First big issue

aurora.k · May 20, 2018

My tank finished cycling in Feb and I’ve had great luck and lots of coral growth and seemingly everything is happy, but then in 24 hours my big monti just bit it (Friday it was bright and looked happy as a clam, if you’ll pardon the metaphor) as did a small bird’s nest and a ricordea mushroom seems to be melting. Other coral still look good but not great, a couple other ricordea that open but not as before, leather (which just started shedding - unless they can get shiny when really unhappy and that is why it’s polyps aren’t extending), a bubble coral that is extended but not like “yay! I’m so happy to be in this tank!” extended, etc.

Only change I see in parameters is Ph is down and I don’t know why. I did use “fuel” for the coral for the first time on Saturday. Could it be bad? I did a small water change (15%ish) now and am making more RO/Di and could do a bigger one.

Here are the parameters:
Temp 78
Sal 1.235 ( I know a bit low, but stable)
Ph: 7.8ish, maybe 8 (lowest I’ve seen since Mar before this was a solid 8.1)
Kh: 9.0 (also lowest, but it’s bounced off 9 before)
Nitrate - 5ppm
Nitrite- 0
Ammonia - 0
Calcium - 450 (dosed last week)
Mg - 1600
Iodine - .03 (dosed last week)

Any ideas/ suggestions? Also, when I took the monti out to frag and bathe in idiodine what was left to try to save it, I found these little tiny white things on the bottom:

TripleDogDareYah · May 20, 2018

Those white things are harmless pineapple sponges. If I had to guess... there was too much of some component in the Fuel that caused this. I know you probably followed the dosage instructions and only intended good for the tank... but with any supplement I think it's wiser to just start off real slow and then work your way up to the recommended dosage. At this point, the water changes will get you where you need to be.

aurora.k · May 20, 2018

Thanks, that makes sense. [emoji17]

Palyzoa · May 21, 2018

Your specific gravity is a bit high at 1.235! The range most people shoot for is 1.021-1.026. Natural ocean water is 1.026 or 35 ppt. I would bring that down slowly with water changes using water mixed at 1.021-1.026 and see how things respond.

TripleDogDareYah · May 21, 2018

Woah, nice catch. I didn't notice that!

aurora.k · May 22, 2018

Oh! Sorry! Typo! I always do that - it is 1.0235!

I did another water change and everything looks great (everything that didn’t die, that is). Even the mushroom that looked like it was going to melt pulled through

Flippers4pups · May 22, 2018

Don't quote me, but I could be wrong, but I've heard that adding Fuel, amino acids, can cause alkalinity to drop. If you were low in DKH and added fuel, it could have caused a drop in alkalinity. Jmtcw.

OriginalUserName · May 23, 2018

Flippers4pups said:
Don't quote me, but I could be wrong, but I've heard that adding Fuel, amino acids, can cause alkalinity to drop. If you were low in DKH and added fuel, it could have caused a drop in alkalinity. Jmtcw.

That would make sense. More food should equal faster growth and more consumption of DKH/Calcium.