Tank Crashing. My Corals are Dying.

[Tanggy]

I cleaned out my sump in it's entirety today and found nothing that can cause an increase in copper and tin. I started noticing the corals not doing well after I added the T5 hybrid. The T5 Hybrid fixture is tank mount. The leg part is about 1 inch above the water level. Could this be the culprit? I am still trying to figure out what would cause copper/tin.

 

[Tanggy]

The only thing I can find rusting are the hinges to the cabinets. Could that be a potential source of the copper and tin?

 

[AZMSGT]

The only thing I can find rusting are the hinges to the cabinets. Could that be a potential source of the copper and tin?

No

 

[Rickyrooz]

I had elevated Tin a few years ago and the glass thermometer in my sump broke and released all the metal beads inside the thermometer.

 

[Tanggy]

So I just received my hanna copper reagent today. Low and behold still copper in my DT. I have been running 2 cuprisorb for about 10 days. Did a few 5 gallon water changes. I still cannot figure out where the copper is coming from. Should I put more cuprisorb in the sump? Should I do a massive water change? Thanks. Pretty frustrated still.

 

[keithIHS]

The accuracy of the Hanna checker is 0.05, so you may not actually have any in your tank or it might actually be 0.1. Try testing a fresh batch of saltwater. Err on the safe side and assume the checker is reading low. Unfortunately, I don't know what an acceptable level is, but I have no experience with copper contamination.
Don't forget that at 75 gal, you need to do one 60 gallon or two 41 gallon or three 31 gal or four 25 gallon (etc.) water changes in quick succession (relative to the rate of contamination) to get an 80% reduction of the contaminant. For a 99% reduction, the amounts above would be 74, 68, 59, 51 etc. Do big water changes, but make sure you match your parameters. Get your contaminant down to where you want it then check it periodically to see how quickly its rising. Control it w water changes or some other means (e.g. carbon, cuprisorb) until you find the source.
Here's the spreadsheet formula: =1-((1-contam)^(1/n_change))
Where contam is amount of contaminant reduction, e.g. 0.8; n_change is the number of water changes.

 

[Tanggy]

I started a new thread in the water chemistry category. I measured a new salt water mix and it tested 0.08ppm and 0.04 ppm for copper. I then tested my RODI and RO (drink water) and it range 0.01-0.02 ppm. I just tested a new salt water mix in a different container and it measured 0.01 and 0.02ppm. With the accuracy of 0.05 with the hanna checker, I would say 0.01 and 0.02ppm is a wash. But when it test 0.08ppm there is most likely some copper in the water. It might be possible that the container with the 0.08ppm reading might be what's causing the elevated copper. I am mixing another salt water mix in a different container and see what the results will be...

 

[keithIHS]

Anyone else know if 0.05 - 0.1 Cu is bad for coral? I dont have any experience w the Hanna checker but where I work we're pretty skeptical of instrument data unless it has been calibrated and we run multiple tests, like 10-20, to get a handle on variability. This is at the low range for the Hanna so don't trust it completely. Keep looking and testing for causes until your corals appear to be recovering with normal waterchange/treatment. IOW don't assume you've found the problem if you still have cuprisorb in the system; unless you plan to live with the cuprisorb and uncertainty. Furthermore it might not even be the Copper. We humans have a tendency to latch onto the 1st reasonable answer, but just because its reasonable doesn't mean its correct. Have you checked for stray voltage/leakage current?

 

[keithIHS]

I should have reassured you of your 1st instinct to attack all possible causes to save your corals. By all means throw all the fixes you can afford at the problem and get your pets healthy. THEN start testing answers by gradually removing temporary fixes like cuprisorb or big waterchanges or reconnectong and reinstalling lights. BTW its also a good idea to brainstorm possible causes, what you did to investigate and solve, what the result was, and write it all down. If someone gives you an idea of something to check, no matter how silly it seems, write it down and figure out how to answer it. Keep a log of what you do and your measurements like Cu. You should probably test all params daily to make sure it isnt something else others have suggested above. Keep at it and I hope you are successful.