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At a loss

T

TaigC94

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Manhattan Reefs
Location
Staten Island
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I’m at a complete loss here. Back in june I had a crash, so during that I sent out an icp test. Corals were dying fast but all fish, crabs and other inverts were fine. I do 20% water change weekly. The icp came back as high levels of tin and aluminum and nitrate (i assume from all the death). Fast forward to today, I’m doing 30% weekly and added a resin to remove the heavy metals from the water. The corals still look crappy and are still receding but not as rapidly. Nothing is showing improvement only slowed dying. I don’t know what to do anymore. This system has been up for 6 years. The alk, cal, and mag are usually around the same every test
Alk. 8.0
Cal 450
Mag 1320
Nitrate came down to 25
Phos 0.02
Salinity 1.026
Temp 78
Ph 8.2
If anyone can help me out with ideas or tips, it would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.
 
ducati335i

ducati335i

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Location
smithtown, long island
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178   0   1
TaigC94 said:
I’m at a complete loss here. Back in june I had a crash, so during that I sent out an icp test. Corals were dying fast but all fish, crabs and other inverts were fine. I do 20% water change weekly. The icp came back as high levels of tin and aluminum and nitrate (i assume from all the death). Fast forward to today, I’m doing 30% weekly and added a resin to remove the heavy metals from the water. The corals still look crappy and are still receding but not as rapidly. Nothing is showing improvement only slowed dying. I don’t know what to do anymore. This system has been up for 6 years. The alk, cal, and mag are usually around the same every test
Alk. 8.0
Cal 450
Mag 1320
Nitrate came down to 25
Phos 0.02
Salinity 1.026
Temp 78
Ph 8.2
If anyone can help me out with ideas or tips, it would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
What corals, equipment, water, dosing, livestock and so on do you have in there?
 
T

TaigC94

Advanced Reefer
Manhattan Reefs
Location
Staten Island
Rating - 100%
20   0   0
ducati335i said:
What corals, equipment, water, dosing, livestock and so on do you have in there?
Click to expand...
Mostly lps and zoa, favia, chalice, acan and a few caps of whats left. Water is brightwell neomarine, radion xr30 g4, aquamaxx skimmer, canister filter (i know before people start saying thats it, tank is not capable of a sump, I’ve tried and this same canister use to hold my sps tank before i lost it in a 3 day power outage). Canister is done every 5-7 days depending on work, and water change every sunday. Total water turn over is 59x an hour. 30 gal XH 24in tall, 24 wide, 12 deep. Live stock is a zebra hermit, blue, leg and scarlet. Peppermint shrimp, 2 trocus snails, black clown, springri dottyback, royal grama. Dosing is BRS alk, cal, and mag daily, amino acids every other day (half recommended dose). 6 hr full spectrum photo period then blues for 4 hours after. Just tested nitrate and its up to 50 now.
 
ducati335i

ducati335i

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Location
smithtown, long island
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178   0   1
Hmmm phosphates? And is the canister filter only source of exporting? You may have to carbon dose... sounds like all is in check.. maybe get rid of the canister filter and carbon dose? Seems like you aren’t over loaded w life stock.
I run a 20 gallon long w sand, I water ch age 1 gallon or less very 3/4 days, feed once a week, I have mixed coral and run a HOB that’s it..
Sound like high nitrate or look into the entire tank things that seem strange or off?
Can aluminum really destroy coral like that?
 
CMD_2020

CMD_2020

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Location
Newton, nj
Rating - 93.8%
14   1   1
I think I know the answer.....I had the same exact issue!!!!!! For one of my tanks. I ended up giving up and breaking it down...and then I found the problem finally. The wet side of my ato magnet had broken off and fallen in my rear aio chamber. I had never known because the dry side stuck on the entire time, probably due to salt creep. The plastic sleeve of the magnet broke and leaked metal into the tank. That would explain your high aluminum. Check every corner of your tank for exposed metal.
 
ducati335i

ducati335i

Advanced Reefer
Location
smithtown, long island
Rating - 100%
178   0   1
CMD_2020 said:
I think I know the answer.....I had the same exact issue!!!!!! For one of my tanks. I ended up giving up and breaking it down...and then I found the problem finally. The wet side of my ato magnet had broken off and fallen in my rear aio chamber. I had never known because the dry side stuck on the entire time, probably due to salt creep. The plastic sleeve of the magnet broke and leaked metal into the tank. That would explain your high aluminum. Check every corner of your tank for exposed metal.
Click to expand...
So metals can kill coral? What about small screws and so on? Is it the extreme amount that does it? And does gfo not count? As I thought it was “rust” or is that completely different topic and different compound?
 
T

TaigC94

Advanced Reefer
Manhattan Reefs
Location
Staten Island
Rating - 100%
20   0   0
CMD_2020 said:
I think I know the answer.....I had the same exact issue!!!!!! For one of my tanks. I ended up giving up and breaking it down...and then I found the problem finally. The wet side of my ato magnet had broken off and fallen in my rear aio chamber. I had never known because the dry side stuck on the entire time, probably due to salt creep. The plastic sleeve of the magnet broke and leaked metal into the tank. That would explain your high aluminum. Check every corner of your tank for exposed metal.
Click to expand...
Do you think it’s possible that sand frag mounts with a magnet in them could be leeching into the water? Its from ocean wonders. Thats the only thing i can think of now
 
T

TaigC94

Advanced Reefer
Manhattan Reefs
Location
Staten Island
Rating - 100%
20   0   0
ducati335i said:
Hmmm phosphates? And is the canister filter only source of exporting? You may have to carbon dose... sounds like all is in check.. maybe get rid of the canister filter and carbon dose? Seems like you aren’t over loaded w life stock.
I run a 20 gallon long w sand, I water ch age 1 gallon or less very 3/4 days, feed once a week, I have mixed coral and run a HOB that’s it..
Sound like high nitrate or look into the entire tank things that seem strange or off?
Can aluminum really destroy coral like that?
Click to expand...
From the articles i read, it seems it. Canister is the only thing i have. Its carbon and biospheres. I was carbon dosing too but i was getting pink blobs from in inside anything mechanical. Hanna shows phos now at .04
 
T

TaigC94

Advanced Reefer
Manhattan Reefs
Location
Staten Island
Rating - 100%
20   0   0
reefman said:
source for high levels of tin
1. Contaminated trace elements
2. Metals near or in the aquarium (as rusty clamps or screws)
3. Contaminated salts

what is the tds on tap and after ro/di
Click to expand...
Im not sure about the salts, i buy smaller bags to keep them fresh. Trace elements, i was using redsea but haven’t dosed that since march. And I’m getting ro/di from poto so I’m not sure on their tds readings. The only thing metal i can think of is magnets and tools (tongs, tweezers, etc). The magnets are inside a frag disk which i thought was secured but now I’m thinking thats why cause. There’s no way to know unless i break them open.
 
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