Is there a trouble shooting guide?

nathanemmerich · 10/08/2017, 03:37 PM

I have some corals doing great (birdsnest, mushrooms, Xenia, cloves) and some that are doing poorly (frogspawn and Kenya) then I have some zoanthids and palys that are doing either great or fading. Can't figure it out. It's a newer 180gallon tank with two clownfish. Water parameters are all good. Is there a checklist to go through to figure this out? Any ideas? I have played with flow and light position.

Thanks

LeJeune981 · 10/08/2017, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nathanemmerich

I have some corals doing great (birdsnest, mushrooms, Xenia, cloves) and some that are doing poorly (frogspawn and Kenya) then I have some zoanthids and palys that are doing either great or fading. Can't figure it out. It's a newer 180gallon tank with two clownfish. Water parameters are all good. Is there a checklist to go through to figure this out? Any ideas? I have played with flow and light position.

Thanks

Following.. I'm having some of the same issues... some zoas are doing great.. others are not.. and some that haven't opened in a month

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homer1475 · 10/08/2017, 04:48 PM

Lets start with the basics.

What are your water paremeters? Posting that they are all good means nothing to us, we need cold hard numbers.

Alkalinity
Calcium
Magnesium
Salinity
nitrate
phosphate

What kind of lights are you using and for how long are they on?

You left us with nothing to go on to try and help diagnose the issue.

Sk8r · 10/08/2017, 04:48 PM

start with a for allelopathy. Corals, especially soft corals and especially leathers and 'invasive-species'-tendency softies like xenia and such---SPIT into the water to discourage other corals and clear territory. Carbon can absorb coral spit. You have to keep changing it, because it saturates real fast in a major snit. I used to have a leather that would helpfully turn purple (from pink) whenever there was trouble, but your indicators seem to be much quieter. Kenya is usually the other offender in a spitting match, but the frog tends just to reach out and touch its neighbors. 6 " between corals and putting the worst offenders downstream (close to the water exit) and carbon in the sump is helpful.

homer1475 · 10/08/2017, 04:53 PM

With that said Sk8r, I've always wondered, does soft coral "spit" affect stonies or just other softies?

billdogg · 10/08/2017, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homer1475

Lets start with the basics.

What are your water paremeters? Posting that they are all good means nothing to us, we need cold hard numbers.

Alkalinity
Calcium
Magnesium
Salinity
nitrate
phosphate

What kind of lights are you using and for how long are they on?

You left us with nothing to go on to try and help diagnose the issue.

^^^This^^^

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

start with a for allelopathy. Corals, especially soft corals and especially leathers and 'invasive-species'-tendency softies like xenia and such---SPIT into the water to discourage other corals and clear territory. Carbon can absorb coral spit. You have to keep changing it, because it saturates real fast in a major snit. I used to have a leather that would helpfully turn purple (from pink) whenever there was trouble, but your indicators seem to be much quieter. Kenya is usually the other offender in a spitting match, but the frog tends just to reach out and touch its neighbors. 6 " between corals and putting the worst offenders downstream (close to the water exit) and carbon in the sump is helpful.

^^^And This^^^

Quote:

Originally Posted by homer1475

With that said Sk8r, I've always wondered, does soft coral "spit" affect stonies or just other softies?

If anything it bothers stony corals more. Skimming will help a lot.

IMHO however, this is the very best reason to run carbon in a reactor. It removes those toxins from the water like nothing else really can. I do, 24/7/365 and have for almost 30 years now. I cannot imagine not using it.

Sk8r · 10/08/2017, 05:00 PM

Soft coral spit affects everybody. And indeed, parameters matter. Low alk or high phosphate or nitrate is a potential problem. We also have a handbook with index in the sticky posts atop the forum.

nathanemmerich · 10/08/2017, 05:13 PM

Alkalinity 8dkh
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Phosphate 0.25ppm(need a better test kit it always reads this as the minimum)
pH 8.0
Calcium 420ppm
Salinity 1.025
Temp 78.3
Magnesium 1215ppm

nathanemmerich · 10/08/2017, 05:16 PM

Oh and I run 1cup carbon a week. The Xenia and Kenya are 1ft away from any other coral.

LeJeune981 · 10/08/2017, 05:28 PM

Not to hijack your thread.. but a related question.

Is this safe or do I need to separate?
Frag came this way..

Xenia and toadstool leather I think

Leather is shedding.. but both seem fine together so far

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Sk8r · 10/09/2017, 09:52 AM

Look at the temper on the toadstool---yes, move it.

And meanwhile, OP, your mg is low, or verging on alk-drop territory [alk will drop when mg drops below 1200]---bump that to 1350, best.

LeJeune981 · 10/09/2017, 11:06 AM

How do i separate them on the frag plug without injuring either?

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Sk8r · 10/09/2017, 03:29 PM

Mmm, your toadstool is more valuable. Leave it on the plug. A sharp pen-knife may serve to abrade the surface of the plug and scrape the xenia off. Xenia can become a tank-wide pest unless you are willing to monitor where they go and take ruthless measures to confine it. Scrape it off, and then set it on the bottom sand and lay a not-too-heavy bit of coral rubble or rock on it. By morning, turn the rock over, and it MAY have adhered to the rock for a happy second chance. If it demises, well, it shouldn't be too expensive---but I don't think it will. Sounds callous, but xenia can be quite, quite tough, and is far from endangered. It's pretty stuff, but in a well-balanced tank it can get really aggressive. OH! and put a carbon sock into your water flow before annoying either your xenia or the toadstool: they spit nastiness, which dissipates fast in the ocean---in our circulating tanks, not at all. That will absorb it.

nathanemmerich · 10/09/2017, 07:44 PM

I put twice my charcoal in this time and things perked up. Frogspawn looks great, Kenya on its way back. The zoanthids are still closed up. Should I go crazy with charcoal? That was two cups for a 180gallon tank.

Thanks

billdogg · 10/10/2017, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nathanemmerich

I put twice my charcoal in this time and things perked up. Frogspawn looks great, Kenya on its way back. The zoanthids are still closed up. Should I go crazy with charcoal? That was two cups for a 180gallon tank.

Thanks

I run a BRS single reactor full of carbon (however that much is) on both my 120DT and my 60g FT

10/08/2017, 03:37 PM	#1
nathanemmerich Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 170	Is there a trouble shooting guide? I have some corals doing great (birdsnest, mushrooms, Xenia, cloves) and some that are doing poorly (frogspawn and Kenya) then I have some zoanthids and palys that are doing either great or fading. Can't figure it out. It's a newer 180gallon tank with two clownfish. Water parameters are all good. Is there a checklist to go through to figure this out? Any ideas? I have played with flow and light position. Thanks

10/08/2017, 04:48 PM	#3
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	Lets start with the basics. What are your water paremeters? Posting that they are all good means nothing to us, we need cold hard numbers. Alkalinity Calcium Magnesium Salinity nitrate phosphate What kind of lights are you using and for how long are they on? You left us with nothing to go on to try and help diagnose the issue. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

10/08/2017, 04:48 PM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	start with a for allelopathy. Corals, especially soft corals and especially leathers and 'invasive-species'-tendency softies like xenia and such---SPIT into the water to discourage other corals and clear territory. Carbon can absorb coral spit. You have to keep changing it, because it saturates real fast in a major snit. I used to have a leather that would helpfully turn purple (from pink) whenever there was trouble, but your indicators seem to be much quieter. Kenya is usually the other offender in a spitting match, but the frog tends just to reach out and touch its neighbors. 6 " between corals and putting the worst offenders downstream (close to the water exit) and carbon in the sump is helpful. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/08/2017, 04:53 PM	#5
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	With that said Sk8r, I've always wondered, does soft coral "spit" affect stonies or just other softies? __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

10/08/2017, 05:00 PM	#7
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Soft coral spit affects everybody. And indeed, parameters matter. Low alk or high phosphate or nitrate is a potential problem. We also have a handbook with index in the sticky posts atop the forum. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/08/2017, 05:13 PM	#8
nathanemmerich Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 170	Alkalinity 8dkh Ammonia 0 Nitrate 0 Nitrite 0 Phosphate 0.25ppm(need a better test kit it always reads this as the minimum) pH 8.0 Calcium 420ppm Salinity 1.025 Temp 78.3 Magnesium 1215ppm

10/08/2017, 05:16 PM	#9
nathanemmerich Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 170	Oh and I run 1cup carbon a week. The Xenia and Kenya are 1ft away from any other coral.

10/08/2017, 05:28 PM	#10
LeJeune981 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 747	Not to hijack your thread.. but a related question. Is this safe or do I need to separate? Frag came this way.. Xenia and toadstool leather I think Leather is shedding.. but both seem fine together so far Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk

10/09/2017, 09:52 AM	#11
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Look at the temper on the toadstool---yes, move it. And meanwhile, OP, your mg is low, or verging on alk-drop territory [alk will drop when mg drops below 1200]---bump that to 1350, best. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/09/2017, 11:06 AM	#12
LeJeune981 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 747	How do i separate them on the frag plug without injuring either? Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk

10/09/2017, 03:29 PM	#13
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Mmm, your toadstool is more valuable. Leave it on the plug. A sharp pen-knife may serve to abrade the surface of the plug and scrape the xenia off. Xenia can become a tank-wide pest unless you are willing to monitor where they go and take ruthless measures to confine it. Scrape it off, and then set it on the bottom sand and lay a not-too-heavy bit of coral rubble or rock on it. By morning, turn the rock over, and it MAY have adhered to the rock for a happy second chance. If it demises, well, it shouldn't be too expensive---but I don't think it will. Sounds callous, but xenia can be quite, quite tough, and is far from endangered. It's pretty stuff, but in a well-balanced tank it can get really aggressive. OH! and put a carbon sock into your water flow before annoying either your xenia or the toadstool: they spit nastiness, which dissipates fast in the ocean---in our circulating tanks, not at all. That will absorb it. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/09/2017, 07:44 PM	#14
nathanemmerich Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 170	I put twice my charcoal in this time and things perked up. Frogspawn looks great, Kenya on its way back. The zoanthids are still closed up. Should I go crazy with charcoal? That was two cups for a 180gallon tank. Thanks