess where the copper that is degrading goes?

Frankly, this is a long-shot. Besides, I believe that RO units will remove some/most of the copper.

After seeing that the chem parameters are mostly normal, I'd start looking for coral predators. What do the corals look like as they die?

Wow, that's really interesting.

[BrokenReefer]

@TFP - I have Red Sea Pro Titration and API kits. The strips were used the first month the tank was going, after that I got the test kits.

@greech - From what I can tell it is a pepp; however, it hides out under a rock and only comes out when I feed the tank. I'll see about getting a better ID on it today.

@Hal - I certainly hope I don't have a faulty h2o heater, it's natural gas As for what the corals look like when they go bad ... they melt, there is only the exo-skeleton (I know it's not a crustacean, I just don't know the proper term) left to be seen. And subsequently discarded.

[disc1]

Originally Posted by arnoldrew

As far as I can tell, copper pipes will not cause detectable levels of copper in your water.

Originally Posted by Hal

In a normal setup, that's true. However if you have any electricity leakage that makes it onto the pipes, such as from a faulty electric water heater, for example, the electricity will cause your copper pipe to degrade and eventually burst (it takes a while). Guess where the copper that is degrading goes?

Frankly, this is a long-shot. Besides, I believe that RO units will remove some/most of the copper.

After seeing that the chem parameters are mostly normal, I'd start looking for coral predators. What do the corals look like as they die?

Where it can really bite you is on the pH of the tapwater. Most municipalities run their tap slightly on the basic side to avoid any metals leaching. However, if the pH falls close to 7 or even worse below 7 copper and lead will begin to leach from pipes and into your tap water.