Corals not opening!

[roidan]

i'd rather you spend just a little bit more on the individual salifert test kit series....

one of the more accurate ones around

[lightningstrike]

i'd rather you spend just a little bit more on the individual salifert test kit series....

one of the more accurate ones around

actually i myself oso using salifert. but salifert is expensive compared to red sea. i m trying to rec bro fab79 here something reasonable without hurting his pocket.

[roidan]

but i feel its better to get an accurate one once and for all..otherwise.end up buying those testkits that are not consistent and in the end dunno to trust the readings or not....end up spending more in total when realise that have to get salifert....

if you take this hobby seriously, invest in a good test kit...certain test kits like ammonia, nitrites no need so good...as probably you only test during cycling...

but things like calcium, dkh and nitrates or even phosphates....definitely get the accurate ones like salifert as these are the core parameters that you would really want to know

[fab79]

hehe...

wish i could spend a little more man...

Got half a yr more to graduate.. been spending almost 2k from my allowance! Gf been very supportive.. but women are stil women ay? must draw the line somewhere... hehe

so far most of my stuff i get are all middle range so have to make do with it.. FOR NOW

Thanks bro roidan and lightning strike

[roidan]

and i personally feel that strontium, iodide and magnesium levels shouldn't be a problem especially if you have been doing some water change along the way...

i had a 2ft reef 2 years back and i never dose/test for strontium,iodide, magnesium and most of the corals are still with me...

so i think your problem shouldn't be trace elements....my personal opinion

[fab79]

hmmm..

I add Kalwasser- which maintains KH and yet adds calcium?

my calcium is 440ppm so can i conclude KH and calcium are okay?

Phosphate is under control with Rowaphos so no prob here

is Ph impt? what does it affect? i.e what are the telltale signs of low or high ph? what might cause ph to swing in normal conditions?

[fab79]

thing is also..

i've recently invested in a large pkt of TROPIC MARINE salt.

It contains all the neccessary trace elements?

I mean if the prob was with any of the trace elements doing a water change every week with tropic marine would solve the prob?

Sorry guys.. i'm gonna get the test kit this weekend thats when my allowance will come in.. so from now till then, just have to use all my intuition and deduction to solve as much as i can..

pls bear with my questions!

[planetg]

1st, get a PH kit. maybe u can find some second hand ones here at pasar malam. (mine is 8 in the morning and 8.4 b4 lights out)

2nd, get a kh kit. low kh = wide ph swings which exceeds the norm

3rd, if all's ok, could u post a pic of your setup? like to evalutate the water flow, placement, etc.. if not, could u please draw us something so that we can consider reasons not related to water conditions.

cheers.

[ryz]

Sounds like there are some contaminants that are toxic to inverts.. or maybe water params are WAY WAY out of the suitable range..

test pH, kH, NH3, NO2, NO3

yep.. these should be the main ones... others shouldn't be affecting them much... Your MH light without chiller is not a problem... 28 degrees celsius is actually a very good temperature for LPS... my LPS open better when temperature is beetween 28-29... but I usually still maintain temp at 26.5(acheived using fan only)...

If my suspicion is true, I think you can do 50% water change every 2 days for a week... should be able to remove majority of the poisonous substance(whatever it may be).. see what happens...

[fab79]

oh yeah forgot to mention i had a small anemone die on me 1 mth back... hehe

does that mean my water is toxic?

[fab79]

my tank pics are at the members area!

just follow this link!

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=12563

[Michael Young]

I'll just talk about what that is most likely to have anything to do with the demise of you coral here: pH.

The pH of seawater refers to how acidic or alkaline it is. pH 7 being neutral, less than 7 being acidic and above 7 being alkaline. Natural seawter has a pH of 8.3 therefore it is alkaline.

pH naturally fluctuates throughout day from night as a result of photosynthesis by plants (algae) when it rises in the day and the emission of CO2 by the same plants when if falls at night. Therefore, it is normal to have different pH readings between day and night. The normal range for any marine aquaria should be between pH7.9 to pH8.4. Please note that inverts prefer pH that is slightly higher.

When pH is low, it is an indication that there is an excess of CO2, which in turn would mean that there could be an excess of bioload, insufficient gas exchange, released of acid through nitrification (NH3 to NO2), release of CO2 through decay etc. One of the tell tale signs of low pH is the proliferation of nuisance algae.

You can increase the pH level by water change, addition of pH buffer and the increase of water circulation to aid gas exchange.

[fab79]

the anemone has died in my tank for about a week until i could remove it! that was ard 1 mth back..

the fishes were ok.. but the gonipora that used to open i noticed closed from that day on...

i saw that the fishes were okay so i didnt do a water change!

should i have done a water change that day?

Also forgot to add that i have only done 1 or 2 water change since when my tank started 5 mths back!! oh no...

i have always relied on additiives and top up tap water and emptying my skimmate and change of filter wool to sustain my tank!

Oh no guys.. is that a fatal mistake?

could that be the cause?

[Michael Young]

the anemone has died in my tank for about a week until i could remove it! that was ard 1 mth back..

the fishes were ok.. but the gonipora that used to open i noticed closed from that day on...

i saw that the fishes were okay so i didnt do a water change!

should i have done a water change that day?

Also forgot to add that i have only done 1 or 2 water change since when my tank started 5 mths back!! oh no...

i have always relied on additiives and top up tap water and emptying my skimmate and change of filter wool to sustain my tank!

Oh no guys.. is that a fatal mistake?

could that be the cause?

Ammonia!!!

[fab79]

hmmm...

but the fishes seem to be fine...

oh my god...

think i'm in trouble...

saw lotsa like DOC on the surface of my water in my sump

what looks like curdy bubbly film that time

[Michael Young]

hmmm...

but the fishes seem to be fine...

oh my god...

think i'm in trouble...

saw lotsa like DOC on the surface of my water in my sump

what looks like curdy bubbly film that time

Inverts are more susceptible to ammonia poisoning than fishes. I bet the nitrite level is pretty high as well. And if your tank is going through recycling, your pH would also be affected. I'll get the water tested and perform a water change immediately. Word of advise: Anemones are hard to keep alive for long (I mean anything more than 6-9 months) and they simply produce to much waste. IMO not for reef tanks if you want long term success.

[fab79]

Yar now i think i know whats the problem..

I'll do a 50% water change asap....

i agree i dun think i'll ever wana keep an anemone EVER again! The anemone died in my tank because it wasn't looking too good when i first got it..

should have figured then...

Will get the seachem ammonia alert and do water change!

Thanks so much for your help...

ahh... can sleep at peace at last

hehe

[jd_n]

Untill u do the necessary testing of ur water, none of us here can tell u wat went wrong with ur corals. It may b ur aneomne, it may not be. If i were u, i would get pH, NO2, KH and ammonia test kit first. And pls do not conclude tat u have Rowaphos meaning u do not have PO4 problem coz the amt of Rowaphos u used may not be able to cater to ur initial high PO4 reading, if there is. In the meanwhile, do water changes till u get ur allowances and looks like ur pocket gonna get burn after u bought those test kits and the necessary addictives to counter ur problem or the nxt best alternative is to chk with who is stayin near to u who can spare some test kits to help u out so tat u can keep ur allowances to get the necessary "antidote" but ultimately, certain test kits are mandatory.

Gdluck bro.

[ryz]

WHat SKimmer are you using??? Skim away the DOC and do water change asap... as much of the water as possible... although this might cause some shock to the inhabitants, it's better than having them in "bad" water conditions... Change water asap man. Run an efficient skimmer too.

[RockyBoy]

If your nitrate level above 12ppm, always do 15 to 20% every week till it drop to 5ppm. I think your deceased sea anaemone had leached those undesirable toxin into your system. The initial 50% water change is a must. Then follow by regimental weekly 15% change.

You have nice sump but should have nutrient export in there such as micro algae, etc, and small 18w pl tube to lightup the algae 24/7.

[fab79]

Hey all,

I ve recently invested in the RED SEA test kit

below are the results of the tests..

pH 8.2

kH or Alkalinity? HIGH

NH3/NH4 0ppm

Nitrite Havent test yet

Nitrate 10ppm

Calcium 420

temp 28 degrees

Everything seems to be fine except for the HIGH Alkalinity?

Is there anything wrong with a high alkalinity?

someone can advise?

Salinity 1.022

[Michael Young]

Everything seems to be fine except for the HIGH Alkalinity?

Is there anything wrong with a high alkalinity?

someone can advise?

Salinity 1.022

How high??

[fab79]

dunno leh..

the test chart only has 3 categories

low normal high

my test result so happens to fall in the high range

[Michael Young]

Read the instructions on the test kit again. I'm pretty sure there will be a dkH range for what's high or low.

[fab79]

No it doesnt say!

only got 3 ranges low normal and high..

it says if a more accurate result is required please purchase the Alkalinity Pro Test Kit

This Red Sea 5 in one test kit comes with ph, alkalinity ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. looks pretty good except for its alkalinity test which is non specific