Mini Crash. Help needed.

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rdnelson

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First the background info. Tank was doing great up until about about 6 weeks ago. Slowly, things just didn't look as good but not bad either. My skimmer started to make some noise (slight vibration) and I thought it might need cleaning. In the process of pulling it out, I stirred up a bunch of crud in the sump. I have dosed nothing but Alk for months on end and Alk only lightly. Have not dosed mag in probably six months.

In the last two weeks and especially the past week the deterioration has accelerated. I have lost several SPS while others are fine. I have lost most of a gorgeous multi head torch. Months are not looking good at all. Galaxia has no extension yet was exploding before. Duncan's look better than ever hammers are great, anemone is thriving. Zoas and plays are doing fantastic. Blue tip stag horn has always grown like a weed but has increased three fold. All good size fish are fine but I think I lost a fire fish.

Temp 78-79
PH 8.0 (never changes)
Am 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate very close to 0
Cal480
Alk has been low but been getting it up. As of today Alk is at about 8
Here is the kicker. Mag is up to 1700. Have not dosed anything on mag in forever. I do about 13 gal water change almost every week. Total volume about 140 gal.

I am pretty sure the mag is the killer but what is causing it to increase so high? I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt. Could it be that with low Alk nothing depletes the mag but yet the salt keeps adding it?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Rich


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I've heard, don't know how true it is, that in salts that add Mg (and that particular one does), somehow it ends up nearer the bottom of the pail so you get higher numbers as you near the bottom. I've always been told to mix them up before using. Maybe that's it. Just a guess on my part. Sorry you're having issues.
 
Hmmmmm. I will test the next batch and see. I have been using bags but dumping them in a pail once open. This started at the end of one bag and as I opened another. I has deteriorated more since starting with the new bag but pretty sure it was starting as I finished the old.


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heathlindner25;852225 wrote: Think about trying to poly filter, see if there's anything in the water.
Click to expand...

Not sure what that is. Can you give me more info?


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What is your salinity?? and how are you testing it?? All I can think is that if you mix your fresh saltwater for water changes that a high salinity would yield a higher than desireable Magnesium. Only the best salts on the market like salinity and reef crystals will mix 1350 Mag at 1.026. You would have to be adding water with exceptionally high Mag levels to get your 140g water volume up to 1700. I also find it very strange that you are dosing Alk and not calcium and yet your alk was low but your calcium is at 480. Do you add anything to your top off water??

I don't know if Mag that high would kill SPS colonies. My understanding is that Mag is really only an additional building block when your SPS is drawing in alk and calcium molecules. Sometimes your coral will pull a Mag molecule and that will fit in place between calcium and alk. Additionally, high mag levels allow you to keep higher calcium and alk levels without precipitation.
 
Tony_Caliente;852221 wrote: do u want to come by and test your mg with my test kit?
Click to expand...

Thanks Tony. I really appreciate that. I am pretty sure the test is accurate. It is a newer Elos. Test twice on Sunday and once tonight and all three were 1700. I can't get out tonight but will take a sample to work and have Jenn run a complete work up on the way home. That way I can compare against another brand with someone I trust doing the testing.

I did have her test a month ago and other than slightly low Alk everything was on the money.


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Yes I would try a different test kit before make a major change in any thing. I also use the same salt. I roll the bucket up and down the driveway a few time prior to opening the bucket.

Now this may be just in my head. But ever time I buy a bucket from an online vendor the levels are always whacked way out. But if I buy from my normal sponsor the levels are good to go.
 
Sorry to hear that Rich, and I'm useless on this question hopefully someone can chime in with some ideas.
 
Kirkwood;852230 wrote: What is your salinity?? and how are you testing it?? All I can think is that if you mix your fresh saltwater for water changes that a high salinity would yield a higher than desireable Magnesium. Only the best salts on the market like salinity and reef crystals will mix 1350 Mag at 1.026. You would have to be adding water with exceptionally high Mag levels to get your 140g water volume up to 1700. I also find it very strange that you are dosing Alk and not calcium and yet your alk was low but your calcium is at 480. Do you add anything to your top off water??

I don't know if Mag that high would kill SPS colonies. My understanding is that Mag is really only an additional building block when your SPS is drawing in alk and calcium molecules. Sometimes your coral will pull a Mag molecule and that will fit in place between calcium and alk. Additionally, high mag levels allow you to keep higher calcium and alk levels without precipitation.
Click to expand...

Salinity is 1.025. I mix to 1.024 and use a refractometer. I calibrated the meter using red solution Sunday before testing the tank water.

In my old tank I had to dose Alk and cal together. From the moment I set this one up I have had to does Alk but almost never cal. I started using the RSCP when Arc did the group buy which was right after the up grade to this tank. I just figured this salt had high levels of cal but not Alk.

My top off if straight RO/DI. Several months ago I tried dosing the RO up with Alk thinking I could control it better but didn't like the results. I then started using DIY with the Toms Aqualifter and Bills mod. Worked ok but the hose came out of the supplement without me noticing which is why Alk got lower than normal.


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No problem with tag alongside. Sometimes your questions will spark an idea for me or one of these experts lending a hand. The more info and questions the better.


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By the way. Mushrooms (red, blue and toadstool) are loving life. GSP and Blue star are thriving also.


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Now when I have a huge swing in my levels the same thing begins to happen. Now I have the doser and my levels are always the same.

This same thing happen when I observed both of my dosing tubes came out of the bottle and was not dosing a dang thing. I have since changed that set up.

By seeing your levels I believe it's a swing problem. I test before, after and half way between a water change when I see some thing funny going on. And also to ensure my levels are not swinging.
 
MrFlameangel;852245 wrote: Now when I have a huge swing in my levels the same thing begins to happen. Now I have the doser and my levels are always the same.

This same thing happen when I observed both of my dosing tubes came out of the bottle and was not dosing a dang thing. I have since changed that set up.
Click to expand...

Man I wanted to pull the trigger on the 3 part dosing pumps so bad on the last BRS buy. But at that time I was unemployed and couldn't swing it. Now I am playing catch up on all the bills so it will be a while. Thought I was trading some work for a reek keeper elite and was really hoping I could use it for better control of the Toms but that fell thru.




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I have increased the amount of water I change each week by abut 3 gals because of more big fish but other than that I really haven't changed that routine. I miss a week every once in a while but not often.

One more thing. About the time things started going downhill my skimmer started producing less foam and less skimmate.


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Look up poly filter, it will pull impurities out of the water and its color coded to tell you what's in there. this is just a thought.
 
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