First time dealing with rtn, few questions.

[Hagios]

Sad when this happens to anyone and I know you have put some work into your tank to have colonies that size. RTN is a sps lovers nightmare and feel you losses.

Some of the typical causes are alk, temp, Ca, pH and temp swings which were already mentioned.

One of the filter medias that got me in the past was GFO. I will never use it again...instead I do water changes.

The only filter media I run are polyfilters and GAC off and on.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Some of it may be high alk, calcium or both.
Other causes will be:
Flatworms (look for presence of very tiny eggs)
Temperature too warm
high salinity
Shading (areas where light does not reach)
High phosphates
low PH

If you can eleiminate all of these, look at doing iodine dips

 

[WDKegge]

Some of it may be high alk, calcium or both.
Other causes will be:
Flatworms (look for presence of very tiny eggs)
Temperature too warm
high salinity
Shading (areas where light does not reach)
High phosphates
low PH

If you can eleiminate all of these, look at doing iodine dips

I've verified all these things 2-3 times, I really wish it was one of these issue.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I've verified all these things 2-3 times, I really wish it was one of these issue.

What test kits are you using ?

 

[ScottB]

I've verified all these things 2-3 times, I really wish it was one of these issue.

Did you already run Cuprisorb or Metasorb?

 

[WDKegge]

What test kits are you using ?

hannah and salifert.

 

[WDKegge]

Did you already run Cuprisorb or Metasorb?

im running purit right now.

 

[takitaj]

I don't want to spread misinformation so just something to investigate; I think I've read somewhere here that some had positive results with a dose of Chemiclean (Erythromycin?) or Cipro for RTN/STN. I haven't had this issue...yet...so I have no experience with it, it's just something I've read here so take it for what it's worth. May be worth a quick search anyway.

Tin leaching from hoses or rusting hardware seems to be the no1 suspect. Will be interesting to see the ICP results.

 

[vetteguy53081]

im running purit right now.

Purit or purigen ?

 

[mxnutz]

Hey, sorry to hear about all your troubles. Have you checked the programming of your lights? It seems this is affecting the top portion of your tank since acros are higher up. I know you mentioned that it is not affecting the LPS, mushrooms, etc... since they are lower in the tank. I have the same Atlantic v4 on my 25g nano and I once messed up on the programming (clunky software) and put UV channel to 100% when I was actually wanting to put it at 35%. Needless to say, it melted a few shrooms before I could figure it out.

Just trying to think outside the box. Hope you get it figured out soon.

 

[ocncheffy]

Following. Dealing with some similar issues but I think I linked mine to using GFO. SPS we're growing like crazy before I decided to drop the phosphate from .2. Now, I have RTN, burnt tips, full colony deaths...

 

[ScottB]

Following. Dealing with some similar issues but I think I linked mine to using GFO. SPS we're growing like crazy before I decided to drop the phosphate from .2. Now, I have RTN, burnt tips, full colony deaths...

Sorry to hear. That is something almost all of us do ONCE.

 

[WDKegge]

Hey, sorry to hear about all your troubles. Have you checked the programming of your lights? It seems this is affecting the top portion of your tank since acros are higher up. I know you mentioned that it is not affecting the LPS, mushrooms, etc... since they are lower in the tank. I have the same Atlantic v4 on my 25g nano and I once messed up on the programming (clunky software) and put UV channel to 100% when I was actually wanting to put it at 35%. Needless to say, it melted a few shrooms before I could figure it out.

Just trying to think outside the box. Hope you get it figured out soon.

I run my lights dang near max everything so even if that was the case I doubt an extra 20% on the white channel would have made a difference this drastic.

 

[WDKegge]

Still waiting on Triton results.

I can't tell if the stn is slowing down.

I will however note that most healthy looking sps across the tank is quite noticeable richer in color compare to when my nitrates and phosphates were at zero.

 

[WDKegge]

ICP Test Just came in:

 

[ScottB]

Zinc is a little unusual but I don't think it is a smoking gun. I am sure you are digging on it, but I found this thread and a couple others with high zinc and no real troubles.

ICP test high Zinc. (38ug/l)

I just received me ICP test results. Everything is OK, or close, except very high zinc (38 ug/l), copper slightly high at (6.271 ug/l. I have 2 possible known zinc sources: 1) I use 100% rainwater collected from my roof in my tank after running it through RODI. Sometime back I noticed that the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[WDKegge]

Zinc is a little unusual but I don't think it is a smoking gun. I am sure you are digging on it, but I found this thread and a couple others with high zinc and no real troubles.

ICP test high Zinc. (38ug/l)

I just received me ICP test results. Everything is OK, or close, except very high zinc (38 ug/l), copper slightly high at (6.271 ug/l. I have 2 possible known zinc sources: 1) I use 100% rainwater collected from my roof in my tank after running it through RODI. Sometime back I noticed that the...

www.reef2reef.com

I spent my day browsing through R2R and found several threads with people that were having similar issues as to me and the common ICP test was high levels of Zinc.

This thread had spot on issues as to what I am having with SPS as well:

A local to me Tim Plazza who has one of the best SPS tanks I have ever seen and I believe is featured on several websites also went through a large STN event, his culprit was found to be many rusting materials in or around his tank and his Zinc levels came up at 17ug, mine are at 13.

 

[ScottB]

I spent my day browsing through R2R and found several threads with people that were having similar issues as to me and the common ICP test was high levels of Zinc.

This thread had spot on issues as to what I am having with SPS as well:

A local to me Tim Plazza who has one of the best SPS tanks I have ever seen and I believe is featured on several websites also went through a large STN event, his culprit was found to be many rusting materials in or around his tank and his Zinc levels came up at 17ug, mine are at 13.

I guess your levels could have been much higher before adding the binders.

In the part you pasted above, that level of copper alone would've done the trick I think.

I guess you need to stay on the hunt for a source of the zinc. I don't really know its common commercial purposes. I found (in a timely fashion) a galvanized conduit bracket in my sump, courtesy of my electrician. Guess he didn't want to get his hands wet.

 

[WDKegge]

24 hours after adding cupisorb and polyfilter pads and there was an almost immediate positive response.

Came home from work today and found the majority of my sps with crazy good polyp extension, more than I've seen in a long time.

At this point I'm positive this was a result from zinc/metal coming through my rodi system. I'm pretty confident at this point that the tank will make a turn around.

For now I will be adding another di and possibly sediment filter to my rodi setup and will be changing them out much more frequently.

 

[ScottB]

Good news indeed.

So you have been through all your aquarium side equipment and think this is getting through RODI? I mean I am anal and run a 7 stage myself, but aren't the odds more likely on the downstream side of the RODI?