Coraline Dying

[pjdunc]

My coraline appears to be dying and need advice what to do.

PH level is fine....salinity on the upper side of the allowed range.

Was using 2 power compacts (400w) on the tank (100g) and replaced the smaller power compact with T5's with 2 10K and 2 50/50 (160w) so running about 500w now. About 30 days after is when I started having trouble.

Tank has been up for almost 2 years.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[nishant3789]

coraline can infact bleach due to light changes. How on earth does 2 powercompact bulbs equate to 400 watts though? or was it two fixtures that totalled that much?

 

[pjdunc]

Sorry...it is 2 power compacts that totals approximately 400 watts.

I am currently dosing with Tech A/B, Iodine, Essential Elements, Strontium.

Will try to get pictures posted.

 

[nishant3789]

oh so you have 4 96 watt bulbs?

 

[pjdunc]

Yes....but I swapped out 2-96 for 4 T5 40 watt each. 2 10k 2 50/50...had read alot about the T5's using less heat and brighter light.

 

[dbm5557]

It could be a drop in your alkalinity / calcium. Have you tested these lately?

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Chances are it is due to the lighting change...

 

[cameron]

Coraline is actually pretty resistant to lighting changes. Does your T5 have individual reflectors? As someone asked above, where is it bleaching?

It is possible it is the light, but I bet some water param is out of whack if you are losing a lot of it in varied places. The other likely culprit is flow. If you increase lighting, you should also increase flow unless you are already running a high flow tank.

 

[family reefer]

Check your KH................I bet it's only about 6.......or lower.This will turn it white.

 

[pjdunc]

Checked the KH....it is 16.

 

[pjdunc]

It is basically dying off everywhere...high rocks..low rocks...the entire rock. Have not checked calcium but will do that.

 

[pjdunc]

Checked the calcium....just assumed it was good because of the Tech A&B that I used. It is at 60.

 

[cameron]

WHOA! Alkalinity is high (very high if that number is meg/l) and calcium is extremely low. What is your alk measured in dkh or meg/l (pretty sure dkh, but lets make sure)? Also what exactly is your pH?

 

[cameron]

Also, what are you dosing in your tank exactly? How frequently are you doing water changes? Where does your source water for water changes come from?

 

[nishant3789]

wow i didnt think calcium could get that low in a marine tank. I would think that even freshwater had more calcium than that

 

[cameron]

Good point... you should retest with a different kit or take your water to a LFS and have them check it for you just to make sure your numbers are accurate.

 

[rgzfly]

You will never have coralline algae if your alkalinity and calcium are not in the right parameters. You can try adding a two part balanced supplement on a regular basis, but you need to do a water change first. If your alkalinilty is too high, your salinity is high, get the aquarium balanced first. Calcium and alkalinity maintanence are the two things you have to test for often. They absolutely have to be in balance. There are many supplements I could recommend once you do the water change. I use Seachem Reef advantage calcium, then alternate Reef Builder. Another great supplement is Caribsea's arogomite powder. Its inexpensive and you can't overdose. It clouds the water for about an hour, but once your tank is in balance you can add it daily. You will definately notice a strong growth of coralline, mine covers the entire glass and all the rocks.
Richard

 

[siege]

rgzfly;44605 wrote: If your alkalinilty is too high, your salinity is high,

This isn't always the case. I've had normal to low salinity and incredibly high alk and pH.

Is the CaribSea product you mentioned just a supplement, encouraging the algae to grow, or is it a "live" product, actually containing coralline?

 

[cameron]

Before he starts dropping chemicals in his tank, I think he needs to make sure his numbers are right. Then lets look at why he has those numbers. High alk is usually poor source water or a buffer he is adding in. Sometimes it can be the salt, but that is pretty rare. He could be doing massive water changes and that is the direct cause of his alk being so high. The calcium number almost seems like a poor measurement.

Assuming all his numbers are correct, big water changes, remeasure all params, followed by some Seachem ReefComplete using the directions provided on the bottle. I think he should avoid ReefBuilder if his numbers are correct as that will raise Alk even higher.

Most importantly DO NOT over react to the situation. Quickest way to wipe a tank is moving too fast to correct a problem.

 

[dbm5557]

I am not surprised to here your alk / calc are a little out of whack. I agree with the other guys that your numbers seem a little extreme. Thie key thing to remember is do not panic, this is something that we all have gone through. TAKE IT SLOW. I think that you should retest with some different test kits. Also, I would recommend a visit to the Chemistry forum on RC. There are a bunch of articles out there explaining how to properly balance your tanks chemistry.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605">http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605</a>

Good luck and keep us posted!