Obsessive Compulsion + Lack of Sleep = 500$ Worth of Live Stock

[Myka]

Originally Posted by rdnicolas

I'm going to take half of the problem rocks out tonight and cook them.

Be aware that there is absolutely NO point in cooking your rocks unless you're testing for phosphates. Do weekly 100% waterchanges with RO/DI water (of 0 tds) making sure to swish the rocks in fresh saltwater to clean them off during the waterchange. You should have a good test kit by Salifert or Elos to test for phosphate. Once those those test kits read 0, then you should use a high sensitivity phosphate kit like the MERC one (these are about $80). Once this test kit also reads 0, then you can add the rock back to your tank. This process can take 12 weeks or sometimes much more. If you're not willing to do this, then you may as well leave your rock in your tank because a partial cooking will be a moot point.

[brizzo]

One more thing Reggie,

Don't give up man!!!

Being a keeper of marine life can be a tough job, and a learning experience; but never forget your love for the hobby! It has its ups and downs at times!

[Myka]

^ Good advice!!!

[Reefhawk1]

When making large water changes make sure you match the temperature of your aquarium water. Saltwater fish will stress and die quickly if drastic changes in temperature occur in the aquarium.

Also remember to make slow changes to your water parameters. Quick changes will cause problems as well.

[Thelonious]

Edmonton uses chloramine to treat their water. Running a dechlorinator or RO unit in Edmonton is a gamble due to the ammonia bond.


I doubt it had much of anything to do with the dead fish, but I agree that a RO/DI would be a good investment, and probably solve your algae problems as well. Edmonton's water tests really nice on a TDS meter, but the chloramine makes a proper RO/DI necessary in my opinion. You can get a decent three stage RO/DI on ebay for around 170$.

[vazgor]

i have been useing tap warter for a year now in edmonton with no real isues.
but a friend of mine had a beautiful reef going for over a year and suddenly everything just started dieing corals fish evrything and it turned out his refactomeeter was wonky and he was reading 1.023 but in accuality it was 1.001 now i dont know if had you perameters checked at the lfs but maby it something as simpel as a bad salinity tester.
most stores will test your water for you just my two cents oh and if that is the case dont do what he did and changed his water to proper lvls over night and killed off the rest of his live stock

[rdnicolas]

Originally Posted by vazgor

i have been useing tap warter for a year now in edmonton with no real isues.
but a friend of mine had a beautiful reef going for over a year and suddenly everything just started dieing corals fish evrything and it turned out his refactomeeter was wonky and he was reading 1.023 but in accuality it was 1.001 now i dont know if had you perameters checked at the lfs but maby it something as simpel as a bad salinity tester.
most stores will test your water for you just my two cents oh and if that is the case dont do what he did and changed his water to proper lvls over night and killed off the rest of his live stock

Holy crap never thought about this. I'm using the 15 dollar tester from the LFS. If a 100$ tester can go bad, I can only imagine how far off my salinity really is.