Help please! Coral extremely t*#&ed!

[VanceL]

All of my corals, zoas, rics, mushrooms, lps, sofites are extremely irritated and I cannot figure out why. All fish are fine and acting normal, anemones are happy and open. But all the other corals and my squamosa clam look like they are on the brink of death and all snails have lost the battle.



Parameters:

Sg. 1.025

Nitrate ~14ppm

Phosphate ~3ppm

Alk 7.6dkh

Cal 440ppm

Mag >1600



Everything was great and growing until I added some turbo snails, which have since died. Whatever irritated them was almost instant as one day everything was fine and the next looked like death.



Any help or suggestions appreciated.

[Pife]

Your p04s are high. You need to get them down.

[VanceL]

Even high nutrient corals like xenia and Kenya tree are ticked. But added gfo per your recommendation. Any other ideas? Phosphate levels have been higher in the past with no effects like this. Predator tank... High nutrients are a common thing.

[cleverbs]

mag is high...I keep mine at 1360-1380, what has changed? Is your alk lower then normal and your mag higher? If you Cal, Alk, Mag fall out of balance coral can get very upset.

[VanceL]

That was my best guess, but alk usually runs between 7 and 8 dkh. Never seen mag this high in this tank any ideas on lowering it? Im on my last bag of pos Kent salt from the half pallet I bought about a year ago, so was planning on switching brands to something a little more consistent with levels. Any recommendations?



On another note I have a clown leaflip soapfish. If it was him releasing toxins I would see that in the fish as well right? I ran carbon the first day I noticed the corals condition but that didn't help at all. The only thing I can pin down that changed for sure was the addition of turbo snails, which are all dead now, the day before.



Im just so confused with how it only effects the corals that are supposed to be extremely hardy. Phosphate would effect corals with a skeleton and I would think would be gradual decline. Alk in my experience would effect everything in the tank, not just snails and leaving hermits, urchin, astrinas and anemones alone.

[VanceL]

Update.



Alk has held stable at 7.5, po4 is slowing dropping at about 2 ppm now. Carbon is running in system in case of toxins from soapfish. Corals are still closed, been two weeks now. No sign of improvement,no further decline, no rtm, no polyp bailout, just closed and ticked, with dead snails.

[ReefsandGeeks]

might be a heavy metal contamination, like copper. you wouldn't happen to have used a copper or brass fitting anywhere in your system, or used water from a different source? have you checked the TDS of your RODI recently, and done a water change before the problems?

Copper is the first thing that comes to my mind since it affects inverts like snails and coral, but not so much fish. Can be hard to detect and remove.

[VanceL]

No brass, tank has been running for over a year. Changed membranes of RO a month ago. Wouldn't copper affect things like anemones, pods, and other inverts? I also have an eel, angler, and lion... Not copper safe fish...

[oblio]

I'm not expert here, but that alk seems really low. Ive never seen anyone run it that low before. I would however agree with devastator007, seems you are having a metal issue. I would run out and buy a couple of these items and drop them in the tank immediately. http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/

[VanceL]

Wouldn't copper effect every invertebrate in the tank?

[PhaneSoul]

My corals also don't react well to high phosphates, Kenya tree, Duncan, gsp and Acans being the first to show signs if it happens

[VanceL]

I really hope po4 is what is doing it, as that is the easiest to reduce, although a slow process as to not make things worse. Still running gfo and slowing lowering levels.



Anyone have any experience with chloramines' and what types of life they are detrimental to? I have no experience but I know other reefers here in CO have found them in their water.

[VanceL]

I don't think that it is chloramines as I have a separate system using the same source water with no ill effects. But i don't know what else to look at.

[eddiereefs]

In my experience nothing has pised my corals off more than high mg from trying to rid bryopsis. Ur mg seems high

[eddiereefs]

And i did a search high mg will specifically kill turbo snails in specific. Lower ur mg, your welcome

[VanceL]

How would one go about doing that? I don't dose mag.

[VanceL]

Do you have a source for that reference? I would like to read it.

[VanceL]

Nevermind I found some. Eddiereefs thank you thank you thank you thank you, I do believe that is it. Would have never thought about that. I've used tech m to to kill bryopsis so levels this high didn't worry me but makes perfect sense now. Stupid Kent salt, will never buy it again.