A few critters declining...why?

octoberfest · Nov 21, 2011

A few critters in my tank seem to be declining and I have no idea why. I have had one large chalice recede from the edges, a few SPS just fade away and eventually die (didn't go white from the bottom up and it was very gradual), zoanthids don't stay happy at all, can't keep a monti cap alive, and two maxi mini carpet anemones look like crap (3 other ones look great). What I don't understand is that some of my stuff looks great while others corals of the same type will look great, some SPS look great some just won't make it..but will do great in my frag tank.

Here is an overview of my system:

190 gallon tank (66"X33"X20") with coast to coast overflow
Drilled for a closed loop with reeflo dart and oceans motions 4 way
Koralin calcium reactor
Bubble Magus BM220 Protein Skimmer
ATO (JBJ)
Phosban Reactor
Carbon (in a bag)
Reefkeeper Elite
4 AI SOL Blue Modules

Here are my parameters:

Salinity 1.026
Calcium 400 (a little low)
Alk 8.9 ( a little low)
Magnesium 1400
PH 7.8 (in the sump through the reefkeeper via ph probe) 8.0 API test kit
Phosphate .500 Hanna tester (read note at end)
Nitrates between 10 and 20
Nitrites 0
Ammonia 0
Temp a steady 79.0

*Phosphates on the Hanna Tester seem high but I've used it on more than just my tank and it always reads high.

Last note - A lot of my corals look great including the following:

Acan Echinata
Frogspawn (two types)
Chalices (four types)
Blastos
Hammer
Torch
Favias
War Coral
Umbrella Coral
Finger Leather
Micromusa

Thanks in advance.

subielover · Nov 21, 2011

High po4 would definitely be detrimental to your corals, can you use another test kit to verify that reading. Your alk and Ca. are perfectly fine, no need to adjust them as long as they are stable.

jlemoine2 · Nov 21, 2011

Are you sure your phosphate is 0.5 and not 0.05? Generally, we aim to have our phosphate levels at 0.03 or less. 0.5 is a huge number. Do you have any algae or cyano issues? Have you tried doing a series of water changes to see if corals start perking up?

-James

octoberfest · Nov 21, 2011

Yeah that's why I think something is wrong with the Hanna PH checker. I've checked my tank, my frag tanks, and my girlfriend's tank (who lives a couple hours away) and they all read .500 or higher. The TDS on my RO/DI water is 4 and I'm using Rod's original and PE mysis offset with some fresh mullet roe for food. I do regular water changes with no problems. My frag tanks get the same "treatment" as far as water and food and they look a lot better. Again like I said, most of the corals in this tank look great but just a few of them have gone way downhill. Put them in my frag tanks and they perk up.