Things are dieing, but I have information...need help

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Here is what I see. Its a relatively new tank, only 3 months old, and its a 10 gallon so very small.

Its hard to maintain parameters in a 3 month old tank, but when you have 2 fish in a 10 gallon, the parameters will change every time you feed. Adding reef rods to such a small tank will have hige impact on phosphate levels. I don't think this tank has a skimmer, right? So its a big change to the system every week when you change the water.

Its sounds like a lot of tinkering in this tank in 3 months (adding corals, testing, etc...), the more you tinker the greater chance for error somewhere. Even forgetting to clean you hands can be a problem, much more so in a 10 gallon compared to a 50 gallon for example. Likewise, more tinkering in a small tank compared to large tank leads to more chance for error.

Torch is also one of the more finicky corals, compared to others.

I don't see any one or two things to change that will make everything suddenly happy again. I think you're still learning and your tank is still maturing and you are going pretty fast. Just my worthless 2 cents

 

[MERKEY]

 

[peted]

Are you dosing or how are you planning to maintain your chemistry parameters. Specifically calcium and alkalinity.

there are a number of calcium supplements on the market. I personally use the Red Sea calcium supplement so that’s one way you could consider.

Based on the volume of water and your current level of calcium each supplement would give a recommended dose to add to reach a desired target concentration in the system.

I'll look into the redsea calcium dosing. Sucks I just bought a new pro, but could pick up a blue.

 

[peted]

What @sdreef said.

I have never had to bring up calcium levels from being that low so maybe somebody else has experience on how fast you want to do that. But you generally want to change things slowly. I would not just go from 300 to 420 in one day. I would slowly bring it up over a few weeks? I really don’t know how fast is too fast.

Calcium supplements will raise just the calcium. Water changes will also raise the calcium because the new salt water will be about 420 assuming a 35 ppt salinity. Just start to slowly raise it and test as you go.

Also you might want to check your test kit to ensure it is actually that low. I have an idea for this. When you mix up new saltwater it should have 420-440 calcium. Ensure the new water is at 35 ppt or 1.026 salinity, then test the new water for calcium. If it reads 420-440, your test kit is accurate. If it doesn’t read 420 you will have to figure out if you test kit is bad, if your salt is bad, or if your salinity tester is bad.

what are you dosing? It seems odd to have such high alkalinity and such low calcium. Are you dosing any trace elements? I would caution against dosing anything you can’t test for.

Stability is key to happy corals. Get your calcium up and keep everything stable. And what I mean by everything is alkalinity, calcium, temp, and salinity. Magnesium doesn’t change much so just test once or twice a month and adjust if needed. Keep those within proper levels and keep them steady and you will be setting yourself up for success. Keeping coral is more about keeping water than anything else.

I will share what I dose. All for reef. That’s it. It maintains calcium alkalinity magnesium and even trace elements in the proper ratio. I have checked with icp multiple times. So if you are looking for an easy method that will not be expensive, it is a good route. A jug of all for reef powder an empty gallon water jug and a kaemora dosing pump is that is needed. You just maintain alkalinity and all the other elements will stay steady if you dose to maintain a steady alk. Testing calcium and magnesium once a month and adjust if needed.

Hope all that made sense, it was a lot.

Regarding the water change portion, that is why I don't understand how my calcium can be that off when I am religious on 20% or so changes. I'll mix up 1 gal today and test the new stuff. I'll also test the tank again today and check level again.
I use a Hanna salinity tester, and recalibrated 2 days ago.
No doser or skimmer on this tank.
I'll take a look at all for reef as well.
Appreciate all this.

 

[peted]

Regarding the water change portion, that is why I don't understand how my calcium can be that off when I am religious on 20% or so changes. I'll mix up 1 gal today and test the new stuff. I'll also test the tank again today and check level again.
I use a Hanna salinity tester, and recalibrated 2 days ago.
No doser or skimmer on this tank.
I'll take a look at all for reef as well.
Appreciate all this.

Tested calcium in the tank again this AM, Twice. Very difficult to see if it's .080 or .090 on the syringe. But either way both are about the same. And it would be at about 450 if that's the case. Looking back I think I misread results on the first post with picture...the reading was .04 which would be 480 cal. Today the two very similar results are 460-450. So I'm an idiot....
So calcium looks good. I'm sorry about that.

 

[Rtaylor]

My water can go from 1.026 to 1.024 when i screw up and dont unplug my auto top off and I have very sensitive acros. I don’t think this is the cause.

Agree 100%
I’ve had an ATO failure and gone from 1. 025 to 1.012 in an hour and all euphyllia was fine. It was closed up for a day or two, but totally fine. There is zero chance that a change in salinity of .01-.02 would kill coral. ZERO

 

[FlyinAg]

Phosphate at 0.1ppm?

 

[peted]

Yes. Reconfirmed this AM. Salifert goes from .03 to .10 on the low end. I am erroring higher since it appears closer to the 0.1 mark. Looked sideways over the top and in 3 different rooms, natural light, etc. Definitely not the .2+

 

[FlyinAg]

Ok. Might be a little on the high end of acceptable range. Not saying it is the culprit, but something to think about. Maybe spiked because of the reef roids.

 

[peted]

Yes. Reconfirmed this AM. Salifert goes from .03 to .10 on the low end. I am erroring higher since it appears closer to the 0.1 mark. Looked sideways over the top and in 3 different rooms, natural light, etc. Definitely not the .2+

Picture from right now. Torch in the back looks best for now. Hammer is 20% opened, light are still ramping up. Acan fully closed, top torch looks terrible middle to torch looks less worse right now than last night but still bad.

 

[peted]

Picture from right now. Torch in the back looks best for now. Hammer is 20% opened, light are still ramping up. Acan fully closed, top torch looks terrible middle to torch looks less worse right now than last night but still bad.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sg drop from 1.026 to 1.024 within one water change is probably the cause. Corals are stenohaline, meaning they can tolerate only very narrow range of salinity. They could probably adjust to it, but very slowly.
Other params are not ideal either, low Ca, high dKH.
You need STABILITY and above all all you should correct salinity first, but slowly.

Sg is not the cause. You can lower salinity rapidly but increase VERY slowly

 

[peted]

Ok. Might be a little on the high end of acceptable range. Not saying it is the culprit, but something to think about. Maybe spiked because of the reef roids.

Maybe feeding...

Sg is not the cause. You can lower salinity rapidly but increase VERY slowly

lost second torch, bacterial maybe? Chemiclean?

 

[FlyinAg]

Geez sorry to see that. Hard to tell, but does the flesh look like brown jelly or is that it's natural color? Did the whole thing go at once or did that condition spread across it?

Edit, it looks like that was the green torch?

 

[peted]

Geez sorry to see that. Hard to tell, but does the flesh look like brown jelly or is that it's natural color? Did the whole thing go at once or did that condition spread across it?

Edit, it looks like that was the green torch?

Yep was the green torch. Yep brownish jelly. Put it in a ziplock and it was just brown liquid clear slime. I have a feeling the other in the middle is next. I am trying to find a LFS that is open today to get chemiclean don't know what else to do.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Maybe feeding...

lost second torch, bacterial maybe? Chemiclean?

can you post pic of overall tank under white lighting ?
What is your nitrate and phosphate level ?
No chemiClean.

 

[peted]

can you post pic of overall tank under white lighting ?
What is your nitrate and phosphate level ?
No chemiClean.

Nitrates we're 5ppm when I posted, phosphates I have posted twice. Reading about 0.10. salifert goes from 0.03-0.10 no in between. Posted yesterday's results yesterday.
I added chemiclean this morning already.
Couldn't find Cipro today.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nitrates we're 5ppm when I posted, phosphates I have posted twice. Reading about 0.10. salifert goes from 0.03-0.10 no in between. Posted yesterday's results yesterday.
I added chemiclean this morning already.
Couldn't find Cipro today.

Leave cipro out as its for humans and may cause issues you dont want.
ChemiClean is an alternative and not a solution and I believe I saw dino versus cyano which chemiclean will not address and may actually support.
Was looking for today's po4 reading to see direction. You may be if dino getting low level toxins affecting torch and other coral why I requested tank pics.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Tested calcium in the tank again this AM, Twice. Very difficult to see if it's .080 or .090 on the syringe. But either way both are about the same. And it would be at about 450 if that's the case. Looking back I think I misread results on the first post with picture...the reading was .04 which would be 480 cal. Today the two very similar results are 460-450. So I'm an idiot....
So calcium looks good. I'm sorry about that.

I was just looking at your 1st photo and was about to comment...good that you caught this.

 

[Dburr1014]

Here is what I see. Its a relatively new tank, only 3 months old, and its a 10 gallon so very small.

Its hard to maintain parameters in a 3 month old tank, but when you have 2 fish in a 10 gallon, the parameters will change every time you feed. Adding reef rods to such a small tank will have hige impact on phosphate levels. I don't think this tank has a skimmer, right? So its a big change to the system every week when you change the water.

Its sounds like a lot of tinkering in this tank in 3 months (adding corals, testing, etc...), the more you tinker the greater chance for error somewhere. Even forgetting to clean you hands can be a problem, much more so in a 10 gallon compared to a 50 gallon for example. Likewise, more tinkering in a small tank compared to large tank leads to more chance for error.

Torch is also one of the more finicky corals, compared to others.

I don't see any one or two things to change that will make everything suddenly happy again. I think you're still learning and your tank is still maturing and you are going pretty fast. Just my worthless 2 cents

+1 to all this.

I also have 2 questions...

1) did you actually mix the bucket of salts before you started using it? The salt settles. Maybe the calcium settled to the bottom.

2) in the original post you posted your parameters.
PH says 8.1, under that it says "the power of hydrogen". What does that mean?? Are you using h2o2 for something?