Corals dying like clockwork

[Zbutcher]

Dosing Vodka: Why? | Melev's Reef

www.melevsreef.com

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

Couple links on procedure. The point is to create extra food sources for the kinds of bacteria that eat nitrates so their numbers increase. They will consume some phosphates as well but mostly reduce nitrate. This allows your skimmer to export some of the nitrates by skimming out the excess bacteria bloom.

Another question actually should I leave activated carbon in the tank while dosing with carbon or should I take it out?

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I did an ICP test and it came up clear. Attached are pics.

Yeah I've never done icp but I've seen wild reviews on them and their accuracy, so maybe that's not 100% accurate.

Everything always dieing Within one month sounds like poisoning to me, or something seriously wrong.

Ive had sps tanks growing within 6months so time isnt necessarily a requirement.

Do you have pictures of your system, tank, filtration, water production, all key pieces of you entire system for analysis?

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Another question actually should I leave activated carbon in the tank while dosing with carbon or should I take it out?

Why are you carbon dosing? What is the goal with that?

 

[Zbutcher]

Why are you carbon dosing? What is the goal with that?

To lower nitrates. They are at 42. I haven't started dosing carbon dosing it was a suggestion by another user.

 

[mfollen]

Ok good to know your ph isn’t going too low in the mornings.

I would also do an ATI ICP as well (not after a water change, after the tank has been running for two weeks maybe). You’ll get a more accurate testing of the tank and get your RODI analyzed again.

Carbon cartridges may be letting arsenic or chlorine through. Good to make sure just in case with a second look.

 

[Zbutcher]

Ok good to know your ph isn’t going too low in the mornings.

I would also do an ATI ICP as well (not after a water change, after the tank has been running for two weeks maybe). You’ll get a more accurate testing of the tank and get your RODI analyzed again.

Carbon cartridges may be letting arsenic or chlorine through. Good to make sure just in case with a second look.

I have done one and posted it on the forum randy holmes-farley was not concerned with the results

 

[Tamberav]

I find that corals like stable nutrients… number isn’t as important but you don’t want your no3 and po4 moving all around too quickly.

The fact you said you had low nutrients before and now they are higher and you have implemented carbon dosing tells me the tank isn’t stable.

 

[reefbandit]

I recently went through similar issues that you are having. My tank is just approaching the 11 month mark. I was struggling with sps dying within days or weeks as of just about 1 month ago everything changed and the tester pieces I used began doing well and growing. I never came to any conclusion of what the issue was. Sometimes I wonder if it is just a matter of time for things to establish. Also I wonder if it has anything to do with the dry base rock leaching phosphate that doesn’t necessarily come across when testing.

 

[ScottB]

Having read through this, you have covered most/all of the bases. It is a little puzzling in that your tester pieces are generally on the more hardy side. Were these funky new tenuis or smooth skin acros my conclusion would be simple: an immature, non-diverse biome.

kinda leaves me with two theories:
a) parameter environment that is just different enough from their prior environment to compromise health
b) immature biome

Easy to confirm the first. Aside from aquabiomics, we don't have easy ways to test for bacterial diversity, but Aquabiomics is akin to "hiring a scientist to figure it out" that you spoke of.

I would be sumping some more ocean rock. KP Aquatics, IPSF mud/sand, Tampa Bay, gulfliverock.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Another question actually should I leave activated carbon in the tank while dosing with carbon or should I take it out?

The two are mutually independent. I always run carbon.

 

[ninjamyst]

Where are your live rocks?!?! What are you using for biomedia?

 

[aarbutina]

Just a quick question and I don’t think I saw the answer to this already. Do you have and coralline growth?

 

[aarbutina]

Also could you share a link to the IPC results you posted in the other forum, was having trouble finding them.

 

[Nate Chalk]

No Corraline no coral

 

[aarbutina]

Also is you are thinking about carbon dosing @SunnyX just wrote a really nice write up on it. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bacterial-driven-system-a-recipe-for-success.918102/

 

[Zbutcher]

I find that corals like stable nutrients… number isn’t as important but you don’t want your no3 and po4 moving all around too quickly.

The fact you said you had low nutrients before and now they are higher and you have implemented carbon dosing tells me the tank isn’t stable.

I have not implemented carbon dosing. Another commenter recommended I do and I was doing the reading he recommended

 

[Zbutcher]

I recently went through similar issues that you are having. My tank is just approaching the 11 month mark. I was struggling with sps dying within days or weeks as of just about 1 month ago everything changed and the tester pieces I used began doing well and growing. I never came to any conclusion of what the issue was. Sometimes I wonder if it is just a matter of time for things to establish. Also I wonder if it has anything to do with the dry base rock leaching phosphate that doesn’t necessarily come across when testing.

Seeing things like this make me wary of doing anything and I wonder if I should just be waiting.

 

[Zbutcher]

Having read through this, you have covered most/all of the bases. It is a little puzzling in that your tester pieces are generally on the more hardy side. Were these funky new tenuis or smooth skin acros my conclusion would be simple: an immature, non-diverse biome.

kinda leaves me with two theories:
a) parameter environment that is just different enough from their prior environment to compromise health
b) immature biome

Easy to confirm the first. Aside from aquabiomics, we don't have easy ways to test for bacterial diversity, but Aquabiomics is akin to "hiring a scientist to figure it out" that you spoke of.

I would be sumping some more ocean rock. KP Aquatics, IPSF mud/sand, Tampa Bay, gulfliverock.

Well I can tell you right now that the parameters from the tank are only different in terms of nitrates and phosphate. The tank they came from are reading as 0

 

[Zbutcher]

The two are mutually independent. I always run carbon.

Perfect thank you

 

[Zbutcher]

Where are your live rocks?!?! What are you using for biomedia?

In my sump lol.