Help got issues with my new set up.

[Kehaulani]

Hey reefers.
I set up a 75 gallon tank (as an upgrade) with 40 gallon sump this weekend. Got it plumbed and everything. Transfered my corals and rock from my 48 gallon into the bigger tank. Everything looked good for the first few days, now everything looks like it's very unhappy. My corals are all closed up which they weren't before. I tested my water. Ammonia is 0, nitrates and nitrites at 0. PH was a tad bit low. Temp is 78°. My salinity keeps getting thrown off but I can't figure out why. I don't have a top off system. Just a skimmer in the sump which someone said could be pulling too much salt out if it was running to high. I'm at a lost. I don't want my corals to die but at the same time have no idea how to fix the problem or what the problem is. Any suggestions or advice? Thanks in advance.
-Kehau

 

[KillerKlownFish]

Check to see if your hydrometer is clean. Your salinity maybe high or low and your getting wrong readings. Are you using carbon??? What else is in there for filtration? Got any pics? What type of rock? Sand? How's the flow? Check params again?

 

[LetItReef]

I'd check Phosphate levels too in addition to Cal, Alk and Mag.

 

[HiddenUser]

So being that it's an upgrade...did you reuse your sand and water from the previous tank? Or did you start out with new sand and water?

I'd check over your parameters again and get a refractometer to check your salinity.

Are the corals suddenly at a different level within your tank thus getting more / less light than they were getting before?

 

[Kehaulani]

Probably should've cleared that up. So it was an upgrade. Used the same rocks I had in my 48 gal and all the same water. I did have to add water to the 75 to top it off. The only thing I didn't use was my sand. I switched from white sand to black but the sand was live sand that I added. I will go home and retest the water parameters and post pictures for you all to see. I am gonna buy a refracometer after work because I hear it's the most accurate way. I just have a floating hydrometer now. The flow is just from my overflow and I have a wave maker in the tank but it was way too powerful so I shut it off thinking that could be why the corals weren't opening last night. I cancelled that out though because after not having flow last night, they still were not open this morning.

 

[KillerKlownFish]

Ooow if you reused sand and water you def will have probs. stirred up some bad stuff in that case

Ok your post didn't come up for some reason.

You may need to do a big water change.
I switched to black sand and fyi it may be magnetic and stick to a mag cleaner.

 

[Kehaulani]

Here's some pictures of my setup. As you can see my corals look pretty sad.

 

[KillerKlownFish]

Looks kinda dark what kind of lighting are you using? When my tank switches over to 12hrs of night they look like this. 12 hrs of day light and they are all opened up.

 

[Kehaulani]

I bought a refractometer today and it's the first time I have ever used one. Here's the reading... I also retested my pH: 8.4. Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 0, and Phosphate:0. No where in town sold a test for alkalinity or magnesium so I might have to order those online.

 

[Kehaulani]

When they were in my 48 gal bow front they had a marine orbit LED light on them. Now that I upgraded to the 75 gal they are under two kessil A360 wides. I tool these picture when I got home as the blues were coming on. Let me take new ones tomorrow with the day lights on. They still look like this, (all closed up) when the bright day lights are on

 

[deerhunter06]

nice looking lights I couldn't ever find the manual by the way sorry. You said you were having swings in salinity ? How big of a swing? looks to be fine now. What intensity are the lights at? I have never heard of a skimmer pulling salt. I would get a test kit for calcium alk and mg as soon as you can. big factors for corals.

 

[deerhunter06]

is there a fish in that bag floating around? you will cook him inside that bag with the lights on.

 

[deerhunter06]

also could very well be a flow issue. I only see one powerhead in there maybe point it down more toward the corals or pick up another one if you can the more the flow the better in most cases.

 

[Kehaulani]

Thanks! I got them from this awesome guy . Well yesterday the salinity was where it is now, had the skimmer running all night in the sump and woke up to the tank reading that there was barely any salt in my water. Turned off the skimmer for today and took another reading and this is the most current one. I have never heard of a skimmer pulling that much salt out of a tank either but I wasn't sure being new to the this type of setup. I will buy a test kit tonight off of amazon. Do you know which are the best brands.

 

[deerhunter06]

red sea sells one that has all three tests in it. Its about 50 bucks and it is pretty reliable. Hmmmmmm on the salt thing...thats new to me, cant be right your fish would be dead if it swung that bad. I cant think of why you would be getting those results with a refractometer. Ill tell ya what i have used a swing arm for a long time. just recently bought the Milwaukee refractometer smartest thing ive ever done. expensive but man does it make life easy when it comes to checking salt. All you do it put a drop on the sensor and its gives a nice digital read out on the screen no lines or swing arms. I think your salinity is fine tho. My guess is the flow or the lights are actually too intense what % are they at?

 

[Kehaulani]

1st off I don't have any fish in the tank. I only had a flame hawkfish and he was eating all my inverts so the only thing in the tank is my corals, hermit crabs, turbo snails, and emerald crabs.
I was looking at the red sea kit. Looks like it has nice reviews. As for the powerhead, it's actually a wave maker and the owner from the saltwater store which I bought it said that I wouldn't need a powerhead in the tank because the wave maker would be enough flow. It's actually turned off because I feel it is too strong for my tank. My torch and hammer stay sucked into their skeletons when it's on. I originally thought that was the problem but after having it off for 24 hours and not seeing a change in my corals, I sort of ruled that one out.

 

[deerhunter06]

Geesh does the wave maker adjust or is it just on or off I don't know much about them

 

[deerhunter06]

I'm not sure Kehaulani, it's gotta be one of those three things if your salinity is really swinging that bad it could very well be that.

 

[Kehaulani]

It's the jebao rw15. It does adjust and it was on the lowest setting. I was told that torches and hammers don't like alot of flow so I thought that's why they weren't open but then after having it off they still didn't open. Then my star polyp, zoas, and nephthea tree wouldn't open either. Starting to get really frustrated with this whole tank

 

[Kehaulani]

How would more flow or less flow disrupt the salinity? Or did you mean it could be the mg, alkalinity, and calcium? What are you thinking I should try look into first?