Tank crash

[Ram3500]

Well this has been a tough summer the bleaching started back in June with the heat wave and a chiller malfunction. It seamed like I had this under control with my chiller back online and the corals started to come around . I noticed my nitrate was a little high between 40-20 that was the end of July . I have been doing about 50 gal water change each week to try and get the nitrate under control . Last week I started doing about a 40 gal change ever day because the sps were looking a little pail . On Friday I did my weekly h20 test and my mag was at 800 ? WTF I have no idea how it dropped so low . I missed testing the water the week before because we when on a camping trip but how could it drop so low ?? Now I have lost four sps in the last three days ;( and what I have left is looking Very sad the only sps that still look good are my monti caps . My zoa garden thankful look good but I have four hammer colony's that are almost fully retracted . I have been trying to get the mag back up but It is a painful slow process I have it at 900 now . The good news is I finally found a way to kill all my Xenia. The salt mix I have been using is reef crystals . Not sure what to do any suggestions would be appreciated .

[hfp75]

Bad batch of salt.... It happens

Switch to a new bucket of salt and continue with the h2o changes....

[JmeJReefer]

Salinity problems? Dosing issue?
Check ur water source?
Good luck!

[MarieH]

I just read on amazon a review that someone else had similar issues and put it down to reef crystals being off. Maybe test the change water?

[Bblinks]

Ram, I would slowly bring up all the parameters to the correct value in the next week or so, test everyday until you have reached the correct value. Also cross check your phosphate and nitrate but since you have been doing large water changes I would suspect they shouldn't be a concern. Run some carbon to get rid of what ever the death of your 4 colonies has left behind but go slow depending on what kind of carbon you use. Salinity will also have to be checked to maintain 1.025 since you will be adding quite a bit of salt. Save what you can bud and move on. Good luck.

[tang daddy]

Ram, I would slowly bring up all the parameters to the correct value in the next week or so, test everyday until you have reached the correct value. Also cross check your phosphate and nitrate but since you have been doing large water changes I would suspect they shouldn't be a concern. Run some carbon to get rid of what ever the death of your 4 colonies has left behind but go slow depending on what kind of carbon you use. Salinity will also have to be checked to maintain 1.025 since you will be adding quite a bit of salt. Save what you can bud and move on. Good luck.

Well said advise from Rich and others, possibly it has to do with the salt you're using... Try IO as its consistent. Doesn't suprise me that your mg dropped that low. It took me tons of mg to raise mine up from 1100. Mg can be brought up 500 ppm daily. If you don't have a doser mix up and use a container to drip it in. Keep testing. If you raise your alk and ca the mg will drop.

Good luck and sorry to hear about the losses, happens to the best of us, part of reef life. Also check for stray voltages, if you don't have a grounding probe get one and.... Also check all your equiptment for there maybe some metals leeching into your tank.

[Ram3500]

Thanks for the feed back guys. I always read about tank crashes but this is my first one. I have been reefing for five years so it was bound to happen . Two date I have lost ten sps and five lps in the past two week. It just leaves me shaking head the worst part of it all was it was self inflicted . I had some pail sps so I started big water changes but I am guessing the Instant Ocean reef crystals was off . I don't understand how els my magnesium could drop 1300 to 800 in two weeks . Just a couple of weeks ago everything was just popping and everything looked so sweet and then BAM. As of today I have the mag back up to 1000 all other parameters are good even my nitrate is down to .10
I plan on doing a 45 gal water change every other day until things settle down . And to top it all off there is a dam mole digging up my newly sodded front yard . I really hope I can save my zoa garden and my monti caps if they die I think I gona get a bad ass trigger and call it a day