All frags dying!

[Keroppi]

Just out of curiosity and to learn something from this bad experience, it would be worthwhile to run all the tests using the new kits you got, before you run carbon or do a water change.

I think that's what I'll do. Unfortunately, if it was a chemical "war of the frags" that did in fact kill them, I am not sure it will show up in any of the standard tests. There has been a lot of good conjecture, but I will probably never know 100% exactly what did them in.

You can use vapor distilled water from a pharmacy to preform the Ca test.

Excellent, I will look for that. Thanks.

 

[mattgsa]

Very interesting read. Welcome to the world of corals. They can challenge even the most experienced reefer. So i hope you don't give up on the hobby. Also, I know several reefers that use the same lights you do, and they grow coral just fine. However, i do have mine closer to the water. My problem was stability.

 

[Dom]

I would never suspected this would kill them. 4 stage RODI.

What is your TDS reading out of the RODI?

 

[Dom]

Shouldn’t be water then, just checking as I didn’t see it mentioned and your parameters seem good

If the media is spent, it may have high TDS readings and could be a contributing factor.

 

[wesman42]

If the media is spent, she may have high TDS readings and could be a contributing factor.

And chloramines could be making it through, since carbon has a lower limit when it comes to chloramines

 

[Dom]

I typically run the lights for 12 hours or less. With how quickly they went downhill, low light isn't the problem. You can try a LUX meter app for your phone if you have nothing else.

I don't know that will be very reliable. You want to take your readings INSIDE the tank, so, unless your phone is waterproof....

 

[Holy_makerel]

am i reading that right on your first couple of pictures? Alkalinity-144?
def should throw the api out now that your done cycling, and since im guessing the corals didnt make it, go out and get some good test kits for your main three parameters, alk, ca, mg....practice on keeping your parameters stable for a couple months, keep a log book or download an app that will keep up with your entries when you test and it will graph it for you so when the two months is over, you can look back and see how stable youve kept it. and as far as ph, def do not try and chase a perfect ph man......youll drive yourself crazy.....im hoping that hanna checker for alk wasnt right at 144, bc i sure didnt see any dots like 14.4 lol....if thats the case thats what melted away your corals.....but stability is the key...id say practice that first than add corals slowly, like one at a time man not 15....slowly and surely wins the race in this hobby every single time brother! sorry for your loss though man, i couldnt imagine spending that kind of money and losing it all, im so sorry

With the hanna checkers the dkh can be found by multiplying the # by 0.056
So 144x0.056=8.064DKH. ALK isn't his issue. I'm only this far into the thread so this has probably already been addressed.

 

[Holy_makerel]

I think i saw that you are using RODI. I had issues for about 8 months in my tank after i started using my RODI unit. My TDS was zero so i figured it could not possibly be an issue with my source water. I tried everything and in the process lost almost all my acros, my 7" hog of a fungia, several favias, and almost lost a huge leptoseris colony.

We decided to remodel the basement and when i opened the walls up i discovered that at some point(house built in 1944) one of the owners changed the plumbing and used the old black iron pipes from the natural gas lines that used to be in use.

There was something in the pipes that was making it through my filter and poisoning my tank. When i started pulling water from a part of the house that didn't run through those pipes my tank finally started to recover.

I almost left the hobby because of it.

Sometimes it really is as simple as the water. My tank was awesome when i was using RO water from the riteaid kiosk

 

[MnFish1]

I know this feels bad - but here is something happened to me - I bought 2 goniopora - same size, same store, same supplier, same shipment they came in on. Placed in similar place in tank. One was dead in a month the other is still growing rapidly at 2 years.... You just never know - the light, flow, parameters were all the same for both of them

 

[madweazl]

He's Mad Hatters Reef.... I subscribed to his channel. He definitely knows whats hes talking about

That isn't me but I'm sure appreciates the subscription. I'll have to check out the videos, he has a bunch.

 

[Keroppi]

I'll double check my TDS tonight. It *was* zero when I filled it initially.
My RO membrane(s) are close to spent. I have it plumbed straight to the sump (was meant to be temporary) and the short cycle is definitely killing the membranes fast than they should.
Just got an Apex installed last night, and while it won't fix my issue(s)....this thing is SWEET! Even just getting started I don't know how I lived without it.

 

[madweazl]

Are you sure the RO membrane is end of life vs the others (sediment, carbon, DI)? Ours is at least four years old now and has moved with us to Japan and back.

 

[Keroppi]

Are you sure the RO membrane is end of life vs the others (sediment, carbon, DI)? Ours is at least four years old now and has moved with us to Japan and back.

No. The DI resin is spent (changed colors) and the sediment filter is visibly dirty. I know RO membrane should last longer, but I figured if just go ahead and swap it also. I guess that is just my frustration talking. Logically I should test the TDS pre and post and if its functional, leave it be.

 

[madweazl]

No. The DI resin is spent (changed colors) and the sediment filter is visibly dirty. I know RO membrane should last longer, but I figured if just go ahead and swap it also. I guess that is just my frustration talking. Logically I should test the TDS pre and post and if its functional, leave it be.

If it isn't rising after the membrane (usually the "In" on a BRS 4 stage), I wouldn't bother replacing it.

 

[Sean Rostrup]

I had the lights running on the lowest setting, actinic for ~40 hrs, ~15 of which were also full spectrum. I don't know the par. Everyone else is guessing 15, 50, etc.

What I would really like to know is: point blank - if not enough light for less than 2 days is provided, would it straight up kill the corals? I hear of ppl in power outages limp through a day or 2 with powerheads and airstones survive...

People that are able to limp through a two day power outage with no light have had the coral established in their systems for a long time. The coral you got was probably freshly cut and stressed from the cutting and the trip to a brand new environment with new water parameters. Then the coral probably got confused from the 24hr blue lighting cycle. These conditions are enough to bleach a peace of coral. Also I didn’t see anyone ask about your flow. Zoa’s don’t like that much flow.