Marty's 8' 300g/sump room build. ~750g system

[dantimdad]

The nutrients are from die off most likely.

 

[crusso1993]

First of all @crusso1993 thank you, I tend to be hard on myself and with something like this I sort of lose control of my emotions, thanks for grounding me some. Also thank you for pulling in all these great minds to try and help me, I was getting slightly discouraged at the lack of interaction on my thread but this certainly has boosted it.

I'm at work so cant tag all of you individually who replied but to comment on a few things..

-the supplement I doubt would have enough copper in it to be problematic since it's made for the specific use I used it for. I just thought it was notable.
-the planaria seems to only be in the display fuge and I see a couple in the cryptic tank (which just got rock added so I'm worried about that)
Is it worth isolating the display fuge and treating it? If so wouldn't this kinda be a waste of time as if they are anywhere else they will just repopulate again? I dont see any anywhere else besides the display fuge and the few in cryptic tank...never seen in display.

-the system is 4 months old but all rock and all is 1 year cycled and theres 120lbs of 5 year old rock.. I dont think this is cause because when I moved everything to this house and had make shift setups to hold me over I didnt have problems..certainly that would be when they would have happened, no?
- i did recently add a co2 scrubber and noticed over all about a .1 difference in ph. Not the "skyrocketing" affect like people describe..I contribute this to an undersized skimmer given system volume thus inadequate gas exchange which is why I see only small differences.
- I agree that the alk spike was a reaction, but what caused coral to be mad in first place UK?
- I lowered the alk naturally by unplugging resctor..I guess relatively speaking in that was quick (4days) but I test it minimum twice a day now and it is 8.7-9 every time.
- I tested multiple test kits to be sure it wasnt a bad batch of titrant, all gave me same result.



Below are tables from my temp and ph. The more drastic spikes at the end of my ph graph are due to friends being in town and I had a party so there was a lot more people in the house than normal.

Say what? You had a party and I received no invite? Cancel all those compliments and nice things I said about your build! (A little humor in a sad time often goes a long way.)

 

[Mshort03]

OK. That's good information. I don't see anything there that is an issue.

I agree the supplement isn't the cause either.

The only thing I can think of is possibly some outside contaminant like pesticide, air freshener or cleaner fumes. And that's just a possible not a definite.

Also, when the ICP comes back post it.

Look for rusted hose clamps if you have any. They can cause very high nickel and zinc levels and decimate a tank.

We dont use any aerosol sprays in house, only fragrance stuff used is a candle.

I dont use metal clamps anywhere so that is not of cause. I have showered tank and sump for anything metal that could have fallen in or something and I dont see anything.
Hopefully the icp test comes back quickly and shows me an answer..I will certainly post it.

 

[Mshort03]

Oh snap my bad! I wont elaborate on the amazing menu I had whipped up, including an old favorite..but it was certainly fun! Nice change of pace away from this.

When I get home tonight I'll take some more recent photos of the damage...its just been the LAST thing I wanted to do lately:/

 

[Scurvy]

Unfortunately I dont have much to add to what the others have already stated but I'll follow along and add if something jumps out. The ICP test will hopefully shed some light. Not sure how much affect it might have on a system this large but running a Polyfilter while you wait on the ICP results could potentially start pulling out copper if it turns out there's an elevated level with no risk.

I run Trition and they recomend GFO for certain metals as well, Just be mindful of PO4 if you decide to go that route. It may not be worth it until you have something more concrete to go on.

 

[Mshort03]

Unfortunately I dont have much to add to what the others have already stated but I'll follow along and add if something jumps out. The ICP test will hopefully shed some light. Not sure how much affect it might have on a system this large but running a Polyfilter while you wait on the ICP results could potentially start pulling out copper if it turns out there's an elevated level with no risk.

I run Trition and they recomend GFO for certain metals as well, Just be mindful of PO4 if you decide to go that route. It may not be worth it until you have something more concrete to go on.

All input is very much appreciated!

 

[crusso1993]

Hope things are fairing better this morning!

I have to admit that I am a bit disappionted by the lack of responses from the "reefsquad".

 

[Scurvy]

Lets try another shout out to the #reefsquad in case they missed it.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Not sure if the hashtag is working. There was an issue with it earlier. I would agree that die off may have raised the nutrients. I had an Alkalinity spike to about 13 dKH (long story) and it killed all of my SPS, but one. Some pieces lasted a while before finally succumbing. It is not the number so much as the spike itself I feel. I also had a weird salinity spike when I moved that killed most of my CUC. Salinity is something we take for granted sometimes and it just shows never ignore the simple possible answers. The die off that caused within the rocks wreaked havoc on my whole system.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I will add, in a build thread it is often tough to find all the pertinent data to figure out the problem without reading the whole thread. I always recommend starting a help thread in the appropriate forum to get more eyes on an issue.

 

[Mshort03]

@crusso1993 I have been on a two day bicycle trip to clear my head lol. When I get home well see how it looks. Eagerly awaiting the icp results so I hopefully have an answer.

As for reefsquad, I'm glad atleast a couple people answered, I did get a couple new things to think about so that's good.

@NY_Caveman I had considered writing a new thread about the issue but I barely like talking about it as much as I have.. it's quite defeating. Seems to be putting a few things in perspective for me too...this is first time I've dealt with the loss of this size..kinda doesnt feel good to see money vanish and then having multiple systems that can just die off seems...well I'm thinkin.
The display needs to get right and I wont give up on it. Just wondering how much of the other I want. I will admit my stress levels have exponentially increased this last 6 months.

 

[crusso1993]

@crusso1993 I have been on a two day bicycle trip to clear my head lol. When I get home well see how it looks. Eagerly awaiting the icp results so I hopefully have an answer.

As for reefsquad, I'm glad atleast a couple people answered, I did get a couple new things to think about so that's good.

@NY_Caveman I had considered writing a new thread about the issue but I barely like talking about it as much as I have.. it's quite defeating. Seems to be putting a few things in perspective for me too...this is first time I've dealt with the loss of this size..kinda doesnt feel good to see money vanish and then having multiple systems that can just die off seems...well I'm thinkin.
The display needs to get right and I wont give up on it. Just wondering how much of the other I want. I will admit my stress levels have exponentially increased this last 6 months.

Strenuous physical excersise often helps get my mind right too. Are you a road or trail or hybrid cyclist?

I may be wrong but I do not believe that any of the members that replied are part of the reefsquad. Very disappointing.

Last time I checked, a hobby is not supposed to supply more stress than enjoyment. I hope this is not the case with you but, if it is, you may want to contemplate it.

 

[Scurvy]

Its a bummer the #reefsquad shout out doesn't seem to be working so let’s try @Lasse @Rakie @Renton777 @Brew12 @Sabellafella and see if we can get some more big tank eyes on it.

Have a look at the last couple pages.

 

[Renton777]

Sorry to read of your recent problems. I agree with the gang that feels like something irritated the corals which then stopped consuming as much Alk. My shot in the dark theory would be that the corals may have been starved of nutrients, either nitrate or phosphate or both and shut down Alk cosumption. The tissue on the tips either died off or couldn't keep up with the new skeletal growth. Some times running undetectable nutrient levels can put you on a razor's edge in terms of coral health/stability. I have seen it in friends tanks that run it so clean and then strip nutrients further with too much macro algae.

Again just a theory.

While it is heart breaking and a motivation killer to lose corals, keep sight that things will stabilize and recover over time with proper management. Test regularly and increase water changes for a time. The ICP test will be useful.

I would recommend not focusing on reducing nutrients from current levels and continue to feed as you have in the past.

I wish I spotted a smoking gun for you but those are tricky to come by in the reefing world.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I may be wrong but I do not believe that any of the members that replied are part of the reefsquad. Very disappointing.

It is confirmed, hashtags have not been working. Wish they would announce that somehow. ReefSquad, of which I am a member, is NOT getting notified. EmdeReef is a RS member as well.

 

[NY_Caveman]

BTW, the opinions of @dantimdad and @Scurvy are just as valid as anyone on the RS and definitely more valuable than my own.

 

[dantimdad]

We dont use any aerosol sprays in house, only fragrance stuff used is a candle.

I dont use metal clamps anywhere so that is not of cause. I have showered tank and sump for anything metal that could have fallen in or something and I dont see anything.
Hopefully the icp test comes back quickly and shows me an answer..I will certainly post it.

We dont use candle but use the little plug in warmers but not in the room with the tanks.

Glad more can be ruled out.

Waiting on the ICP results.

 

[Brew12]

Thanks for the shout out! Hopefully the hashtag issues will be worked out soon but you do have some very experienced members helping.

I'll add a few thoughts. Low levels of copper typically aren't a problem. I wouldn't do it, but some people add copper to reef tanks to brighten the colors. Too risky for me...

I keep a pack of polyfilters in my closet at all times.

Amazon.com : POLYBIO Poly Filter PAD 4 X 8 : Aquarium Filter Accessories : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : POLYBIO Poly Filter PAD 4 X 8 : Aquarium Filter Accessories : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

They work much quicker at removing metals than most other methods.
They also change color based on what is absorbed so it may give you an idea of what to look for, if anything.

My experience is that alk spikes start as a symptom and turn into a cause. An outside issue can cause alk to jump from 8dkh to 10dkh. You can remove the outside issue but the jump in alk will also cause reduced demand and lead to alk continuing to increase. Once the tips of coral are burnt, it is the fastest growing parts that are damaged, leading to even less alk demand and higher alk. To me, this is what makes the cause of an alk spike so difficult to nail down the cause of. Even a one time, 5 minute, issue such as an overdose of something can lead to days/weeks of instability and reduced alk demand if not quickly caught and adjusted for.

 

[Scurvy]

@Renton777 @Brew12 Thanks for the extra eyes and insights!

 

[ScottR]

I’ve skimmed through this. Sorry for all your hard work to go down. The copper mentioned isn’t a problem. Copper is added oddly, for coloration or something. Don’t quote me. It’s harmless in small doses. Imo, it’s alk swings. Stabilize everything. It seems like a young tank. It’s common for these things to happen. BRS had a video about waiting for 1-2 years for stabilization. However SPS tanks can be done anytime.