!!!REEF 911 with Adam at Battlecorals!!!

[Gtinnel]

curious why do you feel you need to run 3 membranes?

I just run 3 membranes because of the savings in time when filling containers and the water savings. I’ve ran 2 membranes for a few years but I just added the third membrane relatively recently. I think I may start a new thread on this topic to get other peoples input without wasting more space on your help thread, since I don’t have an issue with this that I know of.

It is something to think about and if I ever start having unusual tank issues I will look into it more.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

I just run 3 membranes because of the savings in time when filling containers and the water savings. I’ve ran 2 membranes for a few years but I just added the third membrane relatively recently. I think I may start a new thread on this topic to get other peoples input without wasting more space on your help thread, since I don’t have an issue with this that I know of.

It is something to think about and if I ever start having unusual tank issues I will look into it more.

No, I like the discussion man! This is the kind of stuff I was hoping to dissect in this thread. Although you may get a little more visibility with a with your own thread specifically.

 

[Charles Zinn]

Great idea!
I’m still personally working on high nitrates that haven’t been able to figure out for years

actually, it’s why I’m still having you hold my order lol, although the coral itself doesn’t look horrible and most all stuff isn’t dying anymore, just doesn’t look super happy and
my nitrates are still pretty high.

ALK at 8.3
Sal at 1.026
Temp at 78
Cal at 420
Mg at 1435
Nitrates say around 75-100 on salifert and freaking 533 from ATI Germany one

don’t feed more than 2x a day with dried mysis and seaweed 1/2 piece maybe 1x week

Just did a full rip clean and have done multiple 200g+ WC on 330g system

My problem with nitrates is not so bad 25. Am looking to get lower micron socks 100. Bought a pump to blow on rocks and am going to try the airstone under rock ledges. Hope it works.

 

[David_CO]

So this past week I had the most significant coral die off ive ever experienced and im at a loss for the cause, it includes some acros that have been in the tank for a while and dealt with the fluctuations of a fairly new reef (10 months old). In the span of a week i lost about 8 acros, a torch's polyps bailed out and a goni's flesh is receding from the top.

My alk is stable at 8.3....about 6 weeks ago i lowered my alk from a stable 8.8 to 8.3 because i was getting some occasional tip burn. I did this change over about 24 hrs which was probably too fast....this is my leading theory but to have them all go south this week seems a bit strange.


Temp is stable between 77.7 and 78.1
CA: 440-420
MG: 1350-1400
phos: 0.08-0.13
nitrate: 8-15
S/G: 1.025-1.026
PH: 8.1-8.35

I use red sea blue bucket salt

my 4 ft tank is lit by 3x Reefled 90's. running about 65% blue 35% white for 12 hrs with a 3 hr ramp on each side (6 hrs peak light). with my SQ110 I measure about ~200-300 par where most of the acros are.

I dose kalk and AFR. occasional red sea AB+.

my tank is ~120G, every 2ish weeks i change about 30G of water.

I did an ICP right before the new yr. both my display tank and RO water came back pretty good IMO (linked below).
I started dosing a trace complex about 1/3 the recommended dose after I got the ICP test once every 7-10 days.
-highish aluminum, low values for some trace elements

My tank is pretty heavily stocked but everything reef safe. I feed a mix of frozen and pellets in an autofeeder.

////lab.atiaquaristik.com/publicAnalysis/209851
/////lab.atiaquaristik.com/publicAnalysis/208485

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

So this past week I had the most significant coral die off ive ever experienced and im at a loss for the cause, it includes some acros that have been in the tank for a while and dealt with the fluctuations of a fairly new reef (10 months old). In the span of a week i lost about 8 acros, a torch's polyps bailed out and a goni's flesh is receding from the top.

My alk is stable at 8.3....about 6 weeks ago i lowered my alk from a stable 8.8 to 8.3 because i was getting some occasional tip burn. I did this change over about 24 hrs which was probably too fast....this is my leading theory but to have them all go south this week seems a bit strange.


Temp is stable between 77.7 and 78.1
CA: 440-420
MG: 1350-1400
phos: 0.08-0.13
nitrate: 8-15
S/G: 1.025-1.026
PH: 8.1-8.35

I use red sea blue bucket salt

my 4 ft tank is lit by 3x Reefled 90's. running about 65% blue 35% white for 12 hrs with a 3 hr ramp on each side (6 hrs peak light). with my SQ110 I measure about ~200-300 par where most of the acros are.

I dose kalk and AFR. occasional red sea AB+.

my tank is ~120G, every 2ish weeks i change about 30G of water.

I did an ICP right before the new yr. both my display tank and RO water came back pretty good IMO (linked below).
I started dosing a trace complex about 1/3 the recommended dose after I got the ICP test once every 7-10 days.
-highish aluminum, low values for some trace elements

My tank is pretty heavily stocked but everything reef safe. I feed a mix of frozen and pellets in an autofeeder.

////lab.atiaquaristik.com/publicAnalysis/209851
/////lab.atiaquaristik.com/publicAnalysis/208485

Hmm definetly strange. what are you using to supplement. calcium and alkalinity?

 

[InvaderJim]

I've been banging my head against a wall for the last few months trying to figure this out. I'm completely out of ideas at this point.

Tank turned 2 years old in Nov, and was mostly softie dominated for a while. I had success growing a few monti's in it at the same time so I figured I would try my luck with SPS. To make a long story short I have had abysmal success so far. Every single frag I have put in it since has RTN. Some in days, some in a few weeks. It doesn't matter where in the tank I place them they all end up the same. But more recently It seems like everything else is declining as well. Recently lost two heads of Todd's torch, I have a favia that is losing tissue, I had to rescue my plate coral and move it to another tank.

I'm not dosing anything, at all, the tank basically consumes nothing as far as Alk and Ca which is a sign to me nothing is growing. Recently I've added more fish, bypassed the some of the flow through the filter roller, and removed everything but some purit I put in to potentially remove any contaminants. I feel like i've done everything. Checked for stray voltage, checked magnets for rust, ICP, mapped PAR, even went as far as raising my lights.

48x24x16 seapora rimless
Ati sunpower 6bulb
vectra s2 return
2x mp40
1x Gyre XF330
Clarisea Gen 3
Simplicity 240dc skimmer

Alk 8.0-8-5
PH 7.8-8.15 (I hate how low this dips at night)
Temp 77.6-78.8 (average is 78.33 according to Apex)
Po4 0.07-0.1
No3 10-15
Mag 1350
Ca 430
I make my own saltwater using a 5 stage RO/DI and red sea blue bucket.

 

[yan2pr]

Hello guys,

Its me again, today I noticed a weird smell coming from my tank. Upon inspection I noticed my Miyagi tort colony bleached right in the middle of the colony, with chunks of skin holding to dear life. Yesterday everything was ok. When I pulled the colony out of the tank, the coral smelled really bad. Any idea if this will affect the rest of the tank? I put some carbon in, just in case. I verified the Apex and there was no swings. I have no sand, no issues with any other corals for now.

Alk. 8.0
Nitrate 12
Phos 0.03
Cal 430
Sal 1.026
Ph is always low 7.8 - 8.0
Temp 78-79

 

[David_CO]

Hmm definetly strange. what are you using to supplement. calcium and alkalinity?

kalk and all for reef. no change there for 5-6 months aside from gradual dosing adjustments.

 

[StatelineReefer]

Hello guys,

Its me again, today I noticed a weird smell coming from my tank. Upon inspection I noticed my Miyagi tort colony bleached right in the middle of the colony, with chunks of skin holding to dear life. Yesterday everything was ok. When I pulled the colony out of the tank, the coral smelled really bad. Any idea if this will affect the rest of the tank? I put some carbon in, just in case. I verified the Apex and there was no swings. I have no sand, no issues with any other corals for now.

Alk. 8.0
Nitrate 12
Phos 0.03
Cal 430
Sal 1.026
Ph is always low 7.8 - 8.0
Temp 78-79

I've been banging my head against a wall for the last few months trying to figure this out. I'm completely out of ideas at this point.

Tank turned 2 years old in Nov, and was mostly softie dominated for a while. I had success growing a few monti's in it at the same time so I figured I would try my luck with SPS. To make a long story short I have had abysmal success so far. Every single frag I have put in it since has RTN. Some in days, some in a few weeks. It doesn't matter where in the tank I place them they all end up the same. But more recently It seems like everything else is declining as well. Recently lost two heads of Todd's torch, I have a favia that is losing tissue, I had to rescue my plate coral and move it to another tank.

I'm not dosing anything, at all, the tank basically consumes nothing as far as Alk and Ca which is a sign to me nothing is growing. Recently I've added more fish, bypassed the some of the flow through the filter roller, and removed everything but some purit I put in to potentially remove any contaminants. I feel like i've done everything. Checked for stray voltage, checked magnets for rust, ICP, mapped PAR, even went as far as raising my lights.

48x24x16 seapora rimless
Ati sunpower 6bulb
vectra s2 return
2x mp40
1x Gyre XF330
Clarisea Gen 3
Simplicity 240dc skimmer

Alk 8.0-8-5
PH 7.8-8.15 (I hate how low this dips at night)
Temp 77.6-78.8 (average is 78.33 according to Apex)
Po4 0.07-0.1
No3 10-15
Mag 1350
Ca 430
I make my own saltwater using a 5 stage RO/DI and red sea blue bucket.

So this past week I had the most significant coral die off ive ever experienced and im at a loss for the cause, it includes some acros that have been in the tank for a while and dealt with the fluctuations of a fairly new reef (10 months old). In the span of a week i lost about 8 acros, a torch's polyps bailed out and a goni's flesh is receding from the top.

My alk is stable at 8.3....about 6 weeks ago i lowered my alk from a stable 8.8 to 8.3 because i was getting some occasional tip burn. I did this change over about 24 hrs which was probably too fast....this is my leading theory but to have them all go south this week seems a bit strange.


Temp is stable between 77.7 and 78.1
CA: 440-420
MG: 1350-1400
phos: 0.08-0.13
nitrate: 8-15
S/G: 1.025-1.026
PH: 8.1-8.35

I use red sea blue bucket salt

my 4 ft tank is lit by 3x Reefled 90's. running about 65% blue 35% white for 12 hrs with a 3 hr ramp on each side (6 hrs peak light). with my SQ110 I measure about ~200-300 par where most of the acros are.

I dose kalk and AFR. occasional red sea AB+.

my tank is ~120G, every 2ish weeks i change about 30G of water.

I did an ICP right before the new yr. both my display tank and RO water came back pretty good IMO (linked below).
I started dosing a trace complex about 1/3 the recommended dose after I got the ICP test once every 7-10 days.
-highish aluminum, low values for some trace elements

My tank is pretty heavily stocked but everything reef safe. I feed a mix of frozen and pellets in an autofeeder.

////lab.atiaquaristik.com/publicAnalysis/209851
/////lab.atiaquaristik.com/publicAnalysis/208485

Lower, then stabilize your temps over the next few days, come down to 75-76 and see if you don't see a difference.

High temps maximize growth and metabolism for everything... that includes some ciliates and bacteria that might not be the best for corals, all three of you are running on what I would consider the top end of the comfortable range...

 

[David_CO]

That’s interesting, I hadn’t considered that and figured I was running at an optimal temp considering this thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/what-is-your-ideal-reef-temperature.757897/

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Lower, then stabilize your temps over the next few days, come down to 75-76 and see if you don't see a difference.

High temps maximize growth and metabolism for everything... that includes some ciliates and bacteria that might not be the best for corals, all three of you are running on what I would consider the top end of the comfortable range...

not a bad call. I definitely run cooler myself. 76-78 most of the year up there

 

[oliverout]

Hi I was wondering why my bonsai acro is doing so good but my aquacultured acro is dying, I've had it for maybe 2 months and it slowly just started dying. The aquacultured acro is in medium to high flow and high light and all the part of the coral that has encrusted died off. My params are 430 calc 7.8alk 5 nitrates ph is usually 7.7-8 throughout the day but im adding a co2 scrubber tomorrow salinity 1.026. Thanks hopefully someone can help.

 

[Jimbo]

Hey Adam, in one of your posts earlier talking about RO/DI you had asked if a water softener was being used in the house . Wondering what effect the water softener has on the RO/DI production?

 

[TnFishwater98]

Hey Adam @Battlecorals , appreciate you being a professional enthusiast in reefing and taking you own time to care enough to spread your knowledge to either struggling or just eager to learn reefers. Every BB I’ve gotten from you has been fabulous and whenever there was a logistical mishap it was handled very professionally.

I got an easy one for you (maybe). Do you see growth on the top of this frag or is this frag being bothered by the lightbulb anemone…? It was a lot whiter on the top end but the last couple of days I’ve been blasting the LB anemone with a small power head trying to get to move. Since then it doesn’t seem as white. It’s been positioned in this tank for about 2 months….The LB has moved further back. It was all over frag.

* I understand if you can’t tell by this photo or not having a photo lapse of the frag.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Hey Adam, in one of your posts earlier talking about RO/DI you had asked if a water softener was being used in the house . Wondering what effect the water softener has on the RO/DI production?

Hi there,

hey really sorry for the lag here guys. I've been stupidly busy with a lot of the grow out contest stuff but after this week things will calm down for sure. But anyway yes soft water. It is my understanding that tfc membranes love softened water. And by that I mean water with the calcium and magnesium mostly removed.

Membranes in general , will perform more efficiently and ultimately last longer with softened water. If you have an opportunity to run a softened, cold water line to your RO unit that would be ideal.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Hey Adam @Battlecorals , appreciate you being a professional enthusiast in reefing and taking you own time to care enough to spread your knowledge to either struggling or just eager to learn reefers. Every BB I’ve gotten from you has been fabulous and whenever there was a logistical mishap it was handled very professionally.

I got an easy one for you (maybe). Do you see growth on the top of this frag or is this frag being bothered by the lightbulb anemone…? It was a lot whiter on the top end but the last couple of days I’ve been blasting the LB anemone with a small power head trying to get to move. Since then it doesn’t seem as white. It’s been positioned in this tank for about 2 months….The LB has moved further back. It was all over frag.

* I understand if you can’t tell by this photo or not having a photo lapse of the frag.

Hi there. good question. Its not uncommon at all for the original stalk of a frag top essentially go dormant while the base encrusts and eventually new growth sprouts up from that. looking at this frag id say that growth on the main brach has stalled a bit but the encrusted part looks good to go. id imagine youll see new growth sprout from that eventually

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

I've been banging my head against a wall for the last few months trying to figure this out. I'm completely out of ideas at this point.

Tank turned 2 years old in Nov, and was mostly softie dominated for a while. I had success growing a few monti's in it at the same time so I figured I would try my luck with SPS. To make a long story short I have had abysmal success so far. Every single frag I have put in it since has RTN. Some in days, some in a few weeks. It doesn't matter where in the tank I place them they all end up the same. But more recently It seems like everything else is declining as well. Recently lost two heads of Todd's torch, I have a favia that is losing tissue, I had to rescue my plate coral and move it to another tank.

I'm not dosing anything, at all, the tank basically consumes nothing as far as Alk and Ca which is a sign to me nothing is growing. Recently I've added more fish, bypassed the some of the flow through the filter roller, and removed everything but some purit I put in to potentially remove any contaminants. I feel like i've done everything. Checked for stray voltage, checked magnets for rust, ICP, mapped PAR, even went as far as raising my lights.

48x24x16 seapora rimless
Ati sunpower 6bulb
vectra s2 return
2x mp40
1x Gyre XF330
Clarisea Gen 3
Simplicity 240dc skimmer

Alk 8.0-8-5
PH 7.8-8.15 (I hate how low this dips at night)
Temp 77.6-78.8 (average is 78.33 according to Apex)
Po4 0.07-0.1
No3 10-15
Mag 1350
Ca 430
I make my own saltwater using a 5 stage RO/DI and red sea blue bucket.

hi there. sorry for the lag. I swear my intentions are to get to each and every one of these I promise.


so this definitely seems like a chemistry issue of some sort. but I can feel your frustration in that we have no blaring red flags here. but that is the very purpose of this thread. so let's see if we can't start somewhere. the fact that lps are struggling is an indication that something more elusive is way off or contaminated to some degree.

would you say that from the moment they go in they are in decline? there is really no period where they seem to be doing ok even? and how long is the longest you've beeen able to keep tissue on any particular piece?

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Hi I was wondering why my bonsai acro is doing so good but my aquacultured acro is dying, I've had it for maybe 2 months and it slowly just started dying. The aquacultured acro is in medium to high flow and high light and all the part of the coral that has encrusted died off. My params are 430 calc 7.8alk 5 nitrates ph is usually 7.7-8 throughout the day but im adding a co2 scrubber tomorrow salinity 1.026. Thanks hopefully someone can help.

Hi there by "aquacultured". do you mean like an Indo mariculture colony then or are we talking about a captive raised Acro?

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Hey Adam @Battlecorals , appreciate you being a professional enthusiast in reefing and taking you own time to care enough to spread your knowledge to either struggling or just eager to learn reefers. Every BB I’ve gotten from you has been fabulous and whenever there was a logistical mishap it was handled very professionally.

I got an easy one for you (maybe). Do you see growth on the top of this frag or is this frag being bothered by the lightbulb anemone…? It was a lot whiter on the top end but the last couple of days I’ve been blasting the LB anemone with a small power head trying to get to move. Since then it doesn’t seem as white. It’s been positioned in this tank for about 2 months….The LB has moved further back. It was all over frag.

* I understand if you can’t tell by this photo or not having a photo lapse of the frag.

,

hey just wanted to follow up on this one and see if there was any change in the frag in question for you at all?

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Hey Adam, in one of your posts earlier talking about RO/DI you had asked if a water softener was being used in the house . Wondering what effect the water softener has on the RO/DI production?

Hey Jimbo,

once again sorry for the lag I'm just now finally getting to some of these posts from you guys.

regarding softened water it's my understanding that TFC membranes have to work a lot harder to to remove some of the calcium and magneese that water softeners will remove, so when feeding an RO softened water at the very least will extend the life of the membrane.