Zoanthids melting and sky high nitrates

[TripleTruble]

Hello,

so my zoas are slowly melting and I have no clue what caused it. I have had an algae issue I am trying to overcome as well. This is a 54 gal corner with sump. Lights are 2 kessil a360x.

ammonio 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 100+ !!!
phosphate .74
temp 78.1
pH 8.0

 

[NS Mike D]

PO4 is sky high too. What test kits are you using for NO3 and PO4

ALK, CA, Mg, SG numbers?

How were you trying to overcome your algae problem?

 

[TripleTruble]

sry alk is 8.0

 

[TripleTruble]

Salinity is 1.024

 

[TripleTruble]

CA 480

 

[TripleTruble]

Bump

 

[splitting_lanes]

Id suggest some water changes. Get the NO3 and PO4 down.

maybe cut back on feeding a little too... something going in isn’t getting out

 

[NatD]

Hi. Did you see the other questions above from @NS Mike D ?

Can you share a FTS please? What else is in this tank?

What is your maintenance routine?

 

[NS Mike D]

we are helping with a diagnosis which means ruling out things, so keep the answers coming (go through to attend to the ones that are still open),

Along this lines is a chemical/toxic event. Any possibility of something airborne that got into the tanks like a carpet cleaner etc.

Also what other corals do you have? Corals can release toxins in their ongoing turf wars. Do you use activated carbon ? Activated carbon removes toxins .

 

[TripleTruble]

I just did a 30 gal water change and added a sock filter set up

 

[TripleTruble]

I don’t over feed at all

 

[NS Mike D]

Id suggest some water changes. Get the NO3 and PO4 down.

maybe cut back on feeding a little too... something going in isn’t getting out

if this was a nano tank, I'd recommend a full water change. at 54g, I'd start making/buying water and doing some major water changes while getting whatever algae remains, and if not a new tank, clean the sand bed in the process.

 

[NatD]

I just did a 30 gal water change and added a sock filter set up

What’s is the ongoing routine?

 

[TripleTruble]

This tank is about 4 months old. 4 fish 14 corals a cucumber an emerald crab and a fire shrimp

 

[NS Mike D]

I don’t over feed at all

it would be helpful if you let us know how you got to this point. The NO3 and PO4 is an eyebrow raiser and the comment about aglae issues is a red flag.

 

[TripleTruble]

So here is my theory i may have found out. This dry rock was in an aquarium than dried out. And was put into tank without a full clean and also the sand.

 

[TripleTruble]

There was a lot of ditrus in sump that got cleaned out.

 

[NatD]

Looked to your build thread. How are the elegance, etc doing?

 

[NS Mike D]

This tank is about 4 months old. 4 fish 14 corals a cucumber an emerald crab and a fire shrimp

what type of alage issue and what were you doing (if any to deal with it)

It's a new tank which will have different approaches than a mature tank

what test kits are you using for NO3 and PO4. Let's nail down the accuracy of the reading


if correct. you NO3 and PO4 export/uptake is not sufficient.

 

[NatD]

Are you saying you filled it up with old used sand ?