Some LPS coral are Closed/Melting

[danverra]

Do you mean this?

If so, i suggest you get a proper refractometer. Swing arm hydrometers can be off by a lot.

Are you sure about that though? My refractometer has been measuring salinity fine. Plus I don’t really think salinity can be an issue because my salinity has been At that level for more than a year now. Plus only some corals are being affected. I did a 25% percent water change last night I’ll test again to see if my parameters have changed.

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

Your dkh levels are very high.
Instant Ocean doesn't mix that high.
What tool are you using to measure salinity?
Suggest you mix a fresh batch, and test that to rule out a bad batch of salt.
If that tests ok, then seems you have really overdone the dosing.

Instant ocean reef crystals very much mixes that high. Nearly all of his parameters are inline with what I experienced over 2 200 gallon buckets of reef crystals. I'd say its a mix of chemical warfare and algae causing the problems. What are your nitrate and phosphate levels at?

 

[Stoneys'Reef]

Are you sure about that though? My refractometer has been measuring salinity fine. Plus I don’t really think salinity can be an issue because my salinity has been At that level for more than a year now. Plus only some corals are being affected. I did a 25% percent water change last night I’ll test again to see if my parameters have changed.

Instant Ocean is Junk.some people get lucky with itfor a while but I had issues like yoursfor years with Instant Ocean. My ALK was always 12 ir higher. Try tropic marin . It is more expensive but for a good reason. A bunch of people will say I am wrong and they use Instant Ocean also. It is Ok if you have a fully stocked tank that devours Alk , if not you will have this issue over and over with a minimally stocked tank. This is just my opinion after 15 years of reefing . I do not know much . Hope you can get it fixed. 90% water change is really really bad for an established system also, if that is what you really did was 90% then you removed all of your good bacteria and food for your corals.

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

+1 I switched to tropic marin pro reef this year and love the results I'm getting. With reef crystals I was getting over 13dKH usually. Now I mix consistently at 8-8.5 in a quarter of the time. Im not knocking instant Ocean, because plenty of people with MUCH nicer tanks than I use it. It just wasn't for me.
You shouldn't do that large of a water change at once, try to spread it out over a week period if you can.

 

[legrunt]

Instant ocean reef crystals very much mixes that high. Nearly all of his parameters are inline with what I experienced over 2 200 gallon buckets of reef crystals. I'd say its a mix of chemical warfare and algae causing the problems. What are your nitrate and phosphate levels at?

Really? I have no experience with instant Ocean besides a quick Google search of it. Maybe i read a wrong article.

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

Really? I have no experience with instant Ocean besides a quick Google search of it. Maybe i read a wrong article.

Instant ocean and instant ocean reef crystals are not the same salts. IO mixes much lower than IORC. Reef crystals was produced to mix higher so you don't have to dose - as much. In my opinion, it's not for lightly stocked tanks, and would do much better for tanks that have full colonies using up the elements quickly. If I had done my research instead of listening to others I would have started with IO instead, and bought more corals with the money I saved

 

[Stoneys'Reef]

+1 I switched to tropic marin pro reef this year and love the results I'm getting. With reef crystals I was getting over 13dKH usually. Now I mix consistently at 8-8.5 in a quarter of the time. Im not knocking instant Ocean, because plenty of people with MUCH nicer tanks than I use it. It just wasn't for me.
You shouldn't do that large of a water change at once, try to spread it out over a week period if you can.

Agree Tropic Marin is spot on every single bucket.

 

[danverra]

Instant ocean reef crystals very much mixes that high. Nearly all of his parameters are inline with what I experienced over 2 200 gallon buckets of reef crystals. I'd say its a mix of chemical warfare and algae causing the problems. What are your nitrate and phosphate levels at?

My pho’s posted are 0.25ppm and nitrate is 0ppm

 

[danverra]

It looks like you have some favia and some acans and a platy there on the losing side. These corals do not like to be too close to each other. Platy near acans will cause issues. Favia near most things will cause problems. They like to fight with chemical warfare or tentacles.
You will need to get the algae off the area around the corals. It is out competing and harming the corals.

Hmmm that could actually be a possibility. What would you recommend me to do in that situation? The algae is slowly going away but my corals still don’t look as happy as they were

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

You need to get your nutrients up. Quickly. LPS like dirtier, (not extremely dirty), tanks. Like 10ppm nitrate. You're on track to get dinos, if you don't already have them, which is a possibility and could kill off your corals and fish

 

[danverra]

You need to get your nutrients up. Quickly. LPS like dirtier, (not extremely dirty), tanks. Like 10ppm nitrate. You're on track to get dinos, if you don't already have them, which is a possibility and could kill off your corals and fish

Dinos? I’ve heard of them before but don’t know exactly what they are. How do I get my nutrients up safely?

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

Feed heavier. Reduce skimming, reduce refugium lighting period, less water changes, (or remove less in water volume during changes). Dinoflagelattes (sp?) are a prehistoric bacteria that are present in all tanks. They are toxic, and love low nutrient - nutrient deficient water.

Here's a link

Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

I don't know what percentage of folks had luck battling dinos with any of the methods in the old Dino thread but it's obviously a very low percentage, so I'd like refresh folks on the natural alternatives and lay out three areas of info: some of the factors that contribute to a dino outbreak...

www.reef2reef.com

I tore my tank down and upgraded after dinos took out 90% of my livestock. It was entirely my fault. In an attempt to remove nitrates and phosphates to reduce algae growth, I did a TON of water changes in a couple week period. Algae went away, then dinos took over.

You need a microscope to know for sure, but they can be beat with patience

 

[danverra]

Feed heavier. Reduce skimming, reduce refugium lighting period, less water changes, (or remove less in water volume during changes). Dinoflagelattes (sp?) are a prehistoric bacteria that are present in all tanks. They are toxic, and love low nutrient - nutrient deficient water.

Here's a link

Dinoflagellates – Are You Tired Of Battling Altogether?

I don't know what percentage of folks had luck battling dinos with any of the methods in the old Dino thread but it's obviously a very low percentage, so I'd like refresh folks on the natural alternatives and lay out three areas of info: some of the factors that contribute to a dino outbreak...

www.reef2reef.com

I tore my tank down and upgraded after dinos took out 90% of my livestock. It was entirely my fault. In an attempt to remove nitrates and phosphates to reduce algae growth, I did a TON of water changes in a couple week period. Algae went away, then dinos took over.

You need a microscope to know for sure, but they can be beat with patience

I was about to set up a refugium but I don’t think I should anymore. I have a seahorse tank that ahs higher nutrients than my reef. Do you think if i add some water from there to my reef it would help with nutrients?

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

I personally wouldn't add water from any other system to another, just because idk if there's any unforseen problems in the other tank.

The way your tank sits now, your refug algae will probably die of starvation. Just try to feed heavier and multiple times per day. Only what your fish will completely consume in a few minutes though.

Also, try to manually remove any algae on your rocks. The algae that is growing currently is taking up the nutrients that are present and using it for growth. Use a toothbrush to scrub the rocks off and run a filter sock to catch it in the sump. Or run a net through to catch the free floating algae.

 

[DeniseAndy]

First off, make sure to move the corals well away from each other if you can. Get some real good variable flow and make sure it is secondary to the corals. Meaning, these guys like lower random flow. Next feed two to three times a week some reef roids/gorg mix or something similar. Get some fuel to the corals.

Crazy as it sounds, my favia and platys do best in my 6g pico tank and my 20gL qt tank, than anywhere else. They cannot be near each other, but I have a favia and platy on opposite sides of rock in 6g and those are the best looking corals I have of LPS. They will not grow and die off in my 210g (too many softies). In my 40g, not sure as it is hooked to the 20gL. They just like the 20g and 6g. Maybe light/flow combo.

I would not mix water. Just to be safe. I hope they pull through. Platys are not easy to keep long term. They grow extremely slowly and are hard to maintain. IME Favias it depends. Some of mine have been bulletproof and fast, others super slow and really touchy when algae is present.

 

[danverra]

First off, make sure to move the corals well away from each other if you can. Get some real good variable flow and make sure it is secondary to the corals. Meaning, these guys like lower random flow. Next feed two to three times a week some reef roids/gorg mix or something similar. Get some fuel to the corals.

Crazy as it sounds, my favia and platys do best in my 6g pico tank and my 20gL qt tank, than anywhere else. They cannot be near each other, but I have a favia and platy on opposite sides of rock in 6g and those are the best looking corals I have of LPS. They will not grow and die off in my 210g (too many softies). In my 40g, not sure as it is hooked to the 20gL. They just like the 20g and 6g. Maybe light/flow combo.

I would not mix water. Just to be safe. I hope they pull through. Platys are not easy to keep long term. They grow extremely slowly and are hard to maintain. IME Favias it depends. Some of mine have been bulletproof and fast, others super slow and really touchy when algae is present.

I’ll be sure to use your advise thank you!

 

[danverra]

First off, make sure to move the corals well away from each other if you can. Get some real good variable flow and make sure it is secondary to the corals. Meaning, these guys like lower random flow. Next feed two to three times a week some reef roids/gorg mix or something similar. Get some fuel to the corals.

Crazy as it sounds, my favia and platys do best in my 6g pico tank and my 20gL qt tank, than anywhere else. They cannot be near each other, but I have a favia and platy on opposite sides of rock in 6g and those are the best looking corals I have of LPS. They will not grow and die off in my 210g (too many softies). In my 40g, not sure as it is hooked to the 20gL. They just like the 20g and 6g. Maybe light/flow combo.

I would not mix water. Just to be safe. I hope they pull through. Platys are not easy to keep long term. They grow extremely slowly and are hard to maintain. IME Favias it depends. Some of mine have been bulletproof and fast, others super slow and really touchy when algae is present.

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

First off, make sure to move the corals well away from each other if you can. Get some real good variable flow and make sure it is secondary to the corals. Meaning, these guys like lower random flow. Next feed two to three times a week some reef roids/gorg mix or something similar. Get some fuel to the corals.

Crazy as it sounds, my favia and platys do best in my 6g pico tank and my 20gL qt tank, than anywhere else. They cannot be near each other, but I have a favia and platy on opposite sides of rock in 6g and those are the best looking corals I have of LPS. They will not grow and die off in my 210g (too many softies). In my 40g, not sure as it is hooked to the 20gL. They just like the 20g and 6g. Maybe light/flow combo.

I would not mix water. Just to be safe. I hope they pull through. Platys are not easy to keep long term. They grow extremely slowly and are hard to maintain. IME Favias it depends. Some of mine have been bulletproof and fast, others super slow and really touchy when algae is present.

I can't keep favias to save my life lol

 

[danverra]

I personally wouldn't add water from any other system to another, just because idk if there's any unforseen problems in the other tank.

The way your tank sits now, your refug algae will probably die of starvation. Just try to feed heavier and multiple times per day. Only what your fish will completely consume in a few minutes though.

Also, try to manually remove any algae on your rocks. The algae that is growing currently is taking up the nutrients that are present and using it for growth. Use a toothbrush to scrub the rocks off and run a filter sock to catch it in the sump. Or run a net through to catch the free floating algae.

Alright then I’ll feed more I’ve been only feeding 2 times a week because of my algae but I’ll start feeding more. I’ll also use reefrouds bi-weekly should help!

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

Alright then I’ll feed more I’ve been only feeding 2 times a week because of my algae but I’ll start feeding more. I’ll also use reefrouds bi-weekly should help!

I'd use reefroids more often than that. It'll shoot your phosphates up in a hurry