Advice: Unhappy tank..

[ghztew]

Background: 90g tanks, 130lb LR, 150lb live sand, Remora Pro, 33g sump,

I have 2 pink skunks in my tank, a small bubble tip and a Yellow Colt.

Problem: My yellow colt has been white for the past 3 weeks, it goes through it's normal opening up during the day and it closes at night.. lately it looks a little more droopy than usual. It began fragging when I bought it and I think it may have completely fragged now.

Nearly all of my tests that I have checked look good. My amonia, nitrate, nitrite and calcium are all in check (0,0,0, 400). Specific gravity fluctuates between .024~.025 (depending on my water changes etc..

I just checked last night and my pH is off the charts, much higher than the 8.3 is right now.. i think my readings go to 8.6 so I'm guessing my pH might be closer to 8.9 or 9.0 right now.

THe big question I have is whether the pH is the cause for my yellow colt turning white.. and what's the best way to lower my pH down to the 8.3 range.. at this point my plan is to get some baking soda and slowly lower my pH over the next week.

Any suggestions on how to get my yellow colt back to it's proper condition & pH levels back on track will be greatly appreciated.

[Beverly]

Before doing anything, recalibrate your pH meter to make sure it's correct. Also, what is your current dKH? If your pH meter is right and you have a low pH, then adding baking soda so KH is between 8 and 11 dKH would be useful in your situation.

[ghztew]

I'll check to see what my KH levels are at..

Would the KH be part of the cause to my unhappy colt?

[Beverly]

Would the KH be part of the cause to my unhappy colt?

Possibly. Other factors will be the amount of direct or indirect water flow around the colt, what kind of light it is getting (MH, VHO, NO, etc.), water temp. IME, colts don't like strong, direct water flow.

[ghztew]

I have 260w power compact, water temp is around 80~81F, and it gets indirect water flow.. it's in a slightly sheltered cove on the front of my tank where the power heads won't directly push water... the colt is about 1/2 way down my live rock, so it shouldn't be getting to much or to little light..

confused.. :S

[Beverly]

While 80-81 isn't really hot, I keep my tanks at around 78F in the event ambient room temps raise tank temps. Also, I make sure there is lots of surface agitation for good gas exchange allowing for maximum O2 in the water. SG is 1.025 to 1.026 which is maintained by adding RO/DI water daily to make up for evaporation because of the high surface agitation.

[Pegasus]

In my experience a high pH can cause bleaching. If you are adding buffers you maybe overdosing. There are some other suggestions in this article that may be of some help.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm

Also, I have never heard of a yellow colt coral. Always thought that they were brown or tan. Is it possible that it was dyed and that the animal is suffering for it?


Larry

[Pegasus]

In my experience a high pH can cause bleaching. If you are adding buffers you maybe overdosing. There are some other suggestions in this article that may be of some help.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm

Also, I have never heard of a yellow colt coral. Always thought that they were brown or tan. Is it possible that it was dyed and that the animal is suffering for it?


Larry

[ghztew]

I checked my KH last night and it's roughly in the 120 range.

Will apologize I have very little background in chem etc.. so my numbers are usually based straight off the readings I get from my tests.

The package gave me two interpretations for the 120, in one area it said anything between 105-125 is good for salt tanks, and then in another area it said if it's over 90 than it's to high.

[ghztew]

This is what mine should look like, if it's not a yellow colt.. that's what it was described as.... mine is of course white.

http://www.um-um.pl/shop/images/cladiella.jpg

[Beverly]

I checked my KH last night and it's roughly in the 120 range.

Will apologize I have very little background in chem etc.. so my numbers are usually based straight off the readings I get from my tests.

The package gave me two interpretations for the 120, in one area it said anything between 105-125 is good for salt tanks, and then in another area it said if it's over 90 than it's to high.

Now I'm VERY confused :eek: I was expecting you to offer either a number under 15 dKH or a number something like 3.21 meq/L. I can only guess that your test kit measured alkalinity in ppm, hence the 120.

Here are two pages on alkalinity to further your education. I have them bookmarked because I refer to them whenever I have pH and KH questions. Not much of a chemist myself :rolleyes:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/alkalinity.htm

http://ozreef.org/reference/alkalinity_conversion.html

[Pegasus]

Beverly, I believe he is using a Hagan test kit and that it is mg/L.

This link will take you to a hardness conversion calculator on the Hagan web site. According to it, your reading 6.72 dH. Hope this helps.

http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/aquatic/gh_kh_conv_cal.cfm

Larry

[ghztew]

You're correct Pegasus, I'm using a Hagen test kit. Looking at the conversion tables etc.. my dKH would be what you posted 6.72.

So...... what does that mean? :confused: Is this high/low/on target?

I'll keep reading up on the Alkalinity, but if it is possible that the coral was bleached, will it return to it's normal colour over time? Earlier today when I was studying the coral I also noticed that some of the tiny hairs on the coral are slightly brown/tan while the rest of the coral is pure white.

If I can grab a digital camera, I'll post a picture.

Once again, thank you for the time in helping me out..

[Beverly]

You're correct Pegasus, I'm using a Hagen test kit. Looking at the conversion tables etc.. my dKH would be what you posted 6.72.

So...... what does that mean? :confused: Is this high/low/on target?

You are shooting for a dKH of between 8 and 11, so your 6.72 is somewhat low.

I just checked last night and my pH is off the charts, much higher than the 8.3 is right now.. i think my readings go to 8.6 so I'm guessing my pH might be closer to 8.9 or 9.0 right now.

Going back to your original post, I am wondering by what means are you testing pH? Do you have a meter or are you using a test kit? If using a test kit, please explain how your particular kit works and the range of pH that it will test, so we are not guessing your pH, but know its' actual values. Without actual values, it is foolish (and dangerous, even) to suggest a course of action.

Remember, that pH is lower just before lights on and higher just before lights out and these are the values to be looking for. For instance, this morning in my 67g, pH was 8.24 and last night it was 8.47, using a Pinpoint pH probe connected to a Hanna Instruments pH Controller.