Mass Coral Death

ScubaGirl · #1 07-05-2013, 12:37 AM

Going to test the tap water now before I do another change tonight. I have to be sure. I just have my typical tank test kits though, nothing else.

Someone also mentioned that I forgot to post SG and it has always been in the 1.024-1.026 range when some evaporation happens. Currently at 1.025 though.
Plus, I do calibrate my refractometer whenever I change the carbon, so every 2nd water change on average.

ScubaGirl · #2 07-05-2013, 12:50 AM

At highest point I had 10 large nassarius probably, 10 mexican turbos, 10 astrea, sand sifting star fish, conch, 1 blue hermit, 2 halloween hermits, cleaner shrimp, banded shrimp, pom pom crab, urchin.

MIA is the nassarius (they all used to surface when I fed the fish, now I only see 2), cleaner shrimp, pom pom crab, plus I'm down probably 2 turbos and 3 astreas (but tons of babies). I think my one wrasse is eating my snails too. It seems to harass them.

Huge spaghetti worm population die off (even on the rocks), minimal algae in the tank, some cyano and dinos right now. Now I have probably at least 10 red serpent star fish show up out of nowhere.

WarDog · #3 07-05-2013, 02:13 AM

Do you have a second tank (QT) you could set up for your primo livestock whilst you figure this one out? Maybe a fellow CanReefer in town?
Perhaps something is dead behind your rocks? Also live rock doesn't last forever, it's always a good idea to add/change out a piece or two every year or so. Keeps diversity in the good critters.
I still recommend a RODI system, this would only be good for you and your livestock.
Take some water to the LFS and have it tested if you don't have a master kit.
If it were my tank I would be going crazy right about now, as I'm sure you are! GOOD LUCK!

Skimmerking · #4 07-05-2013, 02:37 AM

Well if u have been doing large water changes and its keeps going maybe its your salt and the water. You are In Alberta were u close to the flooding of any.

ScubaGirl · #5 07-05-2013, 02:39 AM

Yes, I have Chaloupa. I officially worship the lady, LOL. She has helped me through so much ****. I have had everything go wrong with this tank and she has helped me pick up the pieces. This one is baffling her too. She's leaning toward the kalk treatments that I did for the aptasia. I stopped them 3 water changes ago (about 5 weeks) though so I'd be surprised if it's still having an effect now. Feeling like I have to blame it on something. I have limited corals so it's not likely that something has fallen down in behind. Plus, I have my rock away from the back wall so I can see down and through with no real problem.

It could be that my live rock needs to get switched out a bit. I haven't added anything in 3.5 years. I'm too scared to with all the other problems I've had. I have very little coralline algae.

ScubaGirl · #6 07-05-2013, 02:56 AM

My test kits are Nutrafins and Elos. Moving towards all Elos if I can.

ScubaGirl · #7 07-05-2013, 02:57 AM

Campbell River, BC. Pristine water here for the most part. No flooding.

gregzz4 · #8 07-05-2013, 03:49 AM

Elos kits are great for alk, ca and mag

You can pay a bit less and use Seachem for ammo, nitrites/nitrates and copper. Their phosphate kit is useless, to me anyway

I'm switching to Salifert for everything as J&L appears to be dropping the Elos line

Myka · #9 07-05-2013, 03:59 AM

You need to use an ammonia binder to get ammonia back to zero. Prime or AmQuel do this by converting toxic ammonia to non-toxic ammonia. When you use these products many ammonia test kits will give you false readings. The API ammonia test kits are cheap, reliable, and are compatible with ammonia detoxifiers. SeaChem offers an "Ammonia Alert" tag that sticks to the inside of the tank. Although I find these badges to be terribly inaccurate as far as the readings go, I do find they will accurately let you know there is ammonia present by changing color. Dose as much AmQuel or Prime as you need to in order to get ammonia to zero. Follow the directions on the bottle for a good dose size, and re-dose as many times as you need to.

I am also skeptical about your use of tap water. You never know what is going into your tank. What is ok for drinking water definitely isn't always ok for a reef tank. Since waterchanges aren't helping, and almost seem to be making things worse it makes me wonder if the water isn't the culprit. It's an unknown for sure.

Another thought is the kalk treatment for the Aiptasia. How much kalk paste would you add to the tank each time you treated? How often would you treat? I'm wondering if you caused a pH spike which led to a "rock slide".

If you're testing pH with a drop test kit, then the reading is almost as good as useless since these test kits are not very accurate, or at least not very reliably accurate. Imo, the best thing to do with pH is to either a) don't test it at all, or b) test it with a calibrated digital pH meter. Did you double check specific gravity as Steve suggested? Just take a sample of your water into your LFS and get them to check it with a refractometer, not a hydrometer. Which refractometer do you have? What do you use to calibrate it?

Did you say that you turned off the powerheads because they could be a source (of something?)? Don't turn the powerheads off! The corals need water flow.

Also, as a side note...live rock doesn't "wear out". There are many, many tanks out there with 10 or 20 year old live rock that are still going strong.