Tank Problems

[izib]

<span style="color: black;">I’ve got a 90gal mixed tank and over the past few months I’ve noticed it not improving and then gradually getting worse. Over the past week it has drastically went down. I’ve tested everything (will retest in the morning and post) but everything has been checking out fine from the beginning. </span>
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<span style="color: black;">My fish are fine (with the exception of one death but im pretty sure it was unrelated and the fish was removed immediately) but corals are looking bad and getting worse. It started as very small areas of a few corals but is now becoming widespread. I did a 20 gallon water change last night and still have a slim coating over everything. In the past I’ve been doing water changes with RODI water and IO salt (mixed at least 24 hours and heated) every week or so. I run a skimmer and a pretty light bioload and have a 75 gallon sump.</span>
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<span style="color: black;">No changes recently, I’m starting to think that my sump is the issue. I have Plexiglas baffles and they are falling lose so it’s almost to the point of creating a collection zone for waste. Do you think this could be the issue?</span>
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<span style="color: black;">Now of for the real question! Is anyone interested in venturing out to Douglasville any time this weekend to attempt to help me figure out what the issue is? </span>

 

[sammy33]

This sounds like a story I heard today about a similar reef tank that was suffering similar symptoms...gradual decline of the animals.

Turns out the problem was a cracked thermometer that was left/forgotten in the sump. Traces of metals were leaking in the tank from the beads that are put in the thermometers to weight them down. :confused2:

Another common issue I hear about with a mysterious decline in coral health is an unseen predator. This could be some sort of nasty worm that only comes out at night and burrows/eats corals.

For troubleshooting water quality issues I typically use a pad of

 

[dannybradley]

One of the major causes of long term decline in reef tanks is usually do to old bulbs and/or low magnesium. How are you lighting it, and did you test for Mg?

 

[navyreefer]

A short somewhere in your tank would also cause the corals to decline and may have no effect on the fish.

My wife found the need to help me out one time and opened the top portion to my canopy and the power plug came off my moonlights and fell into the water. Stayed there for about 8 hours until I got home from work....lost a very nice SPS colony.

 

[izib]

All,

I have titainium heaters and they appear to be in good shape, the lights were replaced a few months ago (time to change and i noticed an increase in algea). No preditors that I know of, I stayed up late last night looking. Its odd though because some corals are still perfect and others are doing bad (some softies are bad and some sps are growing). I currently run carbon and phosepure

I am checking for mg now but it was fine last time I checked it. How would I know if there is a short in the tank? I do have hydors in my tank but they were bought well after the short issue.

Also, what would be causing the brown slime on everything? It blows off easily but covers everything from corals to rocks.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

What corals do you have in your tank? Of those which are doing bad? Could it be you are running too "clean" of a tank for softies?

 

[tanner86]

Have you looked up brown jelly disease? Also, is it the softies, lps, or sps that are most affected? I am currently battling a high nitrate problem that has affected some of my lps but nothing else. The lps are currently producing a brown slime line throughout the coral.

 

[dannybradley]

Get us a picture of the slime.

 

[izib]

It started with the softies not growing and I contributed it to the tank being to clean. Xenia was the first to start declining, then the other softies stopped growing. Then I had a monti start going downhil (I put liquid superglue on it on accident instead of gel so i asummed it was due to my stupidity), now other montis are looking bad on the tips and two acros are looking bad (one is on the tips, the other is at the base). That being said I have a birdsnest that is still growing rapidly along with another acro. I also have some zoas that have never done well in the tank, could they be affecting the others?

 

[izib]

Attached are two pictures of acros. The larger one still has poylp extenstion but it is getting lighter in color and does not extend as much as normal. The other is the one dieing from the bottom up however its not coming back it appears. Both has the brown algea on them, it easily blows off both.

As for the brown slime disease, i am researching it now but from what ive read i dont think thats what it is.
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[izib]

Magnesium is around 1150
Salt is 1.027 (using a refractometer)
Temp is 79 and flutuates about 2 degrees
Ph 8.0 to 8.2
NO2 and 3 undetectable
phosphates undetectable
Cal 425

This algea is getting out of control on the rocks too, its like a brown/green fuzz. This is telling me that I have nutrients in the water somewhere but where is in coming from? That being said Ive tried growing macro algea in the sump and it dies.

 

[izib]

Also, I probably should have mentioned. This tank was given to me about a year ago in very bad shape, hair algea was measured in lengths of feet and nothing was alive except bristle worms. It has been gradually getting better since, this time last month the rocks were clean.

 

[izib]

Im going out, if anyone happens to be around, my cell is 404-437-6421.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Zach, I do not think I can stop by this weekend... but I should be able to next if no one can get out there before then.

 

[cameron]

Some green hair algae blooms due to low kh. I think with your calcium and pH being inline your alk is good, but I would test it. I would also question the test kits at this point.

 

[tanner86]

Are you adding any phyto, zooplex, or especially coral accel? If you are an overdose of any of these can create a massive algae outbreak. Are you dosing iodine or iron that could have been overdosed? How long are you lights on for?
Also, what is your ammonia reading?

 

[suasati]

what container are you mixing your saltwater in?

 

[izib]

I occasionally add kent plankten but I underdose it when I do. No other suppliments other than the calcium reactor.

Im using two containers from Lowes (HOMEZ brand). One to store topoff water and the other to mix salt. This is probably the best thought yet, it all started when one of these was added and my fix was to add the second one so i could do water changes easier but that only made it worse. Is there any way to figure out if this is causing it other than removing them? Ive still got the old containers that I can use in the mean time until I can find some safe larger ones.