HELP! Steady decline in coral health with stable parameters

[Jcon82]

PH 8.2
Sal 1.026
KH 11.5 dkh
Cal 460
mg 1380
n03 2
p04 0.03
Temp 77.3 f

Using IO Reef Crystals mixed to 1.026

My 40b is a bit over 6 months old. I had a rocky start but have been stable for 4 months now. The tanks is stocked with a variety of LPS, SPS, Zoas, some euphyllia and a Toadstool. Two months ago the corals started taking up the tank elements fast enough for me to think I needed to start dosing. So I started dosing 2-3ml all4reef daily and all the corals seemed very happy. I stopped dosing two weeks ago since alk kept creeping into the 12's, I did this by dosing 1ml every other day and then stopping.

Last week there was no significant drop in alk, cal or mg but I still did my weekly 5 gallon water change. I'm unable to detect any change in water parameters aside from the discontinuing of all4reef. I've seen the slightest uptick in red slime in the sand. But starting last week the colors have faded. The green on my Raja Rampage chalice blew off in some places with a turkey baster but started to return. My lava flow leptopseris no longer has its bright orange eyes. Cloudberries chalice is all deflated looking. My acans and favia/favites are no longer puffy and are washed out. Montipora is washed out. Zoas have been closed up for days. My duncan, hammer and goniopora never open. Birdsnest and Bird of paradise are no longer fluffy. GSP is closed up. Toadstool is closed up. The only ones looking ok is pulsing xenia and mushrooms.

Is there anything else I should be testing for?

Is one of my corals releasing toxins?

Should I start mixing my reef crystals to a lower salinity?

Should I switch to a lower alk salt? Aqua forest is on sale.

I've put so much work and money into this tank. I really don't want to lose these corals. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Geebs19]

Is your tank cloudy or is that the glass?

 

[Jcon82]

Is your tank cloudy or is that the glass?

Yeah so it does seem a bit hazy in the middle. Mainly due to alack of flow I need to address.

 

[Kistos]

I can't say what is the issue as to me the parameters looks fine.
I have some questions tho.
Did you add anything new to the aquarium?
Did you dip your corals before introducing in your tank?
Do you use RO water and is the RO filters up to date?

If it is possible send some photos please of the corals. There is also a possibility of coral parasites (speculation).

I had a similar issue with 3-4 corals few weeks ago and I removed them and did a nice 10 min dip and wash. Now they are huge and happy.
I don't say that the issue you have is the same with what I had, but if you can always try and see.

 

[gbru316]

Lack of nutrients can be a trigger for slow, steady decline. Raising No3 and Po4 might reinvigorate your livestock.


From Michael Paletta's article titled "Tank Parameters of Some Masters"

When you look at all of the numbers in each of these tanks, to be honest not much stands out, other than each of these individuals runs his tank his own way and each has found the sweet spot at which their tank operates optimally. When I averaged out all of the numbers the values were pretty close to those of NSW. Alk was 8.19, Ca 419. Mg 1361, NO3 18.77, PO4 .18, Sr 8.6 and temp 77.

Tank Parameters Of Some Masters

Tank Parameters Of Some Masters To this day one of the most frequently asked questions I get, and actually that many “old time hobbyists” get is “How do I get rid of the algae in my tank. My first question then is “what are the parameters of...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

In all my tanks that had Nitrates below 5 ppm and Phos at or barely detectable 0.01 and DKH above 10, my corals would melt.

I'm never a fan of high Alk salt mixes.

 

[Geebs19]

Yeah so it does seem a bit hazy in the middle. Mainly due to alack of flow I need to address.

Has your tank been hazy since you started noticing a decline in coral health?

 

[Lavey29]

Agree with the above. Low nitrates mean your corals are starving.

 

[Tonycass12]

Your alk is way to high for your NO³ get it down to 8 and you will have a much easier time. 6 months old is still a very young tank as well.

 

[Uncle99]

From a stability point of view, your dkh in the DT is 11.5 and IO salt is much lower.

Should you not be running your DT at say 8dkh, like your input saltwater.

This in itself is not the cause however over time, is a contributor. Alk flux PO’s the corals and micro-Fauna

Check what the daily flux in Alk is over 24hrs and ensure the smallest variance during each day, day to day.

 

[fish farmer]

I agree with the others on high alk and low nutrients. I'd go with regular io for awhile until your needs match a richer salt or dosing.

 

[Jcon82]

Thanks everyone. All signs point towards the high alk mix. It was on sale and I didnt know any better. The red sea calculator said that was what I wanted but I could never get the no3 high enough.

I just ordered some Aquaforest reef salt to try. Its a much lower alk.

Anyone want a half bucket of Reef crystals?

 

[Jcon82]

Following up on this. As of yesterday evening (I always test at the same time) Alk was down to 10.5dkh. So if it continues on that trend it should be down to 8.5dkh by Sunday.

I picked up some NeoPhos and NeoNitro and dosed according to the instructions. The amount I added should bring No3 up to 10ppm and po4 to 0.05. However, when I tested 24 hours later it was still 2ppm (no3) and 0.03ppm (po4)! I understand some would be consumed but I dont think all would be so quickly. This is making me doubt my salifert tests.

Is it ideal to dose nutrients before or after the lights are on?

Any recommendations for these test kits other than the Hanna checkers?

I fed the corals reef roids and phyto-feast last night and while the did hold the food in their mucus I did not see the usual feeding response. I kept the pumps off for 45 minutes to give them extra time to feed. My Birdsnest and mystic sunset monti look to be almost completely gone. The Duncan, Hammer, Toadstool and zoas haven't opened in a week, aside from the AOI zoas that dont really seem bothered. My Favia and acans that used to be so puffy are all shriveled up. Some of my GSP has brown slime on it. I may just cut that part off and toss it. Mushrooms seem ok. stylocoeniella seems indifferent to whats going on. The Monti Digi and Bird of Paradise have a few white tips that have me worried. Chalices dont look too hot either.

I've also been having to clean my glass daily now when it used to be once a week. theres some purple diatoms (dinos?) on the sand that I keep having to suck up. fish are happy and my Starfish has doubled in size!. I'm so confused.

I want to take some pics to share but I'm never home during peak white light time. Maybe on Sunday.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Its very normal to dose NO3 and PO4 the suggested amount and see it consumed in 24 hours. Keep dosing and test. Go slow . DIno's appear when your nutrients bottom out on new systems. You can get a cheap walmart microscope and ID the Dino for best treatment.

I have been lucky a few times and used a UV to rid of it. it was of the osteoporosis variety

 

[Jcon82]

Update:
I did a 5 gallon water change with Aqua Forest reef salt. As of Saturday Alk was 10dkh. I'm continuing to dose a small amount of NeoNitro and NeoPhos.

Raja Rampage chalice bleached over the weekend along with the Bop and Birdsnest. I took all the bad corals and placed them on the sand in a back corner. I'm going to order a frag rack and keep them there in hopes that they recover.

I calibrated my refractometer and saw that it was off by a few ppt resulting in my salinity being slightly lower than I thought at about 1.020ish. Its at the proper salinity now.

My Carpenters wrasse may be dead.
It wasn't looking too great when I saw it a few days ago. Its only been in the tank for two weeks and was doing well for most of that time. Very disappointing.

Also haven't seen my pom pom crab in a week.

 

[Jcon82]

Here’s some pics from today. Sorry for the blueness

 

[Graemesreef]

So you thought your salinity was 1.026 and it was actually 1.020? How quickly did you raise it back to 1.026?

 

[Jcon82]

So you thought your salinity was 1.026 and it was actually 1.020? How quickly did you raise it back to 1.026?

I mixed 5 gallons of new water to 40ppt and the tank was back the correct salinity after the water change. It may not have been as low as 1.020. Maybe 1.022.

was this too fast to bring it back up?

 

[Graemesreef]

I mixed 5 gallons of new water to 40ppt and the tank was back the correct salinity after the water change. It may not have been as low as 1.020. Maybe 1.022.

was this too fast to bring it back up?

I believe so, could explain the fish loss? I try not to do more than .005 a day to get what I need.

 

[Tonycass12]

I believe so, could explain the fish loss? I try not to do more than .005 a day to get what I need.

Fish can handle salinity swings just fine. May people only temp acclimate and drop in these days. Ill even freshwater dip all my new arrivals for 5-10minutes with no issues. Im sure the fish loss was due to another stressor.