whats going on :(

[lilduud]

so this morning i wake up to find two of my sps "skinning themselves"... they are falling apart... i just dont get it because they were totally healthy yesterday. one was even beginning to colour up after being browned out for a while. one is an acro and the other is my purple stylophora.. im going to try to frag the stylo to see if i can maybe salvage a small piece but i just dont get it... any ideas? :frustrat:

 

[dcantucson]

I would guess water quality, but that's pretty general to say. Sorry. I understand your frustration though. Crap like that always happens to me with SPS. Here today, gone tomorrow is the way of SPS.

Sorry about your corals.

Check your phosphates. I think those are silent killers. JMO

 

[lilduud]

thanks... ill get that tested right away but ive been running phosremover so it shouldnt be an issue... ill do a range of tests and let everyone know... everything has just been remarkably stable lately so its even more of a surprise. thanks for the advice!

 

[MushroomXombies]

I would take a look at your nitrates. If your running a phosphate remover, i doubt your levels are high enough to cause RTN in your SPS. Actually, Ive never heard of phosphates (by themselves) killing SPS. If your phosphate are high they will turn brown and stop growing first... Are your Alk levels stable? I can tell you they hate swings. Also, are there any corals nearby that could sting them, like a LPS

 

[lilduud]

so today i woke up to 3 more dead sps.... im starting to go insane watching all my favourite things die one by one... sorry for not posting my levels sooner
alk about 6.5 [how can i safely raise this]
ph 8.8?!?
calcium 480
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
ammonia 0


im loosing my mind right now please help.

 

[MushroomXombies]

8.8 thats to high. Are you dosing anything? Your using RO water right?

 

[lilduud]

i know! i dont know how my most stable parameter spiked in a day... im not dosing anything and i havent added any new creatures/equipment or changed the routine at all.... a few weeks ago i used a shot of purple up but thats the only supplement ive added in forever! and yea i only use RO water for top ups and changes.

 

[PRC]

PH levels that are too high or too low aren't necessarily detrimental to corals and fish..It's the very quick swings that kills things....Why and what are you dosing? I'd recommend getting rid of the chemical that you use to lower your phosphate levels and remedy the reason you have high phosphate levels in the first place....

Exactly what equipment are you running in your system?

 

[PRC]

Yesterday you posted that you're using phos-remover..that would be dosing. The easiest way to keep phosphates in check is through regular maintenance.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/watercare/a/phosphates.htm

 

[MushroomXombies]

PH levels that are too high or too low aren't necessarily detrimental to corals and fish..It's the very quick swings that kills things....Why and what are you dosing? I'd recommend getting rid of the chemical that you use to lower your phosphate levels and remedy the reason you have high phosphate levels in the first place....

Exactly what equipment are you running in your system?

Hmmm. My GFO warns that it will lower your PH

 

[PRC]

What does GFO mean?

 

[MushroomXombies]

I dont think the Phosphate media is to blame, unless you just started using it ? It will can cause you Alk to drop slightly at first. How long have you been running it?

 

[MushroomXombies]

What does GFO mean?

Granular Ferric Oxide

 

[PRC]

Hmmm. My GFO warns that it will lower your PH

Granular Ferric Oxide...got it...

I wasn't trying to point out that the chemical will raise the PH. I was stating stop putting shit in the tank. Clean the tank.

IMO if you set the tank up properly, keep the tank clean you don't need to put chemicals in it.

 

[fastrd400]

Granular Ferric Oxide...got it...

I wasn't trying to point out that the chemical will raise the PH. I was stating stop putting shit in the tank. Clean the tank.

IMO if you set the tank up properly, keep the tank clean you don't need to put chemicals in it.

That is granular, and run through a reactor, or a media bag. Not directly dosed into the tank. It's main purpose is to extract phosphate from the water, it shouldn't hurt anything other than that.

 

[MushroomXombies]

Granular Ferric Oxide...got it...

I wasn't trying to point out that the chemical will raise the PH. I was stating stop putting shit in the tank. Clean the tank.

IMO if you set the tank up properly, keep the tank clean you don't need to put chemicals in it.

Maybe im doing something wrong then. I couldnt get my phosphates to where my SPS need them without it, and I change my water weekly and have only 2 small fish in my tank. Theres phosphates in everything. Including your salt mix.

If your going to keep SPS, sooner or later your going to need to dose Alk and Calcium

 

[MushroomXombies]

i know! i dont know how my most stable parameter spiked in a day... im not dosing anything and i havent added any new creatures/equipment or changed the routine at all.... a few weeks ago i used a shot of purple up but thats the only supplement ive added in forever! and yea i only use RO water for top ups and changes.

Have you taken a water sample to you LFS to make sure you PH test is accurate?

I would also do a partial water change and see if that helps

 

[fastrd400]

There is something more drastic going on if you are going to bed at night with perfectly healthy coral, and waking up to find them dead. And when you say dead, what exactly do you mean? Are they completely beached white?

 

[MushroomXombies]

There is something more drastic going on if you are going to bed at night with perfectly healthy coral, and waking up to find them dead. And when you say dead, what exactly do you mean? Are they completely beached white?

+1 I agree.He said earlier they were skinning themselves. Sounds like RTN. Test your PH right before your lights go out and then in the morning and post the results. Do the same with your Alk. Somethings got to be swinging

 

[the reef kid]

I remember once I had an acro in a spot of pretty low flow, it got STN, so what do you have for flow? and for light? And if this is your 55, it's still very very new to be putting SPS into.