[KPG007]

Originally Posted by The Guy

Hey Kelly that news really sucks, We had a saying in our trade, " If it's mechanical, it's not if it's going to fail it's when." Sad but very true.

Yes, that's very true. Never let your guard down.

Originally Posted by jason604

Well I just checked last night and noticed my dosing airline tube had a leak in it and it was not dosing either. Lucky that line was just for vodka/vinegar dosing. Should start doing regular checks on everyday equipment to prevent disasters from now on I guess

Wow. There you go. I'm glad this post got you reviewing your system. One problem averted.

I think my new policy is to test tank parameters before every batch of NSW. That way if something is really wrong, I can fix it before I nuke it again.

Originally Posted by asylumdown

*sigh*, I read your post and though "wait, did I accidentally post under another canreefer's login?".

I've done exactly this. Recently. Expect some SPS to bite it, no matter what you do. Only advice I can offer is that if you've got a piece that's not recovered and sending out new growth tips in 6 weeks, you're almost better off chiselling it out and putting something new in it's place.

Yes, recovery is possible, but after something like that, SPS (acropora in particular) need to be in pristine conditions for months - like 6 months to a year - to make a full recovery. The ones that are most affected (most dramatic colour change, biggest change in PE) will be at imminent risk of RTN every time your alk wavers a few points for the next half year at least.

That said, some species of Acro seem to be able to tolerate those kinds of swings and bounce back relatively quickly. No surprise, those are the ones more common in the hobby. The rarer and more expensive they get, the less likely they'll forgive you for something like that.

It's a funny catch 22 that as your tank establishes and you feel like you've got it dialled in and get complacent, the need for you to pay attention to your tank actually increases. As you colonies grow, the water to coral ratio shifts in a dangerous way. Relatively speaking a mature, jam packed 1000 gallon reef tank can be in the same risk category as a 3 gallon pico in terms of parameter swings. One cracked hose can drop your alk to coral killing emergency levels in a day.

Anyway I feel for you. There's nothing you can do now except stay on top of equipment and parameters and remove anything that's taking more time and effort than a new, prettier coral in it's place would.

Thanks for your story. It looks like quite a few of us have gone through this.
Even though tank parameters are back to normal, SPS in and from that tank continue to die. Not many so far - one colony, 3 or 4 frags dead, another colony and a couple more frags on the way out. Considering how much I had in there, thats not too bad.