Coral bleaching

[AspiringReefer]

I really wish the local fish stores would catch up with this. Thier plan is to sell you dry rock to get started cheap run some bacteria to "cycle" and when you get pests like bryopsis, dinos, or cyano,ect. Lower nutrients run gfo meanwhile all of thier tanks were started 10+ years ago with real reef rock or well established rock from current or past customer tanks so they rarely experience nutrient limited tanks.

Thank you everyone! I have stopped the GFO and may just run it as needed. I believe I just needed to slow down I have been overfeeding for a while now and that seems to be helping my aquarium as well. My nitrates have since raised to 5 and seem to be staying there as long as I keep up the feeding. I will also slow down and take my time re ramping up my lights. Hopefully my corals do better. I am just going to leave the phosphate remover off for a while. I think there was stores of phosphates in the rocks when I first started so it wasn’t an issue until that ran out. “My belief anyhow”. I do appreciate the community and everything you guys have done to help me in my aquarium trials and tribulations!

 

[w2inc]

Thank you everyone! I have stopped the GFO and may just run it as needed. I believe I just needed to slow down I have been overfeeding for a while now and that seems to be helping my aquarium as well. My nitrates have since raised to 5 and seem to be staying there as long as I keep up the feeding. I will also slow down and take my time re ramping up my lights. Hopefully my corals do better. I am just going to leave the phosphate remover off for a while. I think there was stores of phosphates in the rocks when I first started so it wasn’t an issue until that ran out. “My belief anyhow”. I do appreciate the community and everything you guys have done to help me in my aquarium trials and tribulations!

I too had stopped my GFO. My Salifert tester was reading between .03 and .1. I was feeling pretty good about the advice about PO4 and since I had started to feed less when I first had trouble. Reading the levels some people were running it made sense to go back to feeding like I had been before. I got a Hanna ULR checker just to take some of the question out of my testing. I was starting to see tissue loss again as before on some corals but nice growth on others.

Salifert was still reading <.1 PO4. Hanna said it was .23, rechecked 3 times and .19 was the lowest. Possibly my issue is PO4 related, but too high rather than not enough. Still so many variables that I cant point at one. I moved one frag with tissue loss from the trouble tank to the old reef and it seems to be stable. So no telling what is really going on. PO4 checker helped me address one variable.

Good luck. Let me know how things are going for you.

 

[AspiringReefer]

So my corals still are having issues. I am sending off a triton test kit to see anything that I maybe missing. The frustration is real. Once I get that back I will update the thread.

 

[GodfathR]

What are your phosphate and nitrate levels currently at?

 

[AspiringReefer]

What are your phosphate and nitrate levels currently at?

5 nitrate and the test kit I have goes to .25 minimum but it shows a hint of color so I would assume .1 now... I need to get a Hanna checker as well I know.

 

[w2inc]

5 nitrate and the test kit I have goes to .25 minimum but it shows a hint of color so I would assume .1 now... I need to get a Hanna checker as well I know.

My ICP got lost in the mail or something. I bought a ulr hanna phosphate kit. My Salifert was looking like >.1 on po4, but the hanna read .27. I think that may have been some of my issue. Brought po4 down to +- .1. Most of my corals are doing surprising well, but three are struggling. Really slow tissue loss.

All of my perimeters other than po4 are back to where they were before my light change. I am looking at bacterial infection as the issue in my tank. ICP tests can't really help me there. Water changes and breaking off dead pieces for the next few days and see if it all goes away.

 

[GodfathR]

Are you using carbon or gfo? If so, take them offline for now. I don't think a Hanna checker is necessary. I find the nyos phosphate test kit to be the best IMO. I had the same issues you are experiencing. I started skimming less, actually took it off line for awhile, and implemented a turd scrubber. With high nutrients in my tank the turf scrubber keeps all the unwanted algae our of the display tank. Just try and raise your phosphate levels and keep them higher for a few weeks to see if things start to improve. Try keeping them around .2-.5. I know a few reefers who actually have levels over 1.0 and there tanks are absolutely amazing

 

[Neoalchemist]

Are you using carbon or gfo? If so, take them offline for now. I don't think a Hanna checker is necessary. I find the nyos phosphate test kit to be the best IMO. I had the same issues you are experiencing. I started skimming less, actually took it off line for awhile, and implemented a turd scrubber. With high nutrients in my tank the turf scrubber keeps all the unwanted algae our of the display tank. Just try and raise your phosphate levels and keep them higher for a few weeks to see if things start to improve. Try keeping them around .2-.5. I know a few reefers who actually have levels over 1.0 and there tanks are absolutely amazing

I'm sincerely hoping the "turd scrubber" is going to be a new product for 2020. If so I must have one[emoji3]

 

[AspiringReefer]

Hah yes! Turd scrubber FTW. I have taken off my GFO and carbon about 2 weeks ago.. I normally run it for an hour on Sundays just to clear the water a bit. I have also turned my lights back down to see if that helps.. hopefully the Test will enlighten me as to an issue.

 

[w2inc]

I'm sincerely hoping the "turd scrubber" is going to be a new product for 2020. If so I must have one[emoji3]

There is an article on them from about 6 months ago. A guy called santamonica makes them.

 

[w2inc]

Are you using carbon or gfo? If so, take them offline for now. I don't think a Hanna checker is necessary. I find the nyos phosphate test kit to be the best IMO. I had the same issues you are experiencing. I started skimming less, actually took it off line for awhile, and implemented a turd scrubber. With high nutrients in my tank the turf scrubber keeps all the unwanted algae our of the display tank. Just try and raise your phosphate levels and keep them higher for a few weeks to see if things start to improve. Try keeping them around .2-.5. I know a few reefers who actually have levels over 1.0 and there tanks are absolutely amazing

I am not using carbon, I am using GFO. I had it out for a few days and put it back in when I saw that my levels had climbed above .2.

I got the ICP test back today. Here is one from when my tank looked and grew the best, next to one where it is killing coral. Which one do you think is of the system crashing?

The top image is of just the levels we are talking about. My healthy tank on the left. The lower image is of what ATI thinks are out of range. Healthy tank here is on the right.

When I sent in this sample I had lost the one and had 3 corals starting to show tissue loss. (mg/l = ppm)

The test showing the 12.21 DKH is from Feb 4th. It is the one when my tank was looking and growing the best I have seen.

I currently have a tank with some SPS living in it that shows:
1.50 ppm phosphate
7.1 DKH
So I cant really point my finger at those levels as condemning features.

 

[Undertaker]

Need to get so nutrients in your tank .2 nitrates I find low and 0 phosphates is definitely low. I’d bring my nitrates up to at least.5 and phosphates up to .03

 

[w2inc]

Here is an easier to read shot of my tank levels (it was requested on another thread). I don't want to take over this thread and I am trying to just post things here that I think would be helpful to @AspiringReefer.

Here is a link to the thread specifically discussing my tank if anyone wants to pitch in there. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/stn-cant-figure-out-why.588564/page-2#post-5994871

Today I am looking at Potassium. I am not sure if it was this thread or my thread where someone asked about K levels. I just want to credit and thank whoever that was. I may have not looked closely enough at it when it was first mentioned and wanted to point it out to @AspiringReefer.

I buy stuff from this guy and have had good luck with his advice. https://www.garretts-acropolis.com

He had this on his website about K in relation to PO4 levels. (Clipped from his topic of treatment with interceptor.)

"The main thing to worry about is if the phosphate continues to rise or stay at higher than normal levels this can cause a deficiency in potassium. If potassium levels were to drop below 250ppm (NSW 390ppm) you may start to see some corals loose there tissue much like R.T.N. "

 

[AspiringReefer]

Here is an easier to read shot of my tank levels (it was requested on another thread). I don't want to take over this thread and I am trying to just post things here that I think would be helpful to @AspiringReefer.

Here is a link to the thread specifically discussing my tank if anyone wants to pitch in there. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/stn-cant-figure-out-why.588564/page-2#post-5994871

Today I am looking at Potassium. I am not sure if it was this thread or my thread where someone asked about K levels. I just want to credit and thank whoever that was. I may have not looked closely enough at it when it was first mentioned and wanted to point it out to @AspiringReefer.

I buy stuff from this guy and have had good luck with his advice. https://www.garretts-acropolis.com

He had this on his website about K in relation to PO4 levels. (Clipped from his topic of treatment with interceptor.)

"The main thing to worry about is if the phosphate continues to rise or stay at higher than normal levels this can cause a deficiency in potassium. If potassium levels were to drop below 250ppm (NSW 390ppm) you may start to see some corals loose there tissue much like R.T.N. "

Interesting... I didn’t even test for potassium. Hoping this ICP sends me some insight. Honestly I have tried most things and am hoping the icp test shows me something. Thanks