Corals - dead on arrival

[Charlie’s Frags]

I am at work so I have to look at it at home. So how many wattage do I need in my tank?

Assuming you solve the potential copper problem, you should use my hydra 26 settings, but you’ll need at least 1 more prime for sps.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Some people are recommending CUPRISORB.. to remove copper.. Would this make it worse possibly?

I don’t have any recommendations for the copper issue because I’ve never used it.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I would start over with a new tank if you want hard corals. Copper treatments get into rocks and sand and there is no telling how long it will take to get to the point of keeping thriving sps again. I would use whatever media you can to try and remove the copper but it will leach from your rocks slowly for a long time. At this point I would not worry about anything else like parameters, light nutrients or anything.
Maybe try cuprisorb polyfilter and some carbon, you might be able to keep some corals in the tank after a while of running this but still not sure how long it will take, lots of variables.

 

[ilyad]

Cuprisob would definitely work at pulling out copper out of the tank, but both rocks and sand work like a sponge absorbing it. They then very slowly leech it back out into the water. You will have to take months and months of using cuprisorb to pull out all the copper. Best solution I can recommend is get a bucket, put your rocks and water in it. stick your pump and heater there and move over your fish... Then toss the sand, empty the tank out, rinse it with RO, give it a good vinegar clean, rinse well again. Then set it up again with new rock and sand. Let it cycle again, and then introduce your fish back in, but being extremely careful not to get too much of the contaminated tank water (in the bucket) into the tank.

In the alternative, I think Petco is having their $1 a gallon tank sale right now so you can just grab a brand new tank to reduce the chance of copper contamination. Save the current one as a back up QT/medication tank when you need it.

As a side note, Alk of 14dKH is really really high, even if copper is not the issue, that itself can be killing your coral. If you are dosing alk, stop... otherwise, you need to change your salt mix that will not mix up that high, that is the only way to bring it down for now while there are no corals absorbing it. I guess your salinity is a bit high too at 1.027 which is on the edge of where corals can survive. Swap out like half a gallon of tank water with fresh RO to bring it closer to 1.025, which will also beneficially lower the Alk.

But all that being said, I really think your first and foremost problem may be the copper contamination. You can however, try first to lower the alk and Salinity levels (which should be super easy) and then if corals still die, then you are really dealing with copper in the water.

 

[George81]

How do I bring my alkalinity lower. Is there any dose for it?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...in-new-salt-water-or-in-display-tanks.362825/

You can also use muriatic acid.

Have an airstone and air pump on hand and proceed with caution. Adding either creates a quick drop in ph. The airstone will help blow off excess co2 generated from adding either of these and stabilize ph.
I’ve used the sodium bisulfate, I had around for my pool. Product called pool ph-

Also I remember reading a thread where someone on the reefsquad used copper in their tank and was able to get it out. Can’t remember who though. I think cuprisorb was used.

Found the thread
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-remove-copper-from-dt.326316/

 

[mattzang]

petco is doing the dollar per gallon sale right now so i'd go get a new 40 breeder

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Sorry, didn’t read through the whole thread, but I’d forget about the copper that was once used in the tank and focus on that high alkalinity. 14dkh is too high, simple as that. Unless the LFS has it that high as well, you’ve essentially spiked the alkalinity which will cause rtn.

Get your alkalinity down to a typical number and then try a cheap frag. Match your alkalinity to the lfs alkalinity.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Sorry, didn’t read through the whole thread, but I’d forget about the copper that was once used in the tank and focus on that high alkalinity. 14dkh is too high, simple as that. Unless the LFS has it that high as well, you’ve essentially spiked the alkalinity which will cause rtn.

Get your alkalinity down to a typical number and then try a cheap frag. Match your alkalinity to the lfs alkalinity.

14 dKH is way too high as well. You’ve got a couple issues that need to be addressed before upgrading your lighting.

 

[Don Smith]

Sorry, didn’t read through the whole thread, but I’d forget about the copper that was once used in the tank and focus on that high alkalinity. 14dkh is too high, simple as that. Unless the LFS has it that high as well, you’ve essentially spiked the alkalinity which will cause rtn.

Get your alkalinity down to a typical number and then try a cheap frag. Match your alkalinity to the lfs alkalinity.

How do I bring down the alkalinity?

 

[Dilan Patel]

Waterchanges

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Waterchanges

Water changes with low alkalinity levels ;-)

Use some hydrochloric acid to drop the alkalinity in your fresh water change water.

I forget the formula. Something like: Drop in alkalinity needed(dkh)*gallons of water change water*o.123 = mL of HCL

Edit: pH will drop dramatically so use a powerhead to circulate the water surface until pH comes back up.

 

[Backreefing]

Just jumping on . This thread is moving quickly.
But alkalinity at 14 is WAY to high , I don’t know what salt mix is used but try Red Sea blue bucket . With a couple large water changes it will be much better. SPS peps shoot for 7-9 generally. The water changes will help with residual copper. I’d be useing quality activated carbon to .
You may not have to restart the tank . After the carbon , time , and water changes.You could get something cheep and see what happens. Good luck.

 

[Backreefing]

Here are some saltwater mixes . I run Red Sea blue bucket.

 

[KrisReef]

My salt water, 40 gallons, tank is about 5 years old and I have always had fish of different kind.

Lately I just have 4 damsels, one tomatoe clown fish, and few algae eating snails.

I want to start with corals in my tank.

So far I bought corals from local fish store and they start dying the next day.

Picture of my tank, light settings, healthy and dying corals are in the following link.
https://imgur.com/a/FFu1BoQ

Light:
Light: Prime HD+ AI Aquarium LED - AquaIllumination

Parameters:

date 7/7/2019
day sunday



salinity 1.027

Nitrate NO3 0

Nitrite NO2 0
Alkalinity KH ppm 300
pH 8.4
copper 0
calcium 410
ammonia 0
Alkalinity KH 14.1
Magnesium 1240

Temperature: 80 deg Fahrenheit

I used copper doze in my tank back in Sept 2018 and I have had many many water changes like 25% every 2 weeks. My copper test indicates zero.

Every time (for the 3rd time, in 3 weeks) I introduce a cheap coral, I do not know the name, photos are in the link, they start dying the next day.

Please help!!

Welcome to Reef2Reef!.

I'd also recommend you get a new tank and rock and sand and start over with the goal of having a reef tank when you are done. Start a build thread and read some of the articles and threads on here about starting a new reef. There are many ways to do it and where you are at now you should keep your current tank running as a fish QT and start a new tank fresh without copper to worry about. Also starting new would allow you to get your tank parameters ready and stable for coral including a new lighting system, and maybe a skimmer and other stuff for keeping alk & calc parameters stable. Your mg is also a bit low, but the fish don't care about that too much. Keep your fish system and set up a new coral tank. Best way to move forward if you must have corals. Otherwise, just buy dead corals to avoid killing more by adding them into your fish tank. I have some dead coral I can send you if you pay to ship. So I think I know how to do this if you want to keep going forward. New tank! Time for an upgrade. You'll thank me later.

 

[Ike]

Given what your alkalinity is, I wouldn't be surprised if your salinity is actually higher than 1.027, plus your high dKH and possibly traces of copper... You should verify that level with someone that has a properly calibrated refractometer, or get one for yourself.

I highly doubt that the tank is leeching enough to be a problem, though if you had rocks and sand that was in there during the treatment I would lean that direction for the problem.

For anyone suggesting light as the problem, in particular, the LFS, there's no way that incorrect lighting could kill a coral that quickly unless there's something REALLY wrong with the light (I.E. a DE MH with no shield).

Are you dosing anything?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Acclimation is very critical in introduction of SPS And goes beyond drip or bucket.
Always reduce light to lowest setting and gradually ramp light up over 48 hours. Additionally, reduce water flow and gradually return flow to normal flow as tissue on coral recover from shipping

 

[ScottR]

Are you acclimatizing them at all? What were the LFS source water parameters?

If your tank is truly 14 dKH (16.772 using the ppm), then it is certainly possible you are shocking the heck out of them by just dropping them in if the LFS keeps it low.

+1 to this. Also to copper being hard to remove and deadly for coral/inverts

 

[Don Smith]

Here are some saltwater mixes . I run Red Sea blue bucket.

I get my water from LFS. I may have dosed my water with alkalinity by mistake.

 

[Don Smith]

Given what your alkalinity is, I wouldn't be surprised if your salinity is actually higher than 1.027, plus your high dKH and possibly traces of copper... You should verify that level with someone that has a properly calibrated refractometer, or get one for yourself.

I highly doubt that the tank is leeching enough to be a problem, though if you had rocks and sand that was in there during the treatment I would lean that direction for the problem.

For anyone suggesting light as the problem, in particular, the LFS, there's no way that incorrect lighting could kill a coral that quickly unless there's something REALLY wrong with the light (I.E. a DE MH with no shield).

Are you dosing anything?

Back in sept 2018, I dosed the tank with copper to cure some disease. Since then I have had water changes at least every 2 weeks.
I just dozed my tank over the weekend with alkalinity so that is why my alkalinity is so high.
I really do NOT want to restart the tank but based on advice I am getting here .. I may have to restart.
The LFS only checks for salinity .. they do not check for copper.
I recaliberated my hydrometer based on fresh drinking water and based on that my reading is 1.027.

 

[Don Smith]

Back in sept 2018, I dosed the tank with copper to cure some disease. Since then I have had water changes at least every 2 weeks.
I just dozed my tank over the weekend with alkalinity so that is why my alkalinity is so high.
I really do NOT want to restart the tank but based on advice I am getting here .. I may have to restart.
The LFS only checks for salinity .. they do not check for copper.
I recaliberated my hydrometer based on fresh drinking water and based on that my reading is 1.027.

When I dosed with copper, the sand and rock were there.