Help please!

[TBLightning]

I'm new to reef keeping and my LPS and SPS are dying. My tank recently was invaded with green hair algae and I noticed my chalice, candy canes, and other stoney corals are in a bad way. Not sure if the gha is just a coincidence or cause but my parameters seem way off. The corals are all shrunken and shriveled and starting to bleach.

Parameters
32 gallon Biocube about 8 months old
Temp 78-79
Salinity 1.026-27
Ca 720 ppm
Mg 1.300 ppm
P.H. 8.0 (seems really high but I only have test strips to measure this so unsure of accuracy)

Fish:
6 line wrasse
Fairy Basslet
Diamond Goby
Firefish Goby

All the fish and soft corals appear to be doing fine.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

 

[yanetterer]

Do you know your alkalinity, nitrates and phosphates levels? What kind of lights do you have?

 

[TBLightning]

Do you know your alkalinity, nitrates and phosphates levels? What kind of lights do you have?

Nitrates were 0, but once again I only have those multi-test strips to check that. Everything on the test strip was within normal range except the PH. Lighting is the stock biocube lights. Unsure what they are, sorry.

Edit, they were doing great and growing up until about a week or 2 ago.

 

[fodsod]

Without some reliable ways to test for Phosphate, Nitrate, Alk and PH you're going to have a very very difficult time creating a stable tank that will support LPS and SPS.

Pick up some actual quality test kits and see where your water parameters are ASAP. You could take a sample to a LFS but that will only tell you where your water is at that moment.

 

[bushdoc]

Let me guess? Dry rock? Tank for 3 months by most?
GHA is a natural event in reef tank, especially in those established with dry rock, but even to some extend in tanks with live rock.
That’s why it used to be recommended to wait with corals for 6 months or so and definitely after GHA phase is gone. I am not sure what is the new recommendation though.

 

[Snowxcross]

Get yourself better test kits to start with, test strips will not suffice in this hobby, Hanna or Saliferts are fine.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

as mentioned above, good test kits are vital if you want to keep corals, not API test kits either.

Once you have test kits, you have to test the water and maintain the levels over time, stability is more important than the actual number itself. Corals get upset when parameters change, especially alk and phosphate, those 2 are super important.

 

[yanetterer]

If it is the LED biocube with your SPS in the top third and your LPS in the middle third then I would rule out lighting.

In which case I would guess your nutrients are really high. I would do a few 10-20% water changes (and pull out as much GHA as you can) until you can get some more reliable tests done. Your corals are looking like many of mine did when I had my N and P jack way up to get rid of dinos.

 

[Troylee]

Let me guess? Dry rock? Tank for 3 months by most?
GHA is a natural event in reef tank, especially in those established with dry rock, but even to some extend in tanks with live rock.
That’s why it used to be recommended to wait with corals for 6 months or so and definitely after GHA phase is gone. I am not sure what is the new recommendation though.

I don’t think so.. that rock is very established by the looks of it… he’s got something else going on.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'm new to reef keeping and my LPS and SPS are dying. My tank recently was invaded with green hair algae and I noticed my chalice, candy canes, and other stoney corals are in a bad way. Not sure if the gha is just a coincidence or cause but my parameters seem way off. The corals are all shrunken and shriveled and starting to bleach.

Parameters
32 gallon Biocube about 8 months old
Temp 78-79
Salinity 1.026-27
Ca 720 ppm
Mg 1.300 ppm
P.H. 8.0 (seems really high but I only have test strips to measure this so unsure of accuracy)

Fish:
6 line wrasse
Fairy Basslet
Diamond Goby
Firefish Goby

All the fish and soft corals appear to be doing fine.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

You are likely elevated with Phos, nitrate, and ph levels.
In a nice way- you cannot make an investment in fish and coral and rely on $7 test strips that work also for freshwater for sustainability. Hanna and Salifert brand are reliable kits and until you can acquire them, Have an Lfs that does Not use Api kits test for you and see what readings they come up with.
If your calcium level is true- You have overdosed extremely as range is 400-450 and salinity getting high (1.025-1.026)