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View Full Version : What could be the problem?


MACJMC
05/24/2007, 03:51 PM
I have been into saltwater tanks for almost 3 yrs now and I recently got my brother involved. He bought a 46 gal bowfront already set up, however we changed a few things. We took out the crushed coral and added some live sand instead. We put about 30 pounds of base rock and about the same of live rock in the tank. I told him to give it some time and let it cycle. All old inhabitants were in another tank. The tank cycled and he bought a 400 watt MH for it. He is running a 29 gal sump with a quite one 3000 for return it has 2 powerheads and has plenty of flow however, everything seems to keep dying. All of his fish are doing well and seem to be fine however, whatever corals he put in there do well for a short amount of time then die off. What could be the problem? His light is only about 6in from the top of the tank however, we have 2 fans on the light and the temp stays under 80 at all times. We have tested his water several times and all perams are in check. I am totally stumped at what could be killing all of his corals. Any help would be appreciated. Sorry this is so long. Thanks for your advice!

seapug
05/24/2007, 04:29 PM
what kind of fish and how many are there? Could be coral eaters. Also, what kind of rock is the "base rock" you mention? Ugly "live rock" or something from the yard?

mg426
05/24/2007, 04:33 PM
Could the Tank have ever been treated with copper ???

AquaReeferMan
05/24/2007, 04:38 PM
I was thinking maybe copper as well. The base rock could also be leaking things in that are irritating the corals. I would throw in a poly filter and see what happens. Is he acclimating the coral to the lights? Most places I know that sell coral are not housing them under 400w halides. He could be burning them up.

MACJMC
05/24/2007, 04:47 PM
He is doing some acclimating to the light just starting them off with only a few hrs a day at first then building it up. I am not sure if the tank has been treated with copper but the previous owner said he never had treated it with anything but who knows. He didnt really know what he was doing anyway. The fish are two small false percs and a blue tang (I know its too small it will be moved to a larger tank when it gets bigger so please dont flame) The base rock was bought from a local fish store and that is the only thing that I could really think could be causing a problem. It was sold as base rock but doesnt look like anything I have seen. It looks to be man made but I would hope if they were selling it as base rock it was fully cured.

Sandman71
05/24/2007, 05:04 PM
What type of corals have died on you? Are they bleaching? If they are then it's probably your light. Light acclimation should be done slowly over a period of time.

MACJMC
05/24/2007, 05:07 PM
They havent been bleaching at all they have all seemed to kinda melt away. Maybe he hasnt been acclimating slow enough?

seapug
05/25/2007, 11:19 AM
I've done some sloppy acclimating in my time, but never had repeated losses. I'd assume there's something in that base rock. Was it bought dry? If so, there's no telling what residues and chemicals it could be leaching into the water, even if it was reef-safe limestone or "Tufa" as it's called sometimes.