What's causing my coral problems?

[d2mini]

So everything that has been in my tank seems fine.
My sponges have seen better days but I'm suprised they last this long anyway.
So what's happening is pretty much anything i put in the tank is dying... quick.
My monti caps are doing awesome! But i added a birds nest frag on sunday and three days later it's at least 80% gloss white. The same day i added a little purple leather frag, and it's deflated and starting to lose some flesh. All my old stuff like frogspawn, hammerhead, rics, shrooms, etc look good.


Water Chem:
Salinity - 1.025
Temp - 79.1
PH - 7.96
Mag - 1300
Calc - 390
Alk - 10

Now some of these numbers might be a little better after my large water change last night, but something must be up.

 

[Bifferwine]

Have you tested for stray voltage? Looked for pests on the sick corals? Did you buy them from the same place (some stores just carry unhealthy livestock)? Are you sure you have enough lighting? No inverts or fish that are bugging them?

 

[d2mini]

Have not checked for voltage but wouldn't that effect old stuff too?
No pests.
Ummm... these two are from the same place, but the last little sps frag was from a different one.
250w MH and this sps was pretty much right under it. If anything I was worried about it having too much light to soon.
I see some little blue hermits on them sometimes but they are always on everything. lol

It's weird because it happens so quickly. I put the coral in and it immediately starts going downhill.

 

[Bifferwine]

Are you acclimating your new corals?

 

[d2mini]

I did drip acclimate and then temp acclimate.
This one sps I didn't light acclimate because the last sps frag i tried to but he started dying before i could even move him into more intense light. The new leather frag is off on the side so he's not even getting direct light.

 

[VAreef]

I'm with you on to much light to soon. The store probably had em under 2-3yr old T5s and you dropped em into MHs. Drop him down a bit and move him up slowly and see if that doesn't help. Although 80% dead isn't much to work with. As for the leather I got no clue. I know they fight with other leathers. If you have a small tank then more than 1 can be bad for 1 of em. I found that out when I completely reaquascaped my tank just to move 2 leathers away from each other.

 

[d2mini]

Well, i'm doing a lights out today because i'm way overdue on that, but overnight the birdsnest went to pretty much 99% white from what i can see.

 

[yote]

Check the calibration on your refractometer.
A while back,I was having the same problem.Then one evening I decided to to check my refractometer,it was off and wouldnt calibrate.When I ordered a new refractometer,I calibrated it with the fluid that came with it.Then when I checked my tank,the salinity was up about 1.45 or so.
Stuff that been in the tank a while was fine,but all new stuff bleached and died nearly over night.

 

[tankedchemist]

+1 yote. I had precisely the same thing happen with a birdsnest when my hydrometer went nuts. Remember to calibrate with a 35ppm standard and a 0ppm (pure RO). Good luck!

 

[d2mini]

ok, i just got out my calibration fluid and it was reading at 1.025 instead of 1.0624 so i adjusted it and now my tank water reads the exact same as the calibration fluid.
So it wasn't far off.

What seems weird though is the calibration fluid says 1.0264 and 35 ppt. On the scale in my refractometer the 35 mark is directly in line with 1.025, not 1.0264. What's up with that?

 

[tankedchemist]

How many digits does your refractometer show for sg?

 

[tankedchemist]

Actually, either way the answer will be the same. SG has a temperature dependance and salinity does not. Most instruments (hydrometers, refractometers) are calibrated at 60F. For every 10 degree rise in temp, I believe SG changes by 0.001. So, assuming your tank is around 75*, 1.025 is really 1.0265...but salinity will still be 35ppt.

 

[d2mini]

Weird. Well, either way my salinity level is ok, right?

 

[tankedchemist]

right

 

[d2mini]

So I wonder if it's just new tank syndrome then.
Tank is only 4 months old. But it's hard to compare to the normal tank setup because everything came from TBS, which seems to jump start things pretty good.