Mike's 140 Cubish Build

[miwoodar]

Welcome to the hobby! I hear you...I went over budget on this upgrade. The structural wood stand idea was replaced with a steel stand. The idea of splicing together two glass 65's to make the cube was replaced by the acrylic design. Lastly, the wood and doors cost a few hundred more than initially planned. Those three items alone add up to nearly four digits. It's all worth it though - I won't be upgrading further on any of these items for some time. A nice controller would be awesome to have but there is no way I can convince the family that now is the right time to get one...our second child is due in four weeks.

Coral Update
Still having STN on the corals mentioned in the last page of the thread. It has been getting worse. I haven't had a chance to do a water change yet (story of my life). After reviewing some of RHF's articles and a few threads about GFO, I've decided to take my GFO reactor off line for a few weeks to see if that makes a difference.

I caught my flame angel and my hippo nipping sps a little more the other day. They don't appear to be nipping everything that is ailing so I am still hesitant to call them culprits. I'm pretty sure that they are not doing it frequently enough to be the source of my problems anyways. I started feeding nori sheets to the tank to keep their attention away from the corals.

[spleify]

Ok, I am finally all caught up. Sorry to hear about the string of bad luck, and the loss of corals.

I have also been reading and wondering if the GFO reactor is a culprit in my case too(pale and pastel colors on my SPS). I am also contemplating taking the GFO reactor off line for a while.
It has got to be SO FRUSTRATING for you Mike to be having these problems now, after having SUCH a successful reef before. I wish you the best and hope things turn out well.

As mentioned before I would be more than happy to take a frag of two off you're hands to see if they do any different in my tank. LOL

P.S. to get the welcome banner do this:

[ welcome ] but with no spaces.


To Reef Central

Good luck pal.

Spleify

[miwoodar]

Thanks Leif. I'm hesitant to let frags go into other tanks until this is cleared up. I read a handful of threads wherein a reefer had two tanks - one with STN and one without. Often the second tank started to STN after frags were transferred between the two systems. You're welcome to take a few but I won't be letting anything go without that caveat. I had hoped to bring a few frags to some of the upcoming reef club meetings but definitely won't be doing so until things are fully up to snuff again.

[LooseHip]

Any updates with the corals? Has the STN stopped...

[veloboy]

Any updates on the corals? ....Hoping for a full recovery.

Fully impressed with the final product. Even your choice of lighting seems to perfectly compliment the stand stain.

I'm learning (quickly) that this isn't easy...makes your build all the more impressive.

For the canopy, did you use some sort of hinge to support/hold open the main top panel (think your MH's are anchored to it) so that you can work inside the tank and not worry about your lighting getting in the way?

[miwoodar]

LooseHip, veloboy - apologies for the delayed response. I am sorry to report the last few weeks have been dismal in my tank. There's just no other way to put it. I have some cool pics to share though. I hope to get them up this week.

[crvz]

Hmm, dismal yet cool pics. Here's hoping it's better than you imply.

[2_zoa]

Originally posted by miwoodar
LooseHip, veloboy - apologies for the delayed response. I am sorry to report the last few weeks have been dismal in my tank. There's just no other way to put it. I have some cool pics to share though. I hope to get them up this week.

Okay I found your build and have been reading for a long time. I must say that you have done an incredible job on your build. Congrats!!! However I am sorry to here that you are having the problems you are. I really hoped that it would be an easy fix for you when you had mentioned it to me. I hope that you get the time to get it cleared up. That is a lot to....... well I wont say it. God Luck.

Also thank you again for all your help!

[miwoodar]

Sorry friends, it won't be good news. The photos are very exciting, but not in the ways you would wish. STN, RTN, entire colony losses (some have been with me for many years). That's the bad news. The good news, I will get to buy the corals I really, really want as replacements. There has been a long list of stuff I have had to pass on in the last few years for a lack of real estate. Now that I have it, I get to fill it!

[porthios]

man, sorry to hear that.. still no ideas on cause?

[miwoodar]

Anyone hungry?

How about an appetizer?


And a main course?


I'm pretty sure dessert will follow. If you want your check now, that will be 3 years, 200 runs to the LFS, and a tip (a big one please so I can buy new frags).

This has all been, and continues to be, extremely humbling. It's really OK though. I am *very* much looking forward to the future but right now I'm in a tail spin grasping at straws. Tonight it's an RTN purple efflo and a 30 gallon water change.

[melev]

Did you post about this in a different thread? It seems like we are only getting a bit of the story, and you know we'd love to help if we could.

[miwoodar]

Ironically, a handful of my corals continue to grow at a break-neck pace.

Doing excellent and growing fast:
* magenta/blue mille is growing gangbusters
* pink hyacinthus 'woke up' last week
* tan/green/purple/blue efflo doubled in size since the move
* frogspawn, good as always
* crocea
* pavona

RIP:
* pink birdsnest
* gray w/ blue polyp cap

Going down hard (soon to be RIP):
* pink mille
* 20,000 lokani
* Hydnophora (not positive but RIP likely)
* Trumpet LPS
* Cyphastrea meteor shower ( )
* red/green pachyseris (this was going to be a feature in the new landscape)

Many, many frags thrown away:
* green slimer
* two tenuis
* sky blue mille
* cali tort
* hydno
* pink mille
* chips (NOT THE CHIPS! )
* Caps...where to start

[miwoodar]

Originally posted by melev
Did you post about this in a different thread? It seems like we are only getting a bit of the story, and you know we'd love to help if we could.

I'm turning to the notion of a contaminent of some sort. I was thinking bacterial or fish nipping before but I'm thinking it has to be a contaminent. I dunno TBH though - water changes are my current approach but it's really out of desparation.

Yes, I've posted in a handful of threads on similar situations and read many more. I don't mean to be leaving information out - if you have questions or ideas, please, fire away.

[melev]

Well, without knowing all the details, I would take it back to the basics:

Did you check your sump for any contaminants (metals, batteries (tossed in by a kid), rusting impellars)?
Did you check for stray voltage?
Did you verify that your tank's temperature is accurate with multiple devices?
Did you verify that your salinity is actually what you think it is, testing it both with other equipment as well as to have someone else confirm those readings?
Did you have someone else test your water with their kits to verify that your numbers are accurate?
Did you check your timers for excessive lighting, excessive heating, or excessive cooling periods?
Did you test your RO/DI water for Ammonia, Phosphate, Nitrate, and TDS? Did you test for chorine?
Did you test your newly mixed saltwater for everything, including Alk, pH, Cal, Mg, Ammonia, & Salinity?
Did you verify that all equipment is working correctly, including calcium & kalk reactors, making sure the media looks right and the pumps are functioning as they should?
Did you disturb your sandbed recently, unearthing anoxic zones?
Did you remove LR from your tank for a duration, exposing sponges to air which could die off and cause issues?
Did you have Xenia die-off en-mass? Flatworms?
Did you treat with anything lately?
Do you dose anything?
Is your tank grounded? Is it still grounded, or did the probe come loose?

HTH

[porthios]

that's a good list.. gonna save it for my next 'episode'.

[miwoodar]

Marc - I really appreciate your questions. See below.

Well, without knowing all the details, I would take it back to the basics:

Did you check your sump for any contaminants (metals, batteries (tossed in by a kid), rusting impellars)?
full check, nothing
Did you check for stray voltage?
No, but I'm using the same equipment as I used on my old tank other than the addition of a Vortech and a different external pump so I haven't gone down the voltage path yet.
Did you verify that your tank's temperature is accurate with multiple devices?
three different thermometers - two stick ons and a coralife that all match. I wouldn't typically consider these reliable but they always matched the alcohol thermometer that I accidently broke earlier this year.
Did you verify that your salinity is actually what you think it is, testing it both with other equipment as well as to have someone else confirm those readings?
two hydrometers and a refractometer that was calibrated against a 1.026 solution
Did you have someone else test your water with their kits to verify that your numbers are accurate?
I had an appointment to have a reliable friend crosscheck my numbers but I've been CRAZY busy at work the last few weeks. I'm using the same test kits as I used prior to the move. None are expired.
Did you check your timers for excessive lighting, excessive heating, or excessive cooling periods?
My wife is home two days a week - lighting is on schedule. 12 hours actinics and 9 hours MH. Temp 79 in the mornings and 81 in the afternoons.
Did you test your RO/DI water for Ammonia, Phosphate, Nitrate, and TDS? Did you test for chorine?
Ammonia - 0
Phosphate - 0 through Salifert (organic/inorganic? I've asked the office if I can borrow their Hanna - still waiting to get it back from the field), RO/DI was 2, now 0. Nitrates, 0. I've never thought about testing for chlorine though. My RO/DI smells clean - do you think I still should?
Did you test your newly mixed saltwater for everything, including Alk, pH, Cal, Mg, Ammonia, & Salinity?
Didn't test for ammonia - all the rest look good though
Did you verify that all equipment is working correctly, including calcium & kalk reactors, making sure the media looks right and the pumps are functioning as they should?
full check, nothing
Did you disturb your sandbed recently, unearthing anoxic zones?
No disturbences. The sandbed has been up since a few weeks before the transfer. Any thoughts on this?
Did you remove LR from your tank for a duration, exposing sponges to air which could die off and cause issues?
Minor exposure on the rock in the sump. I've sniffed it a few times and never found anything though.
Did you have Xenia die-off en-mass? Flatworms?
Xenia is growing strong. No flatworms of any kind. I've checked the frags closely
Did you treat with anything lately?
nothing
Do you dose anything?
Nothing. I stopped VSV after the move then tried it again for about a week after I started seeing some wierd stuff. I didn't see any improvements so I stopped in hopes of starting again after the hiccups clear up.
Is your tank grounded? Is it still grounded, or did the probe come loose? GFCI, no grounding probe though.

HTH [/B]

[spleify]

Mike, I am sorry this is happening. I can't even imagine how disappointing and frustrating this is for you after the last tank you had.

We all hope you find the cause of this horrible issue. If I can help out at all let me know.

Marc, that list you gave is probably one of the most complete list of issues to check for that I've seen in one place at one time. I list like this should be stickyed at the top for people to check before going any further.

Good luck Mike, let us know what else we can do.
How old is you're salt? does it go bad? I'm just trying to think of anything here.

Spleify

[Kieth71]

I am very sorry to hear about the losses to your tank .It is a beautiful setup and i hope you find the cause very quickly.

[miwoodar]

Additions to the RIP list above - pink mille and purple efflo are gone as well as the orange digitata (the first to go). I've lost lots of snails have died in the last few week but I can't tell if they are the new ones I added soon after the tank transfer or the ones that came from my old tank (the population in my old tank was pretty stable). I did a 30 gallon change last night and will be doing another this evening. If I can buy a bucket of salt today I'll be doing another tomorrow.

There is a positive side to all of this....it's clearing up real estate in the tank. I'm looking forward to buying that box of stellar corals I've always dreamed of but never had the room to do so. Really, whatever this is, it will pass. Many of my corals are doing great. Fish are great.

[melev]

Mike, do check your tank for stray electricity. Take a digital voltage meter, put one prong in the ground hole of an outlet and put the other probe in the water (sump as well as display). If you see anything above 0, power is leaking into the water. A pump on the side of your skimmer could be the cause, although I would expect your Xenia to take a hit if that were the case. Still, inspect those pumps very carefully, prying off the plastic cover if necessary.

Check your source water and your saltwater for ammonia. Ammonia will pass right through a RO/DI system. Any chlorine should be stopped by the carbon filters, but they only work for a specific duration (I've heard the number 600g float around for a long time). I recommend changing them every 6 months, no matter what.

With snails dying, something is definitely up. Do you have shrimp? Are they okay? If not, you might check for copper in your tank, your source water and your new saltwater.

Keeping a positive point of view is great, but... we need to find out what happened to avoid it happening again. I'm almost thinking you are accepting these losses due to the tank transfer / move?

[reefsafe]

Mike,

I have a voltage meter that you can borrow if you don't have it. Let me know.

[miwoodar]

I just read my last post...sorry for incohent sentence structure. Apparently I needed another cup of coffee before posting this morning.

I don't have any shrimp.

I'll give my source water a full check this evening.

My neighbor is a handyman - I'll see if his multimeter is available this evening as well.

I think my problems may have started in my last tank due to a little nipping by the flame angel on the monti digi - very poor digi PE for the last few months prior to the move. I believe that was strike one. Upon aquascaping the new tank I had many of my corals out of the water for longer than I had intended. I think that was strike two. A handful of my other SPS started showing symptoms at the time the digi went caput. I think the digi might have gotten sick and spread something to the rest of the tank. Some corals have been able to fend it off. Other corals, not so.

[ox5477]

Sorry about the bad streak of luck with the sps Mike. Hope this problem is resolved quickly in the near future.

Quick question about those "Swirler Steins." I would assume they are homemade and are a cool little design. Wondering if the motor you use to move the cam system is a DC motor using a AC to DC converter or its a straight AC motor that can be plugged directly into any household outlet? Would be a cool DIY project for the future to do something similar, with a few ideas for improvement I might be able to think of . Thanks Mike

[miwoodar]

Thanks for the well wishes.

The swirler stein is running on an AC motor that runs off of household current.

I started a new thread about how to make one here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...=swirler+stein