What is happening with my tank!?

[solefald]

Something is happening with my tank and I have no idea if its good or bad.

 

Tank is 2.5 month old. Started adding corals about a month ago. 2 clowns, 1 randall's goby, 2 skunk cleaners, emerald and some snails. Everything has been doing great. Week ago added 2 tube anemones and on monday someone gave me a 5"-6" birdsnest and 2 heads of hammer. Drip acclimated both for 60 minutes.

 

4 days after I added nems, one of them left its tube and half of the leg was completely deflated and appeared ripped at the end. It has since moved itself to behind a rock in a shade. I can barely see it, but it seems to be doing OK and growing a new tube.

 

Around the same time the birdsnest that was given to me started displaying signs of RTN. Today half of it seems completely dead and white. Cleaner shrimp are hard at work, cleaning up the affected areas, but it seems on its way out.

 

The other tube nem seemed completely happy where it was for a week, ate mysis shrimp and did not display any signs of distress. Then last night, right in front of my eyes it left its tube, and immediately got pulled into my MP10 and about 1/4 of its tentacles got ripped out. If I got to it just few seconds later, it would've been completely chopped up. I saved it and placed into a 4" long piece of PVC to protect it and see if it recovers.

 

I woke up this morning to find little white bumps all over my other birdsnest (3 tiny 3/4" sticks glued to a rock). There is about 3-5 of them on each stick and they kind of look like new branches may pop out of there, but I am not entirely sure. This does not look like RTN, that affected the other birdsnest.

 

And this is not the end.

 

One of my zoas seems to be splitting... i think. And my other hammer (identical to that one that was given to me on Monday) also seems to be splitting one head in a half. I am not sure if its dying or not, but its polyps don't look like they are all retracted like when its pissed off. They are just deflated.

 

Everything else is doing great. My red mushroom went from a size of a pencil eraser to a quarter size in a week and a half. My rics got HUGE too, Candy Cane and 3 other zoas either doubled or tripled in size since I got them 2 or 3 weeks ago.

 

Water parameters are perfect and I am using Red Sea Coral Pro salt and RO/DI water (brand new SpectaPure unit. 000 ppm).

 

Temp: 79

pH: 8.17

Nitrate: 5.0

Nitrate: 0

Ammonia: 0

kH: 8

Salinity: 1.024

Phosphate: 0

Calcium: 380

Magnesium: 1400

 

 

Am I freaking out for no reason and things are just starting to grow or my tank needs help?

 

Filling up a 5gal bucket for "just in case" 25% water change right as I type this. Last water change was done 6 days ago.

 

 

 

Oh, and speaking of Red Sea Coral Pro. I was at MAX today and spoke to one of Red Sea's marine biologist dudes. He said that salt needs to be mixed into room temperature water first and then heated up. And he said that mixing water for 24 hours thing is a myth. All it needs is 30-60 minutes.

[lakshwadeep]

For at least corals (especially SPS), you should not do drip acclimation because the shipping water they are in is full of mucus/ammonia/wastes. The "shock" of putting a coral into a tank with good water parameters is much safer. The only thing you might do is some type of dip to remove possible pests. I learned this the hard way after receiving my first shipment of SPS frags.

 

Don't worry too much about the tube anemones, except to make sure to do more research for future purchases. They are fairly uncommon and should not be thought of as easy beginner inverts.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/6/inverts

[solefald]

For at least corals (especially SPS), you should not do drip acclimation because the shipping water they are in is full of mucus/ammonia/wastes. The "shock" of putting a coral into a tank with good water parameters is much safer. The only thing you might do is some type of dip to remove possible pests. I learned this the hard way after receiving my first shipment of SPS frags.

 

Don't worry too much about the tube anemones, except to make sure to do more research for future purchases. They are fairly uncommon and should not be thought of as easy beginner inverts.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/6/inverts

 

Oh yeah, i did dip it in Revive for a couple of minutes before putting in the tank. My other birdsnest went right in without any acclimation and its been doing fine for about a month now.

 

As far at tube nems, i've read all I could find for a whole week, including the article you linked to. I also spoke to other people that have them and honestly could not find anything that would prevent me from keeping one happy. I have also made a PVC pipe burrow as this article suggested. My sand bed is 3-4".

[solefald]

I did some reading, and I suspect that the problem with the hammer may have been caused by too mich flow. It was kicking it around too much and the skeleton ripped the flesh and skin. Is that possible?

 

Looking at pictures of splitting hammers, they are completely different from whats happening with mine.

[acropora1981]

I did some reading, and I suspect that the problem with the hammer may have been caused by too mich flow. It was kicking it around too much and the skeleton ripped the flesh and skin. Is that possible?

 

Looking at pictures of splitting hammers, they are completely different from whats happening with mine.

 

Very possible... I've seen this with new clients many times. Lps like gentle, diffuse flow.

 

Ps, you're about 40 ppm shy on your calcium levels.

[solefald]

Ps, you're about 40 ppm shy on your calcium levels.

 

you know, every time I check it is the same. every single time. it has never been above 380. I should probably try another test. I use API now.

[FireCorals]

you know, every time I check it is the same. every single time. it has never been above 380. I should probably try another test. I use API now.

 

Salifert for Calcium testing.

[acropora1981]

you know, every time I check it is the same. every single time. it has never been above 380. I should probably try another test. I use API now.

 

Or try bumping calcium . Cacl2 works well.

[solefald]

As far as flow.. I have a single MP10 set to 50-60% of power in reef rest mode. Is tha still too much??

[acropora1981]

As far as flow.. I have a single MP10 set to 50-60% of power in reef rest mode. Is tha still too much??

 

This is in your BC29 right? I run my MP10 @ around 40% in my JBJ 28, and its an SPS tank. It also has a 300gph return pump though. 50 to 60 seems high to me, but I'm sure lots of people would disagree.

 

Here is a video of proper flow for hammer/torch/frogspawn/elegance:

 

You can see how gentle that is, and you could give it less and it would be quite happy.

[solefald]

This is in your BC29 right? I run my MP10 @ around 40% in my JBJ 28, and its an SPS tank. It also has a 300gph return pump though. 50 to 60 seems high to me, but I'm sure lots of people would disagree.

 

Here is a video of proper flow for hammer/torch/frogspawn/elegance:

 

You can see how gentle that is, and you could give it less and it would be quite happy.

 

Yep, its in my BC29. MP10 is in the middle of the right side wall and MJ1200 return pointed towards the surface to create agitation. Ripped hammer is sitting right under the return pump output nozzle, but not getting any of its flow. MP10 is about 5"-6" do the side and about 2" lower, so I it should not be caught in its undertow either.

 

It did not look like its getting any more flow than the Euphylia in the video.

[solefald]

Update.

 

Hammer (or a Frogspawn... Im not sure, but it looks exactly like this) is a total loss. 2nd head is also gone. No big deal. It was a $5 frag and I have an identical one that was given to me. Learned my lesson not to put anything "soft" close to MP10/Return nozzle.

 

Big birsnest with RTN is also close to 80% loss, but I fragged good parts and have 2 good sized frags now.

 

Pink tube nem that got sucked into the powerhead is going great. It fully opened up and ate (mysis and pellets) and then fully retracted into sandbed. I think it will be all right.

 

White bumps on my pink birdsnest frags are new branches forming. There is going to be a bunch of them!

 

One of the zoas is continuing to slowly split and form another polyp and everything else is doing great.

 

I was freaked out for a couple of days, but i think it is all good.