Corals dying :(

[nova918]

Hi guys need experts help … i have a 500 gallon reef tank have mostly sps and alot of the corals are not doing good … some have died on me and i just dont get it … all parameters seem fine … light are Radeon's and also have kessils … getting around 100 par at bottom of tank …i just dont get it!!! I got a chiller like a month ago because temp was going up to like 82 during the days sometimes i live in florida but now with chiller i stay stable around 7.9

Alk-9.2
Calcium- 425
Magnesium-1470
Phos- 0.74 ppm
Nitrate-0.20 ppm
PH-8.3
Temp-79
Copper 0.00 ppm
Salinity -1.026
Orp-370



Please help dont want to keep buying corals until i figure this out … i even. Did a ICP test with fauna marine whats weird test result showed that my salt was low … but im pretty sure is not i mix it my self and add pounds of salt per recommended gallons and when i check it with my refractermeter it shows at 1.026 and added some of the elements that i was missing… but that was about it … in going crazy can someone please help

 

[SeaDweller]

Do you calibrate your refractometer? What’s your source water, do you make it yourself? Are your filters new or recently replaced? Seeing your algae problems makes me think it’s your water and your PO4.

 

[odariel]

0.74 Phosphate... the "ideal" range is below 0.1 ppm for most tanks... every time my phosphate goes over 0.12 my SPS start to look horrible. look no further, that amount of phosphate is the culprit. Seening that your nitrate is very low, i would try to control phosphate with lanthanum (there are several readily available commercial products that work wonderfully like Tropic marin's Elimiphos rapid) and once you have it at around 0.05ppm see how everything starts to look... then i would try to slowly raise your nitrate a little bit. But yeah, that level of phosphate you have right now is killing your coral for sure.

 

[polyppal]

In addition to the po4, +1 on calibrating your refractometer. They go out of calibration all the time

 

[andyman]

Whats your trace element measurements? hows your strontium and floride level?

 

[sixty_reefer]

What was the icp result for nitrate and phosphate? 0.2 ppm seems low and in the margin of error of most test kits.

 

[nova918]

Do you calibrate your refractometer? What’s your source water, do you make it yourself? Are your filters new or recently replaced? Seeing your algae problems makes me think it’s your water and your PO4.

No i haven't calibrated the refractometer …my source water i wale water but passes trough 7 stage reverse osmosis …. Yes filters replace regularly every week…

 

[VintageReefer]

You say the tank is mostly sps but I don’t see any sps. I see lots of LPS including very sensitive types like goniopora, and moderately sensitive ones like favia and scoly, and wellso/trachy/open brain corals

Your phosphate is high at .7x but I’ve run my lps dominate reef, which has all of these corals, with phosphate .98 and had no issues. Still, I feel that your phosphates are at least part of the problem

What fish do you have? Many fish like to nip and eat lps including angelfish, filefish, and several others.

I also notice large colonies. These would take years to grow. Did you grow these? Or buy large pieces ? Typically frags grown out do better because they grow and adapt to your system, where larger colonies don’t adapt as well, after 5-15 years growing in another environments parameters

 

[nova918]

Do you calibrate your refractometer? What’s your source water, do you make it yourself? Are your filters new or recently replaced? Seeing your algae problems makes me think it’s your water and your PO4.

0,074 ppm phosphate … and phosphorus under de hanna checker shows 24

 

[VintageReefer]

Your shrimp will also harass almost every lps you have in the photographs

They will pick at the corals attempting to steal food from the polyps/mouths. Shrimp and LPS don’t tend to get along without careful supervision. Especially during and after feeding time

 

[nova918]

0.74 Phosphate... the "ideal" range is below 0.1 ppm for most tanks... every time my phosphate goes over 0.12 my SPS start to look horrible. look no further, that amount of phosphate is the culprit. Seening that your nitrate is very low, i would try to control phosphate with lanthanum (there are several readily available commercial products that work wonderfully like Tropic marin's Elimiphos rapid) and once you have it at around 0.05ppm see how everything starts to look... then i would try to slowly raise your nitrate a little bit. But yeah, that level of phosphate you have right now is killing your coral for sure.

 

[nova918]

0.74 Phosphate... the "ideal" range is below 0.1 ppm for most tanks... every time my phosphate goes over 0.12 my SPS start to look horrible. look no further, that amount of phosphate is the culprit. Seening that your nitrate is very low, i would try to control phosphate with lanthanum (there are several readily available commercial products that work wonderfully like Tropic marin's Elimiphos rapid) and once you have it at around 0.05ppm see how everything starts to look... then i would try to slowly raise your nitrate a little bit. But yeah, that level of phosphate you have right now is killing your coral for sure.

this is what i have for phosphate

24 ppb phosphorus

0,074 ppm phosphate

Thats with the hanna checker

 

[VintageReefer]

Ok so if phosphate is .074 then that’s fine

Do you feed your lps? Almost all lps benefit from feeding. They have mouths and need to eat. That large dead trachy should be fed 2x a week, the favia weekly. Scoly and donut corals every 2-3 days

 

[nova918]

Whats your trace element measurements? hows your strontium and floride level?

Strontium and floride i brought up after the icp said they where low i added to the tank as per the instructions the icp company told me..

 

[odariel]

ok then, 0.074 is within range. what was the salinity on that ICP? To star getting things out of the way.
Also, seeing that low nitrate, am i wrong to assume you dont target feed your corals?
Goniopora are known for being a delicate coral that needs almost daily feedings with micro foods... i never succeded with them until i implemented a daily feeding regime for them... otherwise they slowly perish... the rest of the lps corals seen in your pics love to eat too.. do you have any sps on your reef or is mainly LPS dying?

 

[nova918]

What was the icp result for nitrate and phosphate? 0.2 ppm seems low and in the margin of error of most test kits.

 

[nova918]

Ok so if phosphate is .074 then that’s fine

Do you feed your lps? Almost all lps benefit from feeding. They have mouths and need to eat. That large dead trachy should be fed 2x a week, the favia weekly. Scoly and donut corals every 2-3 days

To be honest never fed them what should i use to feed them?

 

[nova918]

Ok so if phosphate is .074 then that’s fine

Do you feed your lps? Almost all lps benefit from feeding. They have mouths and need to eat. That large dead trachy should be fed 2x a week, the favia weekly. Scoly and donut corals every 2-3 days

And yes i think is .074 … i have a hanna phosphorus coming up with 24 … i was thinking is 0.074 phosphate?

 

[nova918]

You say the tank is mostly sps but I don’t see any sps. I see lots of LPS including very sensitive types like goniopora, and moderately sensitive ones like favia and scoly, and wellso/trachy/open brain corals

Your phosphate is high at .7x but I’ve run my lps dominate reef, which has all of these corals, with phosphate .98 and had no issues. Still, I feel that your phosphates are at least part of the problem

What fish do you have? Many fish like to nip and eat lps including angelfish, filefish, and several
others.

I also notice large colonies. These would take years to grow. Did you grow these? Or buy large pieces ? Typically frags grown out do better because they grow and adapt to your system, where larger colonies don’t adapt as well, after 5-15 years growing in another environments parameters

Yes sorry correction alot of LPS

I bought does large pieces… even some of my frags that i bought some died

 

[odariel]

your nitrate level is not 0.2 ppm is around 37ppm seeing that ICP result.. is actually better than having 0.2