Sps Bleaching Event

Keepswiming · Nov 7, 2015

I figured I would post my experience here so others can benefit from my misfortune.

After loosing all my sps to a tank crash last year I redid my whole tank and then started stocking sps heavily. About a month ago, the hundreds of dollars of frags I stocked in my system starting looking bad. I tested my all parameters daily and turned down my LEDs thinking that might have been the problem. I couldn't figure out why my sps were stn,rtn, and bleaching one by one! Parameters are:
Alk-8.4
Ca-430
Mag-1350
Nitrate-3
P04- .05
Ph-8.0
And they did not fluctuate daily.

I was about to give up and let the whole tank die but decided to give it one last go this week. I did 3 medium water changes (making sure the parameters were all matched). When I took my TLF algae clip out to feed my Achilles, I realized the magnet cracked and was leaching rust into the tank. After a quick search, I found out this was a common issue causing mass sps die off. I wanted to notify everyone to check all magnets so this doesn't happen to you! I lost 60 percent of my new sps again and cannot afford to restock this time. I hope they pull through so I can have my sps dominate tank I have always dreamed of.
CHECK THOSE MAGNETS LADIES AND GENTS, beacuase watching your sps die AGAIN, is so depressing!

Russ265 · Nov 9, 2015

i am not doubting your experience.

but i am skeptical that iron or rust kills off sps at the rate you claim. i have iron rusting from clothes pins in my system. but i dont experience die off.

my .02

bct15 · Nov 9, 2015

Magnetic alloys can contain up to (and over) 20 % copper.

Russ265 · Nov 10, 2015

bct15 said:
Magnetic alloys can contain up to (and over) 20 % copper.

interesting.

while alloys may contain it, most of the magnets that "rust" are made of iron/nickel.
im just skeptical that a veggie clip of some sort employed alloys instead of the regular, run of the mill magnet from china.

...although there is the lead paint factor.

a simple copper test after placing your magnet sample in solution would be telling if this was true.

AllSignsPointToFish · Nov 10, 2015

That's unfortunate

I have not used magnetic clips and have tried to avoid their use wherever possible.

Keepswiming · Nov 10, 2015

Russ265 said:
interesting.

while alloys may contain it, most of the magnets that "rust" are made of iron/nickel.
im just skeptical that a veggie clip of some sort employed alloys instead of the regular, run of the mill magnet from china.

...although there is the lead paint factor.

a simple copper test after placing your magnet sample in solution would be telling if this was true.

Just stating what had happened and what I found. It might not be the issue, it might have been complete coincidence that they stopped bleaching after I took out the rusty magnet.

Do a little Google search and you will find that this is not as uncommon as your skepticism believes.

Keepswiming · Nov 10, 2015

I will place this magnet In a cup of water for a couple of hours today and then test so we will know if it in fact contains copper.

Russ265 · Nov 10, 2015

Keepswiming said:
Just stating what had happened and what I found. It might not be the issue, it might have been complete coincidence that they stopped bleaching after I took out the rusty magnet.

Do a little Google search and you will find that this is not as uncommon as your skepticism believes.

Yeah... someone claimed something similar.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...notice-any-negative-effects-from-rust.201176/

complete with @Paul B 's beer can, hammer, and license plate.

I'm more of Paul's mindset though.... I'd drop a hammer in my tank and doubt anything would happen. As long as it is an Estwing... not those Stanley girly hammers Paul uses.

Keepswiming · Nov 10, 2015

I am not claiming that rust kills acros as a fact. I am simply stating my experience with this particular magnet that's all.

AllSignsPointToFish · Nov 10, 2015

I wonder if it is not so much the iron in the magnet (as iron is an important trace element for phytoplankton in the open ocean) but rather the magnetic characteristics of the particles that might be causing the problems.

Keepswiming · Nov 10, 2015

AllSignsPointToFIsh said:
I wonder if it is not so much the iron in the magnet (as iron is an important trace element for phytoplankton in the open ocean) but rather the magnetic characteristics of the particles that might be causing the problems.

Way beyond my pay grade... Haha

I am about to test for copper to rule that out.