Help!

[jdloftness]

I have a 50 gallon cube that I've had for 3-4 years. In that time, I have killed more corals than I care to admit. I occasionally lose fish too, but I'm not certain if it's related to water issues. I perform a 10% water change once per week. I've never dosed any chemicals because I never knew I needed to, or how to. I test my water once per week, but I'm not convinced my testing equipment (API, Red Sea, Hannah, Etc) are dead on accurate. The only things I have been successful in keeping are a ritteri, a couple bubble tips, some GSP, and Xenia. My torches, hammers, gonni's, acans, etc., all die in time.

I would give anything to know what I am doing wrong. Reading articles about how one chemical affects another is almost like reading a foreign language to me. There are 4-5 reef stores in the KC area, but none of them do more than change water and clean the glass. Are their online or college classes that teach day-to-day instructions on maintenance? I'm retired, so I have plenty of time, but desperately need help. I want to have a tank like those online who show off their stuff, but I'm literally embarrassed by my skill.

Any suggestions you could provide would be greatly appreciated. All my best, Jon L

 

[Terri Caton]

Hey Jon, you made the first big step to success by coming on here and asking!

Everyone is going to ask you to list your equipment and especially you water parameters so I might as well get you working on that.

 

[Homebrewer]

Jon,

I’ll start by saying you’re in the right place, asking the right people. I would suggest going on YouTube and watching BRStv videos, namely the 52 weeks of reefing series. There are plenty other videos they put out that will help you learn more about the science behind a lot of what you may be embarrassed about. For example, you mention you don’t know much about dosing... well they have plenty of short videos that explain all of it quite simply.

And by the way, never be embarrassed to ask questions. I’m not one of the experts here, but never hesitate to ask this community.

 

[jdloftness]

Hey Jon, you made the first big step to success by coming on here and asking!

Everyone is going to ask you to list your equipment and especially you water parameters so I might as well get you working on that.

Thank you. I started watching the 52 weeks of reefing, but need to complete the series for sure. I appreciate you being kind in your response. I absolutely love looking at my tank and inhabitants, but have always assumed everything in the tank is temporary, based on my history. Again, thank you. Jon

 

[Greatdane]

Some corals like different flow different lighting even different places in the tank I wonder since you have a wide variety of coral that many of them could’ve been in the wrong place or just had a place where could not get any nutrients through the water

 

[Fla04gbf]

Hi fellow reefer, jd. Dont worry. There are experts here to help you solve your problems. Most of us in R2R would be more that willing to help you out if we can. You made a great decision to come to this community and you are in good hands. But first of all we need to know you equipment setups, flow, light intensity, sump and refugium, skimmer, etc. And most importantly, since you actually did do some tests on your water, it would be most helpful to also list out at least the recent test results. If you really want to know your precise parameters, i would suggest that you do and ICP test. But i think in your case it would probably not be absolutely necessary. From my limited experience, my initial guess would be that your nutrient levels , po4 and no3 maybe too high but without the data it’s hard to be certain. Don’t give up! Help is on the way! Happy reefing!

 

[Samina]

It’s great to have you here and to see your drive to keep going and learn!!

BRS 52 weeks of reefing is a great series. They have videos on pretty much all topics pertaining to reefing with great info so they are really a great resource.

I agree with the above, to better suit advice, info about your setup is needed. Water source, tank, equipment, livestock, maintenance schedule, testing results, etc. the more info you give, the better advice you’ll get!! Add a pic if you can also!