Crashing tank.

[NewbsReef]

alright well my tank is crashing for the past few day. Corals browned out and now just slowly losing tissue. Only major change was upgrading my sump. Sent out a ICP test today and now just waiting for results. As of now 90% of my sps are on the out. Heres a pic of my pirates reef fruity pebbles and walt disney. Ive never seen a coral go this way, usually just bleach out and thats that. Never seen it turn brown like that before.

 

[SeaDweller]

That sucks. What are your parameters, age of tank, blah blah blah...
Are you pro, noob, semi noob? Could be a multitude of things.

 

[ApoIsland]

If your tank is small I would take the sump off line and change ALL your water. See how the corals react to the new water and no sump since that was the only change. Just point a power head at the surface for good agitation.

If your tank is very large and a big water change is not feasible maybe just remove the corals and set up a separate tank with new water. If they are going down hill this fast they will probably be dead by time the test results come back so some kind of immediate action / change is required.

 

[150 Gallon Reef]

What are your phosphates, nitrates, dkh and calcium?

 

[Flux Capacitor]

What changes did the new sump add? Did you
Use any of the same media from the old sump?

 

[NewbsReef]

That sucks. What are your parameters, age of tank, blah blah blah...
Are you pro, noob, semi noob? Could be a multitude of things.

Tank has been up running for 3 years. Been in the sps game for about 2 years been reefing a total of 5 years (man time is flying lol) tank is a 40 breeder. Alk. 8-8.5 Ca 450 Mg 1290 No3 20 P04 .12. Past few days ive been doing 10 gal water changes. No reaction to coral.

If your tank is small I would take the sump off line and change ALL your water. See how the corals react to the new water and no sump since that was the only change. Just point a power head at the surface for good agitation.

If your tank is very large and a big water change is not feasible maybe just remove the corals and set up a separate tank with new water. If they are going down hill this fast they will probably be dead by time the test results come back so some kind of immediate action / change is required.

I fragged a what and hoping for the best. So far all the water has been changed with no affect to coral. Ive have a sump before, just a ole 29 gal tank and swapped out for a fiji cube 24.

What are your phosphates, nitrates, dkh and calcium?

P04 .12 No3 20ppm dkh 8-8.5 Ca 450

What changes did the new sump add? Did you
Use any of the same media from the old sump?

Absolutely nothing everything from old sump went to the new sump and that was just the month old siporax and a marine pure 8x8x4 block. Went from a 29 gal tall diy sump to a fiji cube 24

 

[SeaDweller]

Tank has been up running for 3 years. Been in the sps game for about 2 years been reefing a total of 5 years (man time is flying lol) tank is a 40 breeder. Alk. 8-8.5 Ca 450 Mg 1290 No3 20 P04 .12. Past few days ive been doing 10 gal water changes. No reaction to coral.




I fragged a what and hoping for the best. So far all the water has been changed with no affect to coral. Ive have a sump before, just a ole 29 gal tank and swapped out for a fiji cube 24.



P04 .12 No3 20ppm dkh 8-8.5 Ca 450



Absolutely nothing everything from old sump went to the new sump and that was just the month old siporax and a marine pure 8x8x4 block. Went from a 29 gal tall diy sump to a fiji cube 24

With widespread wipeout like that, where you have RTN across 90% of your stock, it makes me think contamination, whether source water, something metallic in the tank, etc. when I had my issue, my RODI ASO was faulty and I was pumping in regular tap into my ATO. All my stuff looked all mute brown/grey and then kicked the bucket, all within a weeks time. Systematic, widespread death. Turns out it was summer time like now and the city water was pumped full of chloramines.

 

[NewbsReef]

With widespread wipeout like that, where you have RTN across 90% of your stock, it makes me think contamination, whether source water, something metallic in the tank, etc. when I had my issue, my RODI ASO was faulty and I was pumping in regular tap into my ATO. All my stuff looked all mute brown/grey and then kicked the bucket, all within a weeks time. Systematic, widespread death. Turns out it was summer time like now and the city water was pumped full of chloramines.

Thats what im kind of thinking. I live in Jacksonville Fl, and recently they just "sanitized" the water system due to Covid. I get my water from a LFS bit see no ill affect on their tanks. Maybe i was just the unlucky one.

 

[Kris 2020]

We just had an issue in a city adjacent to mine where a lfs posted about a huge die off of their stock and the next day they got a bunch of calls from ppl in the same city on the same municipal water supply. Here’s the post:

 

[jda]

That was either something fast, or a last-straw type of stress event.

Something fast could be super large temp swing, electrical current in the water or the like.

Last-straw type of stress event is usually ongoing type of parameters that are on the edge and this last thing just put them over. I do not like NO3 of 20 and this likely did not help. Have you recalibrated your refractometer lately? Do you have something with mercury to check your temperature checker/controller? Go back to the basics and see if you can find anything.

 

[nereefpat]

Did you use baffles in the new sump, with possibly uncured silicone?

 

[NewbsReef]

That was either something fast, or a last-straw type of stress event.

Something fast could be super large temp swing, electrical current in the water or the like.

Last-straw type of stress event is usually ongoing type of parameters that are on the edge and this last thing just put them over. I do not like NO3 of 20 and this likely did not help. Have you recalibrated your refractometer lately? Do you have something with mercury to check your temperature checker/controller? Go back to the basics and see if you can find anything.

Everything was fine up until the new sump install and 15 gal water change after the install. Ive always had high nutrients, didnt get great color but corals where growing decent. Bought a new sump with refugium to add cheato to help with nutrients. Refractometer is calibrated weekly.

Did you use baffles in the new sump, with possibly uncured silicone?

I did not. Purchased a new sump from figi cube.

 

[Fernthereefer]

Just a quick question: did you rinse you new sump before putting it in ?

 

[NewbsReef]

Just a quick question: did you rinse you new sump before putting it in ?

Of course. Good cleaning plus leak test just in case.

 

[ReillyReef]

it appears from one of your pics that you have either dinos or some type of algae that took foot. Possibly your PO4 could be higher than thought.

 

[NewbsReef]

it appears from one of your pics that you have either dinos or some type of algae that took foot. Possibly your PO4 could be higher than thought.

No dinos, just got over that about 3 months ago. GHA starting showing its face but i handled that before it got out of control and looks like im seeing a little bit of bryopsis pop up.

 

[NewbsReef]

This was my diseny sunday afternoon before the w/c. Frag to the left with white top was me cutting the tip off.

 

[Neoalchemist]

Were you running gfo? How much and when did you last change it?

 

[NewbsReef]

Were you running gfo? How much and when did you last change it?

I was not running gfo. I very rarely use it. I did run a 1/2 cup of reef apec carbon after the tank got stirred up from the sump swap.

 

[SeaDweller]

I believe in nutrients, but not high numbers; maybe your numbers are high for your tank. Seeing your WD and then the death, I still think contamination.