SOS!!! DYING acan!!!
- Thread starter Eienna
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Browncoat
Community Member
If your dkh is at 14 then you need to start song some pretty hefty water changes to get it back down. Even at 12 corals will stress. Like the other poster said 8 to 10 dkh is best. Mix up some water and salt and check the dkh and see if maybe it's the salt mixture.
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k2parkstar
Z&P Snob
What fish do you have?
OP
OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
Okay, will do.
Nothing that should be causing trouble. Two ocellaris clowns, one mandarin dragonet, one scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp, two small bluelegged hermit crabs, two turbo snails, one nassarius snail, one astraea snail, and I've counted two bristleworms.
Thanks...me too.
Browncoat
Community Member
Okay now test your water exiting your RODI unit. Maybe something is not right with your filters allowing minerals/debris through. See what the dkh is of that and get back to us 
ah lest we are on the right path here now
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ah lest we are on the right path here nowSent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2
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Eienna
5000 Club Member
Okay now test your water exiting your RODI unit. Maybe something is not right with your filters allowing minerals/debris through. See what the dkh is of that and get back to us
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Already did. Had to buy some bottles last night and they're testing out at no more than 1dkh. Zero nitrate.
The weird thing is that I've been using this bucket of salt since I got them and they weren't showing any stress at all. Guessing the high nitrate/hypersalinity combo made the difference?
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Mrfresh
Valuable Member
Target feeding is great. There is a small problem with it.
If your using frozen food you need to rinse it. Your corals may love to eat brine mysis ext, but they most likely don't like the gel they freeze them in.
Wen ever I'm going to target feed I tha my frozen food rinse it and then add garlic to it to enrich it.
I don't have issues with corals reacting bad after I feed.
You alk problem.
So most reefs are kept anywhere from 7dkh to 12dkh.
General rule of thumb...
7dkh really clean water
12dkh you allow a little dirty es in ur water, like phos and nit.
14dkh is high and can cause a lot of stress on LPS and sps
Which ever salt you are using should have what the alk cal and mag are at different salt levels. You might want to run ur salt at 1.024 right now and that will bring down ur alk level and the corals can breath a little again...
Good luck
If your using frozen food you need to rinse it. Your corals may love to eat brine mysis ext, but they most likely don't like the gel they freeze them in.
Wen ever I'm going to target feed I tha my frozen food rinse it and then add garlic to it to enrich it.
I don't have issues with corals reacting bad after I feed.
You alk problem.
So most reefs are kept anywhere from 7dkh to 12dkh.
General rule of thumb...
7dkh really clean water
12dkh you allow a little dirty es in ur water, like phos and nit.
14dkh is high and can cause a lot of stress on LPS and sps
Which ever salt you are using should have what the alk cal and mag are at different salt levels. You might want to run ur salt at 1.024 right now and that will bring down ur alk level and the corals can breath a little again...
Good luck
Is your phosphate .5 or .05? .5 is extremely high, and .05 is not so bad. I would say if your phosphates are truly .5ppm then that is most likely one of your problems.
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OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
Yeah.
I tested the salinity in the new water (I have GOT to get a refractometer!!) and it was overhigh too. I fixed that and now that's down to 10-11. I'm going to change lots of water now and see if I can get Mom to loan me the cash for some dip and a refractometer.
I tested the salinity in the new water (I have GOT to get a refractometer!!) and it was overhigh too. I fixed that and now that's down to 10-11. I'm going to change lots of water now and see if I can get Mom to loan me the cash for some dip and a refractometer.
Mrfresh
Valuable Member
Look into getting a hydrometer. I love mine. It never need to calibrated.
This is in vista ca. Not sure what part of so Cali ur in but it's in sd area
Store Salt & Hydrometers Refractometers | Hydrometers| Digital Salinity Meters
I go to this place all the time for fish equipment
This is in vista ca. Not sure what part of so Cali ur in but it's in sd area
Store Salt & Hydrometers Refractometers | Hydrometers| Digital Salinity Meters
I go to this place all the time for fish equipment
Browncoat
Community Member
Calm down a bit. I know you wanna Hey it fixed fast. But if you take everything out and change all the parameters to fast you'll do more harm then good.
Slowly add the rodi water to lower the dkh I'm talking over hours don't want to shock everything.
And to remove phosphates do your water changes over a weekend not in one day. You can also grab a phosphate filter b pad... But don't leave it in for to long.
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Slowly add the rodi water to lower the dkh I'm talking over hours don't want to shock everything.
And to remove phosphates do your water changes over a weekend not in one day. You can also grab a phosphate filter b pad... But don't leave it in for to long.
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OP
OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
I already have two hydrometers, and I couldn't go way down there. I know what happened with the new water salinity - usually the house temp is within 2 degrees or so of the tank water so I'm good to go using the hydrometer. When I brought it home last night for the emergency change the new water was a bit warm from the dispensing machine and I didn't have time to let it cool to room temp.
I believe I simply have not kept up properly with water changes and top-offs because I had to go out and buy water every time (and I don't drive.)
The phosphate, unfortunately, could only be .5. My test doesn't measure between .25 and 0.
I'm getting my RODI unit today, with any luck. Hopefully I can get this all straightened out with some water changes.
Thanks, guys. I think my fiery depths acan's going to be okay...the aussie looks horrible so I don't know if it can come back but I'll do my best. The other corals appear okay.
I believe I simply have not kept up properly with water changes and top-offs because I had to go out and buy water every time (and I don't drive.)
The phosphate, unfortunately, could only be .5. My test doesn't measure between .25 and 0.
I'm getting my RODI unit today, with any luck. Hopefully I can get this all straightened out with some water changes.
Thanks, guys. I think my fiery depths acan's going to be okay...the aussie looks horrible so I don't know if it can come back but I'll do my best. The other corals appear okay.
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OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
I need to thank my fellow R2Rers for all the help. The Aussie may not come back (has anyone heard of acan polyps regenerating from mere shreds?) but it does not appear to be getting any worse, and my other corals, including the fiery depths acan, are acting normal again. I think I've got things back under control. Whew! I have to admit that when I saw that acan falling apart I started having some nasty flashbacks to a disaster I had with my 50g freshwater tank. Something was wrong with the tap water I added during a routine change, and by the time the tank was full my beloved fish were dying one after another at such a rate that I'm amazed I saved any of them. I even lost my favorite, a gold nugget plecostomus named Vegas. That night ripped me apart and it seems I may never be completely over it.
Thanks for helping me keep this from becoming another disaster, guys. :') I seriously freaked out, and I don't do that.
I can hardly wait to upgrade. It's far too easy to mess up the chemistry in a 20 gallon tank.
Thanks for helping me keep this from becoming another disaster, guys. :') I seriously freaked out, and I don't do that.
I can hardly wait to upgrade. It's far too easy to mess up the chemistry in a 20 gallon tank.
