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tycham
04/20/2006, 08:24 AM
I posted this on the LPS forum but haven't gotten any help.....hopefully one of the moderators here can help?

We got this favia about a month ago.(Picture in Gallery) It puffed up the first day or so but has not really inflated like it should since. Its bleaching around the skirt. I had him on a rock about 1/4 up the tank but about 1 week ago I moved it down to the sand....about 36 inches from the lights. I've been careful to keep him at least 6 inches from other corals because I'd been warned about his potential to sting them.

I feed cyclopeeze and various frozen shrimp formulas everyother day and DTs. I have never seen tentacles or sweepers out on this guy. Everything else in the tank is looking quite fabulous...even several corals who are suppose to be much more difficult.

Water Parameters are:
PH 8.13
Alk 4.91
NO2 0
NO3 20 ( I know, I know.. we are currently dosing with AZ NO3)
Ammonia 0
Calcium 625 (my husband says the result of frequent water changes)
Salinity 1.025

Tank is 225 gallons,
Filter Eheim 3
30 gallon refugium
protein skimmer

Lights:
2 400 W 14,500 kelvin MH
4 T-5s 54 watts each


Can I lugol dip him to see if there are any parasites?
Should I move him into a shady spot?
THANKS in advance for your help....
Romayne Chamberlain

Scuba Oz
04/20/2006, 09:20 AM
The simple fact that you have Nitrates, ALK and that outragous Ca level could very well be the problem. How is the CA level due to water changes? What test kits you using? Are you feeding at night? thats when their sweeper tenticles come out. I'll look at your photo in your gallery.

Travis L. Stevens
04/20/2006, 09:20 AM
For starters, your Alk AND your Ca are a little too high. A proper range for Alk should be about 3-4 Meq/L and 380-420 ppm Calcium (up to 480 if you have something like an SPS/Clam only tank). To me it sounds like that you might be overdosing either Kalkwasser or a two part additive system such as B-Ionic. Occassionally, people will use Oceanic salt and have serious Calcium problems with it being too high. Usually the Alkalinity turns out to be low, but in your case, they are both high. It might be too late for the favia because it will take time to get your tank back down to the proper levels, and in that time, the favia might not make it. I would suggest doing water changes with something other than Oceanic salt (If that is what you are using) Other than that, if you don't dose anything, it will all eventually come down as it gets used up. The speed depends on how much you have in your tank. YOu would need a pretty densly populated tank of corals to bring 225g of 625ppm Calcium down in a timely fashion. So, that's why I say waterchanges will be your best bet. Also, if you are using a Calcium Reactor, turn it down or off until things get under control. And lastly, before you do anything suggested above. Check your parameters with as many different test kits and other trusted LFSs. I would hate for you to have a bad test kit and actually have your Ca only be 250.

Travis L. Stevens
04/20/2006, 09:22 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7213035#post7213035 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Scuba Oz
The simple fact that you have Nitrates and that outragous Ca level could very well be the problem. How is the CA level due to water changes? What test kits you using? Are you feeding at night? thats when their sweeper tenticles come out. I'll look at your photo in your gallery.

While I almost always agree with you, I think the nitrates might actually be very little or no impact by themselves. In conjunction with the high Ca/Alk, they might be doing more harm than good though. I've seen many tanks with thriving reefs in nitrates FAR above 20ppm. Heck, mine was doing awesome and I was about 180.

tycham
04/20/2006, 10:59 AM
Thanks Travis and Scuba oz for your help. I know the nitrates are alarming but we are working on getting them down with the AZ NO3 and I've cut backon my feeding The oceanic salt is what we use and is probably the culprit. Test kits areLifeguard and another one that the label is decimated so I can't tell what it is. but readings are consistent on both. The PH is monitored. We have 40 other corals that are doing well except one porites astreoides that is starting some recession/white band. What salt do you recommend in lieu of the oceanic? What about test strips? Thanks.

Amphiprion
04/20/2006, 11:03 AM
Well, is carbonate hardness expressed in milliequivalents per liter (meq/L) or in degrees carbonate hardness (dKH)? Check your test. It could either be fairly high or very low depending upon the scale used. With calcium being that high, I would say the alkalinity is most likely low. BTW, do you test your salt mix after it goes into solution? YOu should take care of calcium and alkalinity problems then instead of in your tank. Also, nitrate levels of 20ppm are hardly a detriment to many corals, especially the ones you state. I agree that much lower is better, but it certainly isn't the problem.

tycham
04/20/2006, 11:38 AM
well....the parameters I posted earlier came from my husband, and I just talked to him and he said he did the alk with the Salifert kit...it measures meq/l I just rechecked using the Lifeguard strips and they measure alk in ppm and it looks like we are at 120ppm, which would mean we are a tad low...Do the Salifert kits age?...I think we've had this one a couple of years.

We haven't been using Kalkwasser, I do dose daily with Coral Vital.

So...about the fading favia, I think I saw a little red worm pulling tissue off of it...My eyes aren't the greatest so I took a picture and blew it up, but its still not definitive. At this point, do you think I should go ahead and dip...I know it will stress it, but at this point it sounds like I'm going to lose it anyway.
Thanks

Amphiprion
04/20/2006, 11:46 AM
Salifert does have an expiration date. As far as dipping it, it is hard to say. The worm is an iffy subject as well. I would try a substantial water change, new test kits (testing the changing water as well), and some luck. Oh, and when you said coral vital, are you referring to the Marc Weiss product? If so, discontinue it now, as it isn't really helping things. However, a good water change and proper parameters will.