Please Help!!!

swannyson7 · 01/19/2010, 10:07 AM

Yesterday I finally took the dive and plumbed a sump for my 125. I'm using an external overflow with dual 1 1/4" pool hose for my drain and goes into a 20 L that houses my octo extreme 200 and then after the baffles to reduce microbubbles, pumps back up to the DT via a Quiet One 4000HH with a PVC return. The sump, hoses, and PVC were all rinced with a vinegar bath and baffles were held in place with pure silicone. The PVC was cemented together with Oakey Low VOC cement, and it was allowed to dry for about 5 hours (recommends 2 before pressure testing). I removed a couple old maxijets the were hung on the back of the tank to make room for the overflow, but still have 3 koralia 4's and 2 maxijet 900s for flow as well as the sump return, and the return from my canister filter.

Since I did all of this, some of my corals look really ticked off. My bubble coral is barely opening, my duncans have hardly any polyp extension, and the xenia looks horrible MY deepwater lobo isn't as inflated as usual, and my two wellsos look like puffed up water sacks. However, the acans and zoas/palys seem to be fine, as does the SPS. I tested my parameters and here they are:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
pH: 8.2
Temp: 78 F
SG: 1.025
Alk: 8 dKH
Ca: 460
Magnesium: 1320
Phosphate: 1 ppm

I did a 20 gallon water change last night, which seemed to make a little bit of a difference. I also started running some fresh carbon, and I'm about to do another 20 gallon water change. Is there anything else I should be doing?!?!

Michael · 01/19/2010, 11:26 AM

the phos reading of 1 is the reason why your corals are struggling, under 0.03 is concidered optimum level, corals in general dont fair well at all with phosphate in the water stream and a level of 1 is very high indeed, what test kit did you use to get that reading?

swannyson7 · 01/19/2010, 11:37 AM

Whoops...typo. The PO4 is at .1

I thought it should be kept under .3, not .03?? I realize that undetectable levels are ideal, but I didn't think I'd see these problems at 0.1. Time to buy a phosban reactor!!!

Chris27 · 01/19/2010, 11:54 AM

Did you possibly change the flow pattern? LPS are really tricky with flow, and get mad quickly when they get blasted.

swannyson7 · 01/19/2010, 01:11 PM

The flow did change a bit, but nothing is getting blasted. I just finished another water change, and things still aren't looking so hot. I'm running out of ideas, so I think I'm just going to sit back and cross my fingers

Chris27 · 01/19/2010, 01:18 PM

It's possible a toxin made it to the water column - do you run activated carbon?

julie180 · 01/19/2010, 08:44 PM

Patients grasshopper.

Sometimes corals get ticked off for no real reason. I had a duncan that was withdrawn for almost a week. Came back on its own.

swannyson7 · 01/20/2010, 07:50 AM

Well after a few major water changes, phosphate sponge in my canister, and a few media bags of carbon in my sump, things seem to be looking up. All of the zoas, palys, acans, and SPS still seem to be opening normally. The bubble coral is opening a bit, although not 100%, and the duncan has a bit of PE. The xenia, candy cane, and frogspawn still look pretty p!$$ed, but they are looking better. Not sure whether it was the phosphates, or changes in the flow pattern, but I'll sleep better tonight knowing that the tank isn't destined to crash. Thanks for the help everyone!!

sedor · 01/20/2010, 08:04 AM

Could have been just a change in general. Corals like consistency. Glad to hear everything is coming back to life!

01/19/2010, 10:07 AM	#1
swannyson7 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bantam, Connecticut Posts: 2,398	Please Help!!! Yesterday I finally took the dive and plumbed a sump for my 125. I'm using an external overflow with dual 1 1/4" pool hose for my drain and goes into a 20 L that houses my octo extreme 200 and then after the baffles to reduce microbubbles, pumps back up to the DT via a Quiet One 4000HH with a PVC return. The sump, hoses, and PVC were all rinced with a vinegar bath and baffles were held in place with pure silicone. The PVC was cemented together with Oakey Low VOC cement, and it was allowed to dry for about 5 hours (recommends 2 before pressure testing). I removed a couple old maxijets the were hung on the back of the tank to make room for the overflow, but still have 3 koralia 4's and 2 maxijet 900s for flow as well as the sump return, and the return from my canister filter. Since I did all of this, some of my corals look really ticked off. My bubble coral is barely opening, my duncans have hardly any polyp extension, and the xenia looks horrible MY deepwater lobo isn't as inflated as usual, and my two wellsos look like puffed up water sacks. However, the acans and zoas/palys seem to be fine, as does the SPS. I tested my parameters and here they are: Ammonia: 0 Nitrate: 0 Nitrite: 0 pH: 8.2 Temp: 78 F SG: 1.025 Alk: 8 dKH Ca: 460 Magnesium: 1320 Phosphate: 1 ppm I did a 20 gallon water change last night, which seemed to make a little bit of a difference. I also started running some fresh carbon, and I'm about to do another 20 gallon water change. Is there anything else I should be doing?!?!

01/19/2010, 11:26 AM	#2
Michael NTTH Rookie Help Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gloucester, England,UK Posts: 7,808 Blog Entries: 6	the phos reading of 1 is the reason why your corals are struggling, under 0.03 is concidered optimum level, corals in general dont fair well at all with phosphate in the water stream and a level of 1 is very high indeed, what test kit did you use to get that reading? __________________ Don't be afraid to ask questions, we in the new to the hobby are here to help you [For My Tank Spec,Photo Album,Articles and website, click on my name] MY Very Kindest and Warmest Regards , MIKE Current Tank Info: I have a 92 gal Corner Tank, and way too many pieces of equipment to list really, (proud member of the reef central corner club)

01/20/2010, 08:04 AM	#9
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	Could have been just a change in general. Corals like consistency. Glad to hear everything is coming back to life! __________________ Ryan

01/19/2010, 11:37 AM	#3
swannyson7 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bantam, Connecticut Posts: 2,398	Whoops...typo. The PO4 is at .1 I thought it should be kept under .3, not .03?? I realize that undetectable levels are ideal, but I didn't think I'd see these problems at 0.1. Time to buy a phosban reactor!!!

01/19/2010, 11:54 AM	#4
Chris27 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 4,452	Did you possibly change the flow pattern? LPS are really tricky with flow, and get mad quickly when they get blasted.

01/19/2010, 01:11 PM	#5
swannyson7 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bantam, Connecticut Posts: 2,398	The flow did change a bit, but nothing is getting blasted. I just finished another water change, and things still aren't looking so hot. I'm running out of ideas, so I think I'm just going to sit back and cross my fingers

01/19/2010, 01:18 PM	#6
Chris27 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 4,452	It's possible a toxin made it to the water column - do you run activated carbon?

01/19/2010, 08:44 PM	#7
julie180 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raymore, MO Posts: 2,556	Patients grasshopper. Sometimes corals get ticked off for no real reason. I had a duncan that was withdrawn for almost a week. Came back on its own.

01/20/2010, 07:50 AM	#8
swannyson7 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bantam, Connecticut Posts: 2,398	Well after a few major water changes, phosphate sponge in my canister, and a few media bags of carbon in my sump, things seem to be looking up. All of the zoas, palys, acans, and SPS still seem to be opening normally. The bubble coral is opening a bit, although not 100%, and the duncan has a bit of PE. The xenia, candy cane, and frogspawn still look pretty p!$$ed, but they are looking better. Not sure whether it was the phosphates, or changes in the flow pattern, but I'll sleep better tonight knowing that the tank isn't destined to crash. Thanks for the help everyone!!