Tank transfer didn't go well
 

Well it didn't go well at all. I have the worst luck with transfers :(

So I simply moved everything over in old tank water two nights ago. Added 5G at a time of newly mixed water (mixed for a full day in advance). It ended up being about 40% new water that was matched for salinity, temp. and alk. I have done water changes this big before, so thought it wouldn't be a big deal.

I rinsed out some sand in old tank water and added that. Really not much at all. about half the tanks bottom is bare. I just want a bit for looks.

Everything seemed to go really well but the next morning, three of my nicer, big sps colonies were either completely dead or receding. Then this morning I noticed a gorgonian is dying and also my birdsnest is dying. The birdsnest is kind of loosing flesh in random spots :( This one kills me because its one of my favorites.

Everything else looks really good though. Makes no sense to me :(

awww thats crappy! Im sorry to hear it didnt go well.

Sometimes it can really suck, good luck with all the rest hope it get's better.

Well I can add a few digitata to the list and two cap frags :(

Hope this doesn't keep getting worse.

I just don't see what I did wrong.

Ive done 3 tank transfers and never had anything skip a beat. Only thing I did different from you was I didnt transfer ANY sand.. I bought new.

Was there lottsa crap in the sand and did it rinse pretty clean?

How does the tank test today for ammonia or nitrates?

The sand was very clean. I was surprised. I only used the very top layer. When I "cleaned" it, the water I cleaned it in, only got a slight beige color. This sand that I used was only in my old tank about a month.

I checked nitrates and they were 5 but I haven't checked ammonia. I will check everything again now.

Temp. 79
SG. 1.027 (a little high I know)
PH 8.4

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 8
Alk 7.5

I'm sorry to hear this. My guess is it's a cycle of some kind. If it were me, I'd throw some Cycle or some Zeobak or whatever into the water, I figure it couldn't hurt. Good luck!

after you skimmed off the top layer of sand did you use the water? Jeeze how can I type this so it makes sense, its harder to type than to talk :razz:

The top layer of sand is usually cleaner, not only visually but bacterially.. so when you skimmed off the top layer maybe leaving the bottom gunge layer exposed released somthing into the water.. or did you not use that water?

No didn't use that water. I transfered everything over to the new tank except the sand and about an inch or two of old water. Then I siphoned out the top layer of sand and the rest of the water to a bucket. Rinsed it out in there, sand went to the new tank, water was thrown away. So even if it released anything into the water, that water was never used.