SPS death? Stumped?

[Greyskull]

So i am not new to the reefing game but new to any forums. My SPS started dying off 3 months after I upgraded my tank. All my parameters are stable using salifert and Hanna meter so I know its not that. It started when the temps here in the east started dropping and the boiler was coming on more often. My tank is upstairs but my sump is in the basement close to the oil boiler. My initial thought was the teflon paste I was using on my pump but I since changed that yet corals are still dying. I also thought maybe my alkalinity was swinging or my temps but Ive been testing alk everyday over the past month and it is stable as a rock using my salifert test kit and my temps have no major swings using my controller and looking at my thermometer every few hours. I am now thinking my oil burner could be letting out a little soot that im not seeing from the dampner and getting into the sump which is about 5 ft away from the boiler. Right now I am so stumped I am just about to go fowlr. Is there a chance the boiler could be poisoning the tank? Its not a pest i have checked that also and I am losing montipora as well not just acropora and I lost a large soft coral and a LPS coral and I dont think there is a pest that eats all 3. Any suggestions would be welcome. I also have used polypads 4 times and nothing comes up with that.

 

[EW_Fish]

Have you changed you rodi filters?
Are you testing your alk same time each day?
Please list your parameters and salinity

 

[mike007]

Could it be carbon monoxide from the boiler? Might what to check to see if it is present in basement.

 

[EW_Fish]

Could it be carbon monoxide from the boiler? Might what to check to see if it is present in basement.

I had this problem when I lived in a towne home with nature gas. Even running the skimmer intake out side didn't fix the problem

 

[Greyskull]

I have a carbon monoxide detector downstairs but it doesnt go off at all. My salinity is 1.025 using a refractometer,alk is at 8.5 constant using a cal reactor, po4 is about .08 but I think it could have something to do with the coral deaths, Temp is 78 to 79

 

[dryad001]

My po4 is at .24 and have noticed a rapid decline in all my sps colonies. I feed heavy and got sick of running gfo all the time which gets expensive so ill be trying the lanthanum chloride drip for a few days to see if it helps.

 

[Greyskull]

And I check the Alk at different times. My TDS read 0.

 

[Diesel]

When did you upgrade and how long is this new tank running?
I would go back to the Teflon paste, read on the package what's in the paste.
A new setup can never be ready for SPS within a few days.
When I upgraded to my current tank I gave myself 3 months before I moved the SPS over.

 

[Greyskull]

Tank has been running since the end of July. I transfered all my rocks,water into the new tank and went BB using cutting board. Within 2 weeks I was coved in coraline and my corals started to encrust and grow. End of November I noticed tips of the acros receeding then all my montis started to fade in color. Then acros were dying over night then the montis,then my torch then my softie I had for 5 years

 

[jackson6745]

Do you have a PH monitor? If so what is the daily range? If not, get one

What is your lighting? When the problems occurred in November did you make any lighting changes?

When was the last time that you calibrated your refractometer?

How are most of your acros dying? Base up STN? Tip STN? RTN?

How is the algae growth on your glass? What color? How long does it take to grow?

Also a po4 reading of .08 is not so great when you consider that a hanna meter has a margin of error of .05. Unless your whole tank was STN from the base, I don't believe po4 is the cause. However, lowering it a little will only help.

 

[Dtech07]

Do you have a PH monitor? If so what is the daily range? If not, get one

What is your lighting? When the problems occurred in November did you make any lighting changes?

When was the last time that you calibrated your refractometer?

How are most of your acros dying? Base up STN? Tip STN? RTN?

How is the algae growth on your glass? What color? How long does it take to grow?

Also a po4 reading of .08 is not so great when you consider that a hanna meter has a margin of error of .05. Unless your whole tank was STN from the base, I don't believe po4 is the cause. However, lowering it a little will only help.

+1 great points! had the same issue came down to the algae growth on my glass my bacteria levels had swung due to a spike n ALK, a die off of Macro algae, lighting increase, and a bad magnesium mix.
Once fixed sps have stopped STN and have started to grow over damaged are. Also had a water pump go bad in MD during the time of issue.

 

[K_red_raider]

Also have someone come out with a digital CO detector and see what your levels are. Most home detectors have a preset level that they alarm at which is usually around 20ppm so yours could be around 15-19 and not cause the detector to sound.

 

[Greyskull]

Ph is in the 7.9 to 8.1 range. I use calibration fluid for the refractometer every time I do a water change. Also had the Store check my salinity. They SPS not just the acros are dying from the tips down,middle and all around meaning not all corals are dying in the same way. I am not getting much algae groth at all on the glass. Maybe every 3 to five days I need to clean the glass. My po4 was always low until just about the middle of December. By that time I was already losing corals

 

[jackson6745]

OK. Just to clarify are you using 1.026 refractor calibration fluid? Sorry to dwell on this but high salinity can case these problems.

Are you bacteria or carbon dosing (or both)?

My buddy was having these issues in his SPS dominated tank. He was using sera sporax bio noodles, dosing prodibo, doing all kinds of zeo etc LOL
Bottom line was regardless of all the carbon and bacteria additives and big skimmer, his tank was dirty! Hanna read .03 nitrate was around 5ppm. A few large water changes, detritus cleaning from the sump (removed the noodles), and vacuming his shallow sandbed which wish filthy fixed this tip recession problem.
Take this experience for what its worth.

 

[nazzman]

3things that could be going on with your sump in close proximity to your oil burner the burner use s a huge amount of oxygen from the room the water pouring into your sump is not mixing naturally with fresh air second the natural fumes from the oil itself can actually cause a film on the water in sump and all burners give a initial puff of soot that escapes boiler when burner initially fires off that could also be getting in your sump

 

[Reefnjunkie]

I've not read any parameters posted that would lead me to think they have anything to do with your issue and the fact its not species specific.

Think you noted the culprit in your first post where you mentioned it all started once the boiler started firing up. You sound like your experienced enough that you looked for the obvious "things" water params and the such.

Im no help because I can't say why your boiler is the cause but IMO deductive reasoning (to me) points everything at it. Its the "new" condition that is tied around the time frame of the problems.

When I ran an oil furnace that thing stunk and there was soot build up over the years- with your skimmer being down there in the same room sucking that air, that could be the issue.


Before your upgrade did the old tank have a sump in the same room where the one now is located with the boiler