copper slowly killing corals?

nemofish2217 · 04/03/2009, 08:49 PM

The corals in my 65 gallon are starting to go down hill. I have no idea what it could be but it is really bothering me and I want/need to find out and correct the problem.

The problem first started when I noticed my milli's start to really lighten. I had no idea what it could be as everything else looked fine. Well, they have continued to lighten and now it looks like another one of my hard corals is starting to lighten up... I have a GBTA, finger leather, ricordias, a red cap, pink urchin, various blue legged hermits, and some snails. With the exception of two turbos that died a day after getting them, all of these things are still doing fairly well, and the cap is even showing great growth.

Params are as follows: Calc. 440, Alk. 9dkh, Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, Ammonia 0, Phopshate 0.

I am running phosban passively in a filter bag. I dose 30mL B-Ionic nightly (but I just started this about a week ago). Should I start running carbon? Could the phosban be causing the problem? It has been in there for about two or three weeks. I am really clueless and the only thing that I haven't been able to test for was copper....but I would think all of the snails would have been nuked before the corals, but maybe the corals are more sensitive??? Need some help, thanks

nemofish2217 · 04/03/2009, 09:59 PM

I also should add that all of the fish are swimming around fine and showing no signs of anything being wrong..

nemofish2217 · 04/03/2009, 10:18 PM

okay, so for right now what I have decided to try is to remove the phosban and add carbon...

nemofish2217 · 04/04/2009, 04:46 AM

anyone have any ideas???

otrlynn · 04/04/2009, 06:56 AM

Is there any particular reason you are thinking about copper? Unless you have a used tank in which copper based medication was previously used, it seems like it would be unlikely. Are you using RODI water to mix up salt water and to top off? If you are using tap water, the contents of the water are more iffy. Some SPS (and I'm no expert here) will show lighter color at the tips where there is new growth. It can look alarming at first. Your parameters look good, but keep testing because you will probably have to adjust the dosage of B-ionic for your particular tank. And lastly, the carbon can't hurt. The best place for the carbon is in an area of good flow rather than in a filter bag placed in the tank. Some people use a canister filter for this, or a reactor. I use a simple, cheap hang-on-back filter (as could be used for fresh water) with a refillable, disposable filter bag. Very low tech but it works great.

luther1200 · 04/04/2009, 12:37 PM

How much phosban are you running??

nemofish2217 · 04/04/2009, 04:45 PM

took the phosban out... the corals tips were not light but the whole entire coral. The carbon is in a filter bag next to the return pump...I'm pretty sure its getting good flow...

The reason i was thinking copper was because the pump for my euro-reef rs80 has a little spot on the back of it where I saw a little orange spot. I don't think its enough to leech anything into the water, and I think if it was copper the whole lot of inverts would be dead...

jenglish · 04/04/2009, 05:25 PM

too much phosban can make corals overly sensitive to light an bleach out, something to look into perhaps

luther1200 · 04/04/2009, 05:30 PM

If you had the GFO in at the time the little orange spot could have been from that.

bubbly · 04/04/2009, 06:00 PM

Phosban can lighten the corals -- the algae in the corals needs phosphates too, ya know.

So if you remove too much phosphate, the corals will suffer.

nces519 · 04/04/2009, 07:14 PM

Personally I would check salinity, even if you are using a refractometer, and run a poly filter pad to detect for copper. JMO

sanababit · 04/04/2009, 07:27 PM

run a polyfilter to check for copper, if theres copper in your water polyfilter will turn green i believe, i have heard of phosban lighting up corals so remove it for now....

sana

nemofish2217 · 04/04/2009, 09:14 PM

okay, phosban has been removed...what exactly do you guys mean by polyfilter?? thanks for all the help...

nces519 · 04/05/2009, 01:23 AM

http://www.opentip.com/Home-Garden/P...-p-746798.html

I believe it turns green to indicate if it is pulling copper out of the water.

04/03/2009, 08:49 PM	#1
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	copper slowly killing corals? The corals in my 65 gallon are starting to go down hill. I have no idea what it could be but it is really bothering me and I want/need to find out and correct the problem. The problem first started when I noticed my milli's start to really lighten. I had no idea what it could be as everything else looked fine. Well, they have continued to lighten and now it looks like another one of my hard corals is starting to lighten up... I have a GBTA, finger leather, ricordias, a red cap, pink urchin, various blue legged hermits, and some snails. With the exception of two turbos that died a day after getting them, all of these things are still doing fairly well, and the cap is even showing great growth. Params are as follows: Calc. 440, Alk. 9dkh, Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, Ammonia 0, Phopshate 0. I am running phosban passively in a filter bag. I dose 30mL B-Ionic nightly (but I just started this about a week ago). Should I start running carbon? Could the phosban be causing the problem? It has been in there for about two or three weeks. I am really clueless and the only thing that I haven't been able to test for was copper....but I would think all of the snails would have been nuked before the corals, but maybe the corals are more sensitive??? Need some help, thanks

04/04/2009, 06:56 AM	#5
otrlynn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chester County PA Posts: 1,508	Is there any particular reason you are thinking about copper? Unless you have a used tank in which copper based medication was previously used, it seems like it would be unlikely. Are you using RODI water to mix up salt water and to top off? If you are using tap water, the contents of the water are more iffy. Some SPS (and I'm no expert here) will show lighter color at the tips where there is new growth. It can look alarming at first. Your parameters look good, but keep testing because you will probably have to adjust the dosage of B-ionic for your particular tank. And lastly, the carbon can't hurt. The best place for the carbon is in an area of good flow rather than in a filter bag placed in the tank. Some people use a canister filter for this, or a reactor. I use a simple, cheap hang-on-back filter (as could be used for fresh water) with a refillable, disposable filter bag. Very low tech but it works great. __________________ Lynn 1 horse, 1 dog, 2 cats, small pond with a few koi. The fish tank is gone.

04/04/2009, 12:37 PM	#6
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	How much phosban are you running?? __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.

04/04/2009, 05:25 PM	#8
jenglish Marquis de Carabas Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,523	too much phosban can make corals overly sensitive to light an bleach out, something to look into perhaps __________________ Jeremy Brown liquor never hurt anybody “Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse" Pierre-Simon Laplace I should want to cook him a simple meal, but I shouldn't want to cut into him, to tear the flesh, to wear the flesh, to be born unto new worlds where his flesh becomes my key. Current Tank Info: broken and dry

04/04/2009, 05:30 PM	#9
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	If you had the GFO in at the time the little orange spot could have been from that. __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.

04/03/2009, 09:59 PM	#2
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	I also should add that all of the fish are swimming around fine and showing no signs of anything being wrong..

04/03/2009, 10:18 PM	#3
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	okay, so for right now what I have decided to try is to remove the phosban and add carbon...

04/04/2009, 04:46 AM	#4
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	anyone have any ideas???

04/04/2009, 04:45 PM	#7
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	took the phosban out... the corals tips were not light but the whole entire coral. The carbon is in a filter bag next to the return pump...I'm pretty sure its getting good flow... The reason i was thinking copper was because the pump for my euro-reef rs80 has a little spot on the back of it where I saw a little orange spot. I don't think its enough to leech anything into the water, and I think if it was copper the whole lot of inverts would be dead...

04/04/2009, 06:00 PM	#10
bubbly Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 331	Phosban can lighten the corals -- the algae in the corals needs phosphates too, ya know. So if you remove too much phosphate, the corals will suffer.

04/04/2009, 07:14 PM	#11
nces519 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 100	Personally I would check salinity, even if you are using a refractometer, and run a poly filter pad to detect for copper. JMO __________________ Click the red house for my very unpopular build thread! Current Tank Info: 120 gallon with 340 gallon system in progress

04/04/2009, 07:27 PM	#12
sanababit Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Uranus Posts: 3,094	run a polyfilter to check for copper, if theres copper in your water polyfilter will turn green i believe, i have heard of phosban lighting up corals so remove it for now.... sana __________________ Senior Member of the "Hardly any Water Changes, Temp Swinging, T5ing, No Qtining, Frag Exchanging for Fish Food Current Tank Info: 90RR inwall, Octopuss Skimmer, 2 MP40 wQD, 1 MP10 WQD, 2 Radions G4 Pro, Apex Doser, Apex Controller, 400w heater, 30 Gal Sump, Biopellets, Carbon, Gfo, Macroalgae

04/04/2009, 09:14 PM	#13
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	okay, phosban has been removed...what exactly do you guys mean by polyfilter?? thanks for all the help...

04/05/2009, 01:23 AM	#14
nces519 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 100	http://www.opentip.com/Home-Garden/P...-p-746798.html I believe it turns green to indicate if it is pulling copper out of the water. __________________ Click the red house for my very unpopular build thread! Current Tank Info: 120 gallon with 340 gallon system in progress