All frags dying!

[Flexin]

Maybe it’s me, but didn’t the test in the OP show ammonia in the tank (in the picture) around .25

The color is not yellow, look at the nitrate results in the other picture, that is yellow... I know there are challenges with the color tests but... maybe test for ammonia conversion.

On a separate note, the ph probe will have you chasing the wind. Don’t fall into that trap.

 

[Keroppi]

@Keroppi in a situation where you've just introduced new corals into a system, acclimated them a little too long and already stressed the ba-jezus out of them, then gave them no light and not enough NO3, yes it's entirely possible.

Thank you for the direct answer. I doubt mind cranking up the lights if that us the consensus. Unfortunately that would only help save the zone. How long is "too long" to acclimate the coral then?

 

[Flexin]

It was all the above as I mentioned.

If the ati is correct , btw , it’s not cycled.

Glad someone else saw that...

 

[Amoo]

For starters, most new hobbyists have trouble getting a true 0 on the API kit because of how exact you have to be when testing it, so when I see an almost 0, I just count it as zero, especially if the tank has had inhabitants for a while. Plus you can search this forum for all the horror stories of API ammonia test.

How long you acclimate depends on how far off your parameters are from the parameters the coral came out of. It can be as little as 15 minutes to about an hour, but most people do not exceed an hour. It really depends a lot on what the Salinity and Alk differences are. This is all after the temp float.

So IMO fixing your lighting situation will help you some. Fixing your NO3 situation will help you more. Getting some reliable tests like you've done for a few things will help you most.

 

[Amoo]

I should again remember to add advice and not just direction.

Once you start keeping corals the parameters you're going to want to have reliable test for are:

Salinity
Alk
Calcium
Mag
Nitrates
Phosphates

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Thank you for the direct answer. I doubt mind cranking up the lights if that us the consensus. Unfortunately that would only help save the zone. How long is "too long" to acclimate the coral then?

What you are really acclimating for with corals is PH. When they sit in the bag , co2 builds up. And the ph drops. If you have a Normal tank the ph is higher.
I drip for 2o min basically, slow, and try to double the water volume in that time. Many do similar without a drip , by putting it in a cup (adds oxygen) and doing the same.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

And fwiw @madweazl is mad , as hatter.
But not often wrong.

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

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

 

[Keroppi]

It was all the above as I mentioned.

If the ati is correct , btw , it’s not cycled.

What is "the ati"?
Ammonia is zero per testing straight up RODI and my tank water. They don't match the color chart "perfectly", but the samples match each other perfectly.

I have a hard time believing low nutrients and low light can decimate corals this quickly, but I am the noob here. So it needs light? Fine, its cranked up, and should be closer to the par ratings from earlier.

A couple corals might not be completely dead yet (poor frogspawn):

 

[Amoo]

multiply 144 times .056

 

[reeflife3]

And fwiw @madweazl is mad , as hatter.
But not often wrong.

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

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

multiply 144 times .056

is this how the hanna checker works or something?

 

[Keroppi]

Are we mixing dKh and ppm? It is 144 ppm. The ocean is 125, and reef tanks acceptably 125-200, unless google is lying to me.

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

 

[Shawn Dahl]

It looks like the corals had a large temp swing

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What is "the ati"?
Ammonia is zero per testing straight up RODI and my tank water. They don't match the color chart "perfectly", but the samples match each other perfectly.

I have a hard time believing low nutrients and low light can decimate corals this quickly, but I am the noob here. So it needs light? Fine, its cranked up, and should be closer to the par ratings from earlier.

A couple corals might not be completely dead yet (poor frogspawn):

The api ammonia test in the first pic shows ammonia.

My auto correct knows I’m a lighting guy.

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

just curious, where are your fish? i havent seen them in any pics.......and if you dont mind me asking, what approach did you take when you cycled your tank?

 

[MnFish1]

What you are really acclimating for with corals is PH. When they sit in the bag , co2 builds up. And the ph drops. If you have a Normal tank the ph is higher.
I drip for 2o min basically, slow, and try to double the water volume in that time. Many do similar without a drip , by putting it in a cup (adds oxygen) and doing the same.

And depending on how long they were in the bag, ammonia builds up - but the lower pH makes it less toxic. So once you open the bag and start drip acclimating them any ammonia in the bag will become more toxic. I think this is more a problem with fish - and especially with longer shipping times - but just put it out there for general knowledge rather than a specific cause for this tank because I dont know how long the coral was in the bags. I've seen small frags shipped in very small amounts of water overnight - I just drop them in the tank after temp acclimating with the bag closed.

 

[Amoo]

is this how the hanna checker works or something?

Yes, there is a card with it for conversions 1ppm = .056 dkH or .02meg/L

 

[Keroppi]

I feel like I ruled out the ammonia testing against the RODI. Obviously it says nothing for the test kit itself, I will see if I have another tester.

just curious, where are your fish? i havent seen them in any pics.......and if you dont mind me asking, what approach did you take when you cycled your tank?

Seeded it with the poor damsel that is in it, the food I fed it, rocks into the sump from a friend's tank, and a big 'ol bottle of bacteria for good measure.

 

[Amoo]

He's talking about Ammonia being in shipping bags, not anything to do with your tank.