Sps dying from tips .

[Rmckoy]

Based on what you have reported with phosphorus movement, I wouldn't call it stable. Stability isn't just ALK. Add to that that you are aggressively trying to remove PO4, that isn't stable IMO. My phosphorus moves 2-3 ppb at the most for a test. Have you considered an ICP test?

I haven’t yet .

 

[Rmckoy]

So .....
I’m seriously thinking it has something to do with the red flatworms .......,
There were so many .
I have carbon in a reactor , and rowaphos in another .

there is no way to explain why all of a sudden the phosphates jump and nothing is reducing them .

I have lost 2 fish in the last month . Both were black mollies and rather small fish compared to others in the tank .
Why all of a sudden the phosphate spike ?

what Happens when a bunch of flatworms die ?
Just toxin which is supposed to be absorbed by carbon ?
Or does it have any effect with nutrients ?

being a 230gal and the largest water change I can do being 10-15% I wasn’t going to try flatworm-exit for fear of not being able to do a large enough water change

that huge acro ...... along with the other 30frags
All have grown , all the frags have fully encrusted the plugs and rocks they’re on prior up until they started to die from the tips .

 

[moreef]

So .....
I’m seriously thinking it has something to do with the red flatworms .......,
There were so many .
I have carbon in a reactor , and rowaphos in another .

there is no way to explain why all of a sudden the phosphates jump and nothing is reducing them .

I have lost 2 fish in the last month . Both were black mollies and rather small fish compared to others in the tank .
Why all of a sudden the phosphate spike ?

what Happens when a bunch of flatworms die ?
Just toxin which is supposed to be absorbed by carbon ?
Or does it have any effect with nutrients ?

being a 230gal and the largest water change I can do being 10-15% I wasn’t going to try flatworm-exit for fear of not being able to do a large enough water change

that huge acro ...... along with the other 30frags
All have grown , all the frags have fully encrusted the plugs and rocks they’re on prior up until they started to die from the tips .

May be time to get some airline tubing and start sucking out red worms. Maybe multiple 25g water changes along with this for a week or so may be worth a shot.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

You have high nutrients. The previous ppl have explained already.
Browning of an acro is not a super bad thing. It just means high nutrients. Keep it stable and try and lower some. The coral will.color back up.
Its bleaching and rtn stn that i consider bad. Usually spikes as said.
D

 

[Rmckoy]

May be time to get some airline tubing and start sucking out red worms. Maybe multiple 25g water changes along with this for a week or so may be worth a shot.

Sucked a 5 gal bucket out with a airline .
the bottom of the bucket had 1/2” worms ....,

I’ll suck more out tomorrow .

 

[Rmckoy]

To look further into where phosphates are coming from .

I tested phosphorus on the freshwater from my rodi .
11ppb

Next question .....
what part of the rodi system filters phosphates ?
carbon and sediment were changed not too long ago .

ive been burning through di resin and was told it’s the time of year with high water , extra chemicals in the water etc .
The water doesn’t smell like chlorine ,
And tds is 002ppm on my hand held meter

 

[IslandLifeReef]

So .....
I’m seriously thinking it has something to do with the red flatworms .......,
There were so many .
I have carbon in a reactor , and rowaphos in another .

there is no way to explain why all of a sudden the phosphates jump and nothing is reducing them .

I have lost 2 fish in the last month . Both were black mollies and rather small fish compared to others in the tank .
Why all of a sudden the phosphate spike ?

what Happens when a bunch of flatworms die ?
Just toxin which is supposed to be absorbed by carbon ?
Or does it have any effect with nutrients ?

being a 230gal and the largest water change I can do being 10-15% I wasn’t going to try flatworm-exit for fear of not being able to do a large enough water change

that huge acro ...... along with the other 30frags
All have grown , all the frags have fully encrusted the plugs and rocks they’re on prior up until they started to die from the tips .

I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt that the PO4 problem is a result of the flatworms dying. It is more likely a result of something else in your system, such as top off water. Do you have the Hannah calibration fluid (standard fluid) for the ULR checker? It is set at 100 ppb and will tell you if your checker is measuring within tolerance. Without a different test to confirm your readings, there could be errors and you could actually be stripping to much PO4.

Looking at some of your other threads, it seems like you are chasing a lot of parameters and changing a lot of what you add to the tank. A 230 gal system should be pretty stable based on the volume unless you are heavily stocked, which it doesn't seem like you are. Your salinity has gone from 1.030 to 1.024 in a couple of weeks, which by itself, shouldn't be a problem. However, you started dosing recently, added reactors, added bacteria, lost a couple of fish, ridded your tank of flatworms etc.... That all seems to have happened in the last month and a half based on your threads. I like to change one thing at a time if needed, and then wait a month or two to see the results and let the tank adapt.

I would recommend an ICP test, one of the on BRS tests your RO water as well. This should give you a good set point to work from. Then, take it slow. Your corals can recover if you don't keep changing a lot of things.

 

[Rmckoy]

I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt that the PO4 problem is a result of the flatworms dying. It is more likely a result of something else in your system, such as top off water. Do you have the Hannah calibration fluid (standard fluid) for the ULR checker? It is set at 100 ppb and will tell you if your checker is measuring within tolerance. Without a different test to confirm your readings, there could be errors and you could actually be stripping to much PO4.

Looking at some of your other threads, it seems like you are chasing a lot of parameters and changing a lot of what you add to the tank. A 230 gal system should be pretty stable based on the volume unless you are heavily stocked, which it doesn't seem like you are. Your salinity has gone from 1.030 to 1.024 in a couple of weeks, which by itself, shouldn't be a problem. However, you started dosing recently, added reactors, added bacteria, lost a couple of fish, ridded your tank of flatworms etc.... That all seems to have happened in the last month and a half based on your threads. I like to change one thing at a time if needed, and then wait a month or two to see the results and let the tank adapt.

I would recommend an ICP test, one of the on BRS tests your RO water as well. This should give you a good set point to work from. Then, take it slow. Your corals can recover if you don't keep changing a lot of things.

Salinity has never been 1.030?
it’s been stable at 1.024

 

[moreef]

Islandlifereef has a good idea to get icp test. The ATI one will also test your rodi. Im planning to use that next time instead of triton.

 

[amazongb]

To look further into where phosphates are coming from .

I tested phosphorus on the freshwater from my rodi .
11ppb

Next question .....
what part of the rodi system filters phosphates ?
carbon and sediment were changed not too long ago .

ive been burning through di resin and was told it’s the time of year with high water , extra chemicals in the water etc .
The water doesn’t smell like chlorine ,
And tds is 002ppm on my hand held meter

That's why I asked about your RODI before. How many stages do you have? I had a similar problem, I now have two carbon and 2 DI stages for this reason, along with the sediment filter.

Also, are you flushing your RODI before use? Mine usually takes about 10 minutes before it will produce 0 tds..

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Salinity has never been 1.030?
it’s been stable at 1.024

I have a old refractometer that has always been close but always calibrated with rodi water .

since buying a Hanna salinity checker I have used it but questioned its accuracy .

can the same calibration fluid be used from Hanna to a refractometer ?
what’s the different between 35ppt Hanna calibration fluid and 35ppt refractometer calibration fluid ?
After calibrating the refractometer with the Hanna fluid , checked my tank and it was 1.030.
checked the tank and new water mixed for water change with the Hanna checker and it was 1.025

So when you say above that "checked my tank and it was 1.030, that was in error? Just trying to help you figure out your issue. Why are you keeping you salinity at a specific gravity of 1.024 instead of 35ppt?

Looking at past posts, it looks to me like there have been too many changes in the last month and a half.

I would stop changing things, get an ICP test to set a start point, and make a plan from there.

 

[Rmckoy]

So when you say above that "checked my tank and it was 1.030, that was in error? Just trying to help you figure out your issue. Why are you keeping you salinity at a specific gravity of 1.024 instead of 35ppt?

Looking at past posts, it looks to me like there have been too many changes in the last month and a half.

I would stop changing things, get an ICP test to set a start point, and make a plan from there.

The 1.030
Was the calibration Of the old refractometer but the Hanna was calibrated .
the water was correct

 

[Suohhen]

The 1.030
Was the calibration Of the old refractometer but the Hanna was calibrated .
the water was correct

I just replied to another thread where the person was seeing a .003ppt difference between the Hanna and their refract. Turns out the Hanna is known to have that issue.

Salinity has been off???

I have been using the Hanna Salinity tester for over a year but I also compare it to my calibrated refractometer. Well I decided to get new calibration fluid since the other one is two years old. Surprise, Surprise it has been off. It now shows the tank is at 38-39ppt. So I decided to calibrate...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[IslandLifeReef]

The 1.030
Was the calibration Of the old refractometer but the Hanna was calibrated .
the water was correct

I guess I don’t know why you are saying that the 1.030 was incorrect. Because the Hannah was calibrated? Don’t you calibrate your refractometer? If you are calibrating both, how do you know which one is giving the bad reading?

 

[Cory]

Firstly check your alkalinity is correct. I dont trust that powder in the hanna alk checker. Id use salifert. You can also make your own alk standard to verify the accuracy of your alk kit. Not sure if it works with hanna.

Secondly check all sources of metal in or near your tank. Rusty hinges? Any magnets swelling or have orange rust?

 

[Rmckoy]

I guess I don’t know why you are saying that the 1.030 was incorrect. Because the Hannah was calibrated? Don’t you calibrate your refractometer? If you are calibrating both, how do you know which one is giving the bad reading?

The Hanna was calibrated , the refractometer is a older cheap Amazon one .
Has never been reliable it wasn’t calibrated

 

[Rmckoy]

Firstly check your alkalinity is correct. I dont trust that powder in the hanna alk checker. Id use salifert. You can also make your own alk standard to verify the accuracy of your alk kit. Not sure if it works with hanna.

Secondly check all sources of metal in or near your tank. Rusty hinges? Any magnets swelling or have orange rust?

Hanna alk is the green liquid ....
I double check with salifert often .

Hanna phosphorus ulr Uses the white powder . I can see where that can give different test results .

 

[Kriz]

I am inclined to believe that you need to check RODI. Carbon filters are usually placed in front of the membrane, the quality of carbon in these filters is lower than we use in the tank. Poor carbon can produce a phosphate background. Plus spring, the quality of the incoming water is deteriorating.

 

[amazongb]

Hanna alk is the green liquid ....
I double check with salifert often .

Hanna phosphorus ulr Uses the white powder . I can see where that can give different test results .

And always check the expiration of the packets.. as soon as mine get close to the expiration date, I get all sorts of whacky results.

 

[Cory]

Hanna alk is the green liquid ....
I double check with salifert often .

Hanna phosphorus ulr Uses the white powder . I can see where that can give different test results .

Yes same thing i dont trust those liquids that are timed. I dont even use mine but use the salifert. Check for rusting sources....