Coral Disaster Zone!

[Mikie_P]

Hello,

I live in the UK but like to use this forum as you guys seem more active and experienced than the UK forums. The reason I am mentioning this is because some of the hardware I am going to mention below are european brands and im not sure how familiar you will be with them.

Overview:

Started my reef tank in January this year, I am aiming for an SPS dominated mixed reef tank. I have always kept FW fish and even used to work at a LFS when I was younger, and this year decided to delve into marine keeping. Even though I did my research, I was on a budget so didn't go for a ready made marine tank and decided to convert a FW tank and add bits as I went along. This is why is the tank isn't drilled and I dont have a sump.

Set up using ocean rock approx 75 kg and Natures Ocean Live Sand 40kg.


The Problem:

I keep buying corals and they keep dying! as far as I am aware my water params are fine and I now have sufficient lighting for all coral types. I acclimate the corals, place them in my display tank and they either don't open, slime up and die or open for a day and then crash and burn! :mad:

I thought that maybe I wasnt acclimating them correctly as I was using the same method I use for fish i.e. float bag for 20 mins, slowly add tank water over an hour then place them. So last weekend I thought that maybe i wasnt acclimating correctly and tried drip acclimation for a leather coral over 2-3 hours but this also went south within 24 hours.

Corals that are currently in the tank and are surviving, however I wouldn't say thriving are:

1x Jasmine star polyp colony (this is doing the best, had it since March)
1x Birdsnest frag
1x green tip torch coral (had since March but doesn't look happy)

Corals that have perished:

2x toadstool leathers
1x medusa coral
various soft finger corals
1x green gonipora (was advised by LFS that this was a easy beginners coral, after research turns out not so much!)
1x green star polyp colony

Current Water Parameters:

The following obtained using Salifert Test kits.

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = 0
Nitrates = <10ppm
Phosphates = 0
Copper = 0
pH = 8.3
alk = 10
Calcium = >500ppm (V.High)
Magnesium = >1500ppm (V.High)

Salinity = 1.026
TDS reading of water being produced by my RO unit = 3
Temp = 25-27*C

Only addative I am using is Waterlife ph/kh 8.3 buffer. Was using Kent Marine Reef Salt just switched to Red Sea Coral Pro...

Hardware:

230L Tank
http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/fish-tanks/cabinet-aquarium-fish-tanks/cabinet-fish-tank-aquarium-330-litres-120cm-4ft-4-four-colours.html

2000 LPH External Filter with bio balls, ceramic rings, and activated carbon
http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/aquarium-filters/external-filters/aquarium-external-filter-2000-l-h.html

TMC V2 Compact 500 HoB Skimmer (rated for up to 500L)
http://www.seapets.co.uk/products/aquarium-supplies/fish-tank-equipment/aquarium-filters/marine-filters-and-saltwater-filtration/protein-skimmers/tmc-v2-skim-protein-skimmer-500-compact.html?ref=googlebase&gclid=CJOh9ubdlbgCFYXMtAodmkgALA

Lighting is a unit containing 2 x 150w metal halides, 2x 54w blue T5's and LED's for moonlighting.
http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/aquarium-lighting/metal-halide-lighting/metal-halide-lighting-with-t5-lights-and-led-s-120cm-hqi-48.html

Current Fish and Inverts:

2x common clowns
1x yellow tang
1x coral beauty
1 x flame firefish
4 x yellow breast-blue damsels
3x humbug damsels
1 x white gobie
1 x super klipfish blenny (awesome fish! got him just last week :p)
1 x pearl scale angel

1 x cleaner shrimp
6 x hermits
10 x various snails
1 x reef star fish
1 x serpent star fish
1 x flame scallop

ALL FISH AND CRITTERS ARE FINE AND HAPPY

Other things to consider:

I have also been battling with Cyano, tried lights out about 4 times, siphoning, and after hitting 'rock bottom' with it I am currently doing a chemiclean!

The Cyano is making me think that coral may be dying because I have too many nutrients (other than phos and nitrates i.e. organics) in the water and this may be the issue?

I do a weekly water change of around 50L pw.

Dont have an auto-top off yet, doing it manually.

Could this be due to some sort of coral disease??

Any advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Mike

[Mikie_P]

forgot to mention for flow I use 2 x 12000 lph wavemakers

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/aquarium-equipment/wavemakers/12000-litre-aquarium-wavemaker-powerhead.html

[Mikie_P]

and the tank is 330l not 230l

[Pbetz20909]

Your mag and calcium are quite high, I even would say your alk as well. In my sps dominant 55 gal I keep alk at 8, mag at 1400 and calcium at 460. You may be shocking the corals if they were not at that alk level where you got them. I would recommend some water changes to help get levels more in check. This leads me to ask what salt are you using and have you tested its levels to see that it's correct to what the manufacturer says?

Phos of zero is not good, shoot for 0.04ppm. In order to do this get a Hanna phosphate checker. Much more sensitive than salifert.

[Mikie_P]

I was using Kent Marine Reef salt and I have just started using Red Sea Coral Pro this week, I haven't checked Ca and Mg levels before adding to tank I will do that this weekend when the chemiclean has finished.... any suggestions for lowering the alk? adding more buffer or just do a large water change?

[bnumair]

parameters dont jump out. even with cal and mag in their current levels its not lethal.

1. what is the source of ur water?
2. any metal clips, fittings, adaptors, clamps etc on the system?
3. have u run tests for copper?
4. run poly filter and carbon. ply filter will turn colors in presences of certain metals.
i would start there. it seems like something is leaching something that is causing corals to die. acclimation and death tells me there is something in water.

i had a similar issue once in a tank but it was due to man made rock leaching toxic stuff killing all corals. removed/replaced the rock and tank went happy. not sure if ur source of rock and sand are any good might look into that as well.

[Mikie_P]

I'm using home made RO water (tds 3), tested for copper that was one of the first things I thought it could be, no metal in the system at all but I will look into testing for a wider range of metals because as you say something could be leaching from the rocks.

[gone fishin]

I would lay off the pH buffer. It is most likely spiking your Alkalinty and keeping it elevated.

[bnumair]

I would lay off the pH buffer. It is most likely spiking your Alkalinty and keeping it elevated.

+1 pH buffers are nothing but alk buffers.

[Ron Reefman]

And your tank is only 6 months old. Sure it's cycled and running OK. So now you have to start with some corals that you can keep, ones that are a bit heartier like softies and lps. Give the tank some time to mature. Try an sps every once an a while an see if you can keep it. Pressing the issue isn't going to help. I understand everything looks good, good equipment, good water parameters and all, but a good quality reef tank is more than the some of it's parts. I'm sure you've heard this one before, "Nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank!" There is s reason why that says is so commonly said... because it's true. Just keep up the good work and take your time, it will happen.