fading sps

[dirtyreefer]

Red bugs are hard to see, you may need to actually pick up the piece you are looking at and put it up to the glass inside the water to check.

As for nudis, do you know what you're looking for? They are little white guys that normally appear on the bottom of monti caps first. Once they are through with the caps, they will attack your digits and other monti species.

[muck]

Here's a link that talks about the monti nudis and also includes a pic of what to look for..
(just in case Jim )

http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewto...ht=monti+nudis

[christyf5]

Jim,

What are your iodine levels at now?

Christy

[Jim Barry]

Christy,


I have only been testing for Iodide.

Using a Salifert test kit, the color turns black. This is right off the chart. The darkest colour on the chart is light blue (.20)

I am really confused between Iodide, Iodate and Iodine.

[danny zubot]

I don't have any idea if low magnesium levels would cause sps corals to fade,

If Mg is low your corals won't be able to utilize Ca even if you have plenty of it.

Jim, how new are your light, how long have you had the corals in the tank? I've been waiting patiently for several weeks for my sps to come back to color after upgrading my light. I have also switched to reef crystals for the added trace element. I found that IO just doesn't cut it for a reef system, it can't keep up with the demand for Ca etc.

I have done a couple of large water changes and things are progressing faster than before.

[christyf5]

I'd say the problem with his corals isn't that they can't utilize Ca because of low Mg levels. They're being iodine dipped 24/7

Originally Posted by Jim Barry

Christy,


I have only been testing for Iodide.

Using a Salifert test kit, the color turns black. This is right off the chart. The darkest colour on the chart is light blue (.20)

I am really confused between Iodide, Iodate and Iodine.

Well I'd say that if you've still got a whack of iodide in your tank, theres your problem. Iodine has alot of bacteriocidal activity, could be its just doing an incredible number on your zooxanthellae reducing their numbers and causing mass bleaching in the tank.

Iodine (I) (commercially prepared supplements ie. Kent/Seachem etc)
Iodide (I-) (this is the state at which Iodine can be taken up by tank critters)
Iodate (IO3) (I'm not sure where this one fits in, chemistry hurts my brain)



Ok here is the reading

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/e_edelman2.html
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm

Hmm, that second link indicates that algae loves iodine. Fling some chaeto in there/start up a refugium and see what happens, maybe it will suck it all up



Just a thought, as a test, take out a couple of smaller pieces of rock. Put them in a rubbermaid tub with new water, heater and powerhead. Leave them in there for approximately a week. Then test for iodine. There is a possiblity that the iodine has been absorbed by your rock and is leaching out.

Another idea (which sucks immensely) is to restart the tank with all new water. Even though you've been diluting the tank by doing water changes, your water changes are really too small to make any noticeable difference in your iodine levels in the short term anyways. You'd have to do incredibly huge water changes to get it diluted enough for stuff to live comfortably in it anytime soon.

Just my two cents

Christy

[Jack]

How bad was the overdose? What did you add and how much?

[Jim Barry]

I thought I was adding an Iodine supplement, but I was adding Iodine instead. I am not sure how much, it was about 6 weeks ago

[Jack]

Yikes. Like full strength Lugol's?

NSW is aprox 0.06 Iodine. You've overshot by a bunch.

[Jim Barry]

Thanks Christy.... the reading was like watching paint dry....

you science geeks... I tell ya

seriously... thanks for the info. I think I will try the fuge approach. I was planning to do it anyway.


I will let you know if that helps.


Jim