corals wont stay alive?

nakadoc · 02/09/2008, 10:15 PM

Well, I recently moved and started from scratch with my setup. I upgraded alot and adjusted for the better as a few thing was not working out with the last setup but problem with livestock.

Here is my problem, no coral soft or hard will stay alive in the tank?

I started my 120gal. tank with about 100lbs. of live rock, down south play sand from lowes and aragonite from the LFS 50/50 mix total of a 100lbs. I have always used tropic marin salt and decided to try the PRO line this time as I was wanting to do SPS. Well, after 2 months of cycling I added a kole tang than about 6 weeks later 5 purple firefish. About 5 red leg hermits 10 astreas and 25 nassarius snails about 2 weeks later. Got plenty of flow with wave2k wavemaker and a sequence dart return pump. Skimming with a euro reef rs180. All levels are perfect! But like I said no coral will stay alive for more than 2 weeks?

Has anyone ever had this problem or heard about something like this? If so please help me shine some light on this as I have been trying to figure this out with no luck. My last conclusion is the substrate is leaking trace elements of iron into the water? I am going to attempt to take out all of the substrate and hope the cycle wont kill my fish and inverts.

bertoni · 02/09/2008, 10:35 PM

Well, we could start with the actual water parameters and how they're being measured. You might want to try running a PolyFilter for a bit. It'll turn blue in the presence of enough copper. Copper is a somewhat common coral killer.

nakadoc · 02/09/2008, 10:43 PM

I am using all salifert tests

Am
Nitrate
Nitrite
Alk
Cal
Strontium
Boron

Where would the copper come from? I use ro/di water and just changed all the filters.

bertoni · 02/09/2008, 10:53 PM

How about SG, temperature, and pH? What are the measurements for the parameters you're measuring.

Sometimes, live rock can be contaminated with copper, usually only if it's been in someone else's tank or the tank was dosed with copper, though.

HowardW · 02/09/2008, 10:54 PM

I don't think it's a copper problem if your inverts are doing well, and I would not remove the substrate until you've exhausted every other possibility. How are the corals dying?

nakadoc · 02/09/2008, 11:07 PM

All my rock did come from others tanks

SG 24
P.H 8.4
Temp 79.4
ALk 9
Cal 420
Am, Nitri, Nitra 0

softies just shrivel and SPS will have no polyp extension by the 2nd to 3rd day and just bleach out. I have not put any LPS in there and now scared to put anything else in there. Fish all eat well and inverts are active.

HowardW · 02/09/2008, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nakadoc
All my rock did come from others tanks

SG 24
P.H 8.4
Temp 79.4
ALk 9
Cal 420
Am, Nitri, Nitra 0

softies just shrivel and SPS will have no polyp extension by the 2nd to 3rd day and just bleach out. I have not put any LPS in there and now scared to put anything else in there. Fish all eat well and inverts are active.

Hmmmm.......have you ruled out something with your lighting such as UV exposure, intensity, photo period, or something else?

ReefWreak · 02/09/2008, 11:15 PM

It wouldn't be iron in your substrate that is killing corals. The iron would promote algae growth if there were enough of it, and even then, we PUT iron in our tanks by using GFO (granular Ferric Oxide = RUSTY IRON)

So yeah. I highly doubt it to be that.

How are you acclimating? What corals have you tried?

nakadoc · 02/09/2008, 11:23 PM

Lighting consist of 4 110watt VHO's. 2 super actinic and 2 white actinic. 2 250 watt hqi's which I have not been running at all due to having no corals in there. I am running the VHO's for 9 hours a day and my fuge light on opposite time.

I drip acclimate everything over a period of 2 hours. I put what ever livestock along with the water its in into a 5gal. bucket and drip tank water until the bucket is almost full.

I have tried discomus mushrooms, zoanthids, monti cap, acropora and a leather. softies took about 2 weeks to die and sps about 3 days?

bertoni · 02/09/2008, 11:40 PM

I would check the accuracy of the SG device:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rhf/index.htm

nakadoc · 02/09/2008, 11:51 PM

I have the same refractormeter I have been using for the past year but have not calibrated it since purchase so this could be part of the problem? Very interesting and true articule.

bertoni · 02/10/2008, 02:01 AM

Maybe. I'd check it. The PinPoint 53 mS conductivity solution is useful for refractometers.

02/09/2008, 10:15 PM	#1
nakadoc Moved On Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bellevue, NE Posts: 50	corals wont stay alive? Well, I recently moved and started from scratch with my setup. I upgraded alot and adjusted for the better as a few thing was not working out with the last setup but problem with livestock. Here is my problem, no coral soft or hard will stay alive in the tank? I started my 120gal. tank with about 100lbs. of live rock, down south play sand from lowes and aragonite from the LFS 50/50 mix total of a 100lbs. I have always used tropic marin salt and decided to try the PRO line this time as I was wanting to do SPS. Well, after 2 months of cycling I added a kole tang than about 6 weeks later 5 purple firefish. About 5 red leg hermits 10 astreas and 25 nassarius snails about 2 weeks later. Got plenty of flow with wave2k wavemaker and a sequence dart return pump. Skimming with a euro reef rs180. All levels are perfect! But like I said no coral will stay alive for more than 2 weeks? Has anyone ever had this problem or heard about something like this? If so please help me shine some light on this as I have been trying to figure this out with no luck. My last conclusion is the substrate is leaking trace elements of iron into the water? I am going to attempt to take out all of the substrate and hope the cycle wont kill my fish and inverts.

02/09/2008, 10:35 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Well, we could start with the actual water parameters and how they're being measured. You might want to try running a PolyFilter for a bit. It'll turn blue in the presence of enough copper. Copper is a somewhat common coral killer. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/09/2008, 10:53 PM	#4
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	How about SG, temperature, and pH? What are the measurements for the parameters you're measuring. Sometimes, live rock can be contaminated with copper, usually only if it's been in someone else's tank or the tank was dosed with copper, though. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/09/2008, 10:54 PM	#5
HowardW Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Aurora, IL Posts: 1,763	I don't think it's a copper problem if your inverts are doing well, and I would not remove the substrate until you've exhausted every other possibility. How are the corals dying? __________________ Florida live rock addict

02/09/2008, 11:40 PM	#10
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I would check the accuracy of the SG device: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rhf/index.htm __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/09/2008, 10:43 PM	#3
nakadoc Moved On Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bellevue, NE Posts: 50	I am using all salifert tests Am Nitrate Nitrite Alk Cal Strontium Boron Where would the copper come from? I use ro/di water and just changed all the filters.

02/09/2008, 11:07 PM	#6
nakadoc Moved On Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bellevue, NE Posts: 50	All my rock did come from others tanks SG 24 P.H 8.4 Temp 79.4 ALk 9 Cal 420 Am, Nitri, Nitra 0 softies just shrivel and SPS will have no polyp extension by the 2nd to 3rd day and just bleach out. I have not put any LPS in there and now scared to put anything else in there. Fish all eat well and inverts are active.

02/09/2008, 11:15 PM	#8
ReefWreak Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Astoria, NYC Posts: 10,159	It wouldn't be iron in your substrate that is killing corals. The iron would promote algae growth if there were enough of it, and even then, we PUT iron in our tanks by using GFO (granular Ferric Oxide = RUSTY IRON) So yeah. I highly doubt it to be that. How are you acclimating? What corals have you tried?

02/09/2008, 11:23 PM	#9
nakadoc Moved On Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bellevue, NE Posts: 50	Lighting consist of 4 110watt VHO's. 2 super actinic and 2 white actinic. 2 250 watt hqi's which I have not been running at all due to having no corals in there. I am running the VHO's for 9 hours a day and my fuge light on opposite time. I drip acclimate everything over a period of 2 hours. I put what ever livestock along with the water its in into a 5gal. bucket and drip tank water until the bucket is almost full. I have tried discomus mushrooms, zoanthids, monti cap, acropora and a leather. softies took about 2 weeks to die and sps about 3 days?

02/09/2008, 11:51 PM	#11
nakadoc Moved On Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bellevue, NE Posts: 50	I have the same refractormeter I have been using for the past year but have not calibrated it since purchase so this could be part of the problem? Very interesting and true articule.

02/10/2008, 02:01 AM	#12
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Maybe. I'd check it. The PinPoint 53 mS conductivity solution is useful for refractometers. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni