Help with my nano tank

alittlesalty

Reefing newb
Hello everyone,
I am new here and to saltwater aquariums. I just got a 12 gallon nano reef DX from a private person, she has had it about 3 years and lost interest and stopped doing anything to it including water changes. When I got the tank the nitrates were very high. I have had it 1 week and have done 3 water changes so far, about 2 1/2 to 3 gallons each. I just got a liquid kit(was using strips) and now check the nitrates daily. The tank has live sand, live rock and a flower leather coral that has split. One of coral seems to be ok. The other coral it turning white and fuzzy looking. Could it be dying? Since I have had the tank I can see animals in the sand and growth of plants on the live rock. Can anyone help me understand what is happening to the (fuzzy)coral. I understand that stress can cause the white and some corals will bounce back over time with proper care. Should I be concerned about any feedings to the coral that seems to be ok. What other things should I do/or be checking to help rescue my new pets. When I brought home the tank I saved all of the water and returned it to the tank, to prevent new tank cycle. at present my nitrates are 20, nitrites are 0, ph is 8.2. Thank you to all.-Pirate-
 
I personally don't have any coral, but I know the people who can answer this question are going to want to know your salinity, ammonia, calcium, magnesium, lighting, temps, and flow....sounds like a lot, but anyone of those things can cause sick critters
 
Other than that, 20ppm nitrates and a ph of 8.2 aren't bad, but it would be better to have nitrates at 0 (obviously) and PH at something more like 8.4. Lastly, I'm pretty sure the strips aren't all that accurate; I think you are only suppose to use them to double check your other tests (i.e. Saltwater Liquid Master Test Kit )
 
Kids right about the test strips.There pretty much just a waste of time.
In addition to the parameters he also mentioned,can you post a picture of the coral?
That would go a long way in helping us point you in the right direction.
Also,are you useing tap water or RO/DI?
OH
And welcome to the site and the hobby.:D
 
Hi and welcome to the site.
It sounds like your tank was in quite a mess when you got it. Probably lucky anything was alive. Corals can bounce back but more often die after they are stressed or starved. I have had many which I thought were dead but one little spot came back and continued to grow. It takes a lone time for them to bounce back though. Patience is certainly the key.
 
As yote mentioned a picture of the coral would help.

Unfortunatley you just need to be patient and do 1 gallon weekly water changes on the tank, pull out the filter sponges (if you haven't already) and rinse them out in saltwater. What else is in the back area in the tank? bio balls or ceramic rings maybe??? You should also vacuum out this area, I would suggest to put live rock in there just remove the bioballs or rings.. You don't want to do to much of a water change or to many because that can also trigger a new cycle.
 
Thank you to all that have posted :)
I am on day 10. Since getting the tank I have taken samples to LFS, 3 weekly.They have told me that the only concern is the high nitrates. I have been using liquid test kits, purchased right after getting tank. Standard nano lights on 10 hrs daily. LED moon light at night. Water changes 3 weekly, using water from LFS. There are a few bio balls in the back. I have ordered a new pump for more motion and a skimmer for a nano tank, should be in 1-2 days. I purchased a spaghetti algae(2 days ago) to help with the high nitrate. I will attempt to post a pic ASAP. The one coral seems to be doing ok, it even looks bigger than when I first got the tank, it opens when the day lights are on, and closes when the moonlight is on. The other coral it turning white, which I believe is dying. I know this process will take alot of time, and thats ok with me.
Thank you everyone for all your help.

I was thinking about the bulbs, I am not sure how old they are.
also, Do you think that the dying coral may be the reason for the high nitrates?
Thanks again.
 
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The easiest way to post pics,(to me any way) is to upload them to photobucket.com
Once you have them uploaded,its as simple as copy and pasting the img thiny ma bob into your post.
On the lights.If your not sure how old the bulbs are,it'd probably be a good idea to go ahead and replace them.
Just keep doing your water changes,and the nitrates will come down.It just takes a while.
 
alittlesalty
Thank you yote, I will be posting it tonight.
alittlesalty
 
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010.jpg

I finally got it to post. :) I just turned on the light to take the pic, I will take another one during the day so you can see the difference. The coral on the left is the one that seems to be doing ok.
The coral in the center of the pic is the one that I think is dyeing. I do not see any changes with it day or night. During the day the coral on the left will be twice the size you see now.
Thank you to everyone.
 
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You have cabbage leathers. The one in the bag looks a little...rough... But it doesn't look dead. The one in the front looks nice and healthy.

Do you see the one in the back kinda "shedding" its skin? If so, you can take a turkey baster and gently blow it off. Leathers will periodically slough their outermost layer, and during that time they look like they are in bad shape. If there is insufficient flow in the tank, you may need to help it out by blowing the layers off for them.
 
Thank you for the advise and naming my coral.
I am noticing green algae in the tank, I am assuming it is from the high nitrates in the tank. I did a water change yesterday and my nitrates today are apx. 20. Going to LFS tomorrow for sample test of water, my new pump and skimmer should be in also. Is there anything else I should be doing? or adding while I wait for the nitrates to reduce. I am posting another pic(one during the daylight cycle)
to compare. Thank you for all the help.
 
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