What could be wrong?

[Timothy Davis]

Hey all! I have a JBJ RL45. Tank has been up for about 9 months. I don’t have a whole lot of corals but a few that I do have are behaving strange the past week. My scoly (pictured) doesn’t seem to be as inflated as usual and today I noticed the hole pictured around its mouth. My bubble coral is also seemingly dead, my acan (small cluster) is not opening up fully and my small cluster of zoas are not opening up either. Nothing has changed for the last few months in terms of flow, lighting, or livestock, so I am curious as to what could be going on.
Current Parameters:
78 Degrees
1.025
8.0 PH
.25 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
10 Nitrate
8.4 Alk
440 Calcium
1275 Magnesium

 

[Timothy Davis]

Hey all! I have a JBJ RL45. Tank has been up for about 9 months. I don’t have a whole lot of corals but a few that I do have are behaving strange the past week. My scoly (pictured) doesn’t seem to be as inflated as usual and today I noticed the hole pictured around its mouth. My bubble coral is also seemingly dead, my acan (small cluster) is not opening up fully and my small cluster of zoas are not opening up either. Nothing has changed for the last few months in terms of flow, lighting, or livestock, so I am curious as to what could be going on.
Current Parameters:
78 Degrees
1.025
8.0 PH
.25 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
10 Nitrate
8.4 Alk
440 Calcium
1275 Magnesium

Livestock consists of two clownfish, two firefish, pistol shrimp, and yellow watchman, handful of varying snails. No crabs.

 

[EZKLR]

shouldn't have any ammonia at this stage. Something besides coral dead maybe. any of the corals smell like death?

 

[Timothy Davis]

shouldn't have any ammonia at this stage. Something besides coral dead maybe. any of the corals smell like death?

Just pulled each piece out, and nothing has a bad smell… maybe a dead nassarius in sand bed?

 

[Timothy Davis]

shouldn't have any ammonia at this stage. Something besides coral dead maybe. any of the corals smell like death?

Even so, that is a small amount of ammonia.. surely not the cause, right?

 

[Jekyl]

I wouldn't ever test for ammonia or nitrite again. You would need to lose every fish in the tank and not remove them for ammonia to be an issue. Mag is a little low. What lighting?

 

[EZKLR]

Just pulled each piece out, and nothing has a bad smell… maybe a dead nassarius in sand bed?

maybe. would think it would be something bigger. add anything in lately? animals or chems?

 

[Timothy Davis]

I wouldn't ever test for ammonia or nitrite again. You would need to lose every fish in the tank and not remove them for ammonia to be an issue. Mag is a little low. What lighting?

I am running the Radion XR15 G6 Blue

I ran those tests to make sure it wasn’t a large impact.

 

[PeterEde]

no equipment change? No added clips or metals?
An ICP would tell you of any other trace element issues not visible via normal testing.


Are you using NSW or mixing salt? If mixing what is the RODI TDS

 

[jabberwock]

Maybe keep your hands out of the tank? I don't get my hands wet unless I KNOW they are clean and free of any foreign substances like soap, oil, lotion, hair grooming products. Not trying to insult you, just a thought.

 

[Timothy Davis]

Maybe keep your hands out of the tank? I don't get my hands wet unless I KNOW they are clean and free of any foreign substances like soap, oil, lotion, hair grooming products. Not trying to insult you, just a thought.

Fair point. I definitely try to avoid putting hands in the tank. I did for the photo to try to obtain a better image.

 

[Timothy Davis]

no equipment change? No added clips or metals?
An ICP would tell you of any other trace element issues not visible via normal testing.


Are you using NSW or mixing salt? If mixing what is the RODI TDS

Yea, an ICP test would be ideal. I have not added anything to the tank except changing filter floss.
Last water change was about a month ago. I mix my salt, rodi TDS in is ~325 TDS out reads 0.

 

[Jekyl]

Also in my first year even keeping everything right wouldn't make things grow.

 

[Reef Psychology]

When in doubt, use a Poly-Filter Pad and a 25% water change until the issue can be found.

Be methodical. Go step by step examining your equipment, sump, and even your foods. Maybe there’s a contamination or electricity getting into the tank. Maybe something fell in there a month ago.

 

[jabberwock]

When in doubt, use a Poly-Filter Pad and a 25% water change until the issue can be found.

Be methodical. Go step by step examining your equipment, sump, and even your foods. Maybe there’s a contamination or electricity getting into the tank. Maybe something fell in there a month ago.

Excellent point. I did not even notice that my ammonia badge was missing until I added a pistol shrimp, and he excavated it to the front of his cave. I was able to remove it after a couple attempts.

 

[Timothy Davis]

*update*

Yellow watchman and one clown were both found dead today. Watchman got into the gyre somehow and the clown was just on the sandbed covered by a few snails. Fun times.

 

[vetteguy53081]

*update*

Yellow watchman and one clown were both found dead today. Watchman got into the gyre somehow and the clown was just on the sandbed covered by a few snails. Fun times.

Just saw this thread now and sorry to hear. Some causes can be:
Yes ammonia and false test results - I dont trust a $7 badge with cost of livestock
high Ph
High nitrate
Flukes
temperature too warm
Tank underfiltered
Tap water
low dissolved oxygen

Can you provide pics of your tank setup under white lighting ?

 

[Timothy Davis]

Just saw this thread now and sorry to hear. Some causes can be:
Yes ammonia and false test results - I dont trust a $7 badge with cost of livestock
high Ph
High nitrate
Flukes
temperature too warm
Tank underfiltered
Tap water
low dissolved oxygen

Can you provide pics of your tank setup under white lighting ?

Of course. It runs two spin stream return nozzles, xr15 g6 lighting, two Jebao SCP-90 Sine crossflow pumps, no skimmer. I use filter floss for mechanical, and then I have marinepure bio balls...
I have heard of those possibly leaching in the past... could that be the issue? Or maybe too underfiltered?

 

[Jekyl]

I don't see anything wrong with that picture. Besides needing to seed some coraline.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Of course. It runs two spin stream return nozzles, xr15 g6 lighting, two Jebao SCP-90 Sine crossflow pumps, no skimmer. I use filter floss for mechanical, and then I have marinepure bio balls...
I have heard of those possibly leaching in the past... could that be the issue? Or maybe too underfiltered?

Thank you- Tank does have adequate filter capabilities. How long has bioBalls been in there as leeching is a possibility but I also see presence of light cyano indicating possibility of elevated nitrate, phosphate or both. Floss will noy offer mechanical filtration as that would be chemical. Mechanical will be a power filter or other external/internal filter. I dont believe there is sufficient cyano to release any toxins.
.25 ammonia is getting to point of water change needed. What test kits are you running ?