My 20-Gallon (Tall) Softie/lps Nano-Reef!

[vlangel]

Never had brown jelly so not real sure about how long to hold off on any LPS purchases. If you have ZOA's keep an eye on your peppermint shrimp. Occasionally one will get a taste for ZOA's instead of eating the aptaisia, go figure!

[Fishgirl2393]

Any tips here? The candycane is still holding on (the chalice is too but only barely) but now, the hairy mushrooms have bleached (same spot they've always been in, same light cycle, etc.). What is going on? The hairy mushrooms are the ONLY ones to bleach (all others look amazing and are fully colored and extended). The kenya trees also look fine as do the zoas. There is some hair algae on the rock with the hairy mushrooms but it has been there for a while (been trying to get rid of it). Parameters are as follows (just tested): SG 1.024 (w/hydrometer), nitrate 5ppm, ammonia/nitrite 0, pH 8.3, dKH 8, calcium 475ppm.

 

I added a peppermint shrimp not long ago to control aiptasia but do you think aiptasia could have stung the colony and caused it?

[Fishgirl2393]

Anyone? I just moved them to the sandbed but I'd like some ideas. SG swing? Aiptasia sting? Other?

[Fishgirl2393]

Still don't know what caused the bleaching of the hairy mushrooms but the center of them still has color and these guys have done this before (I really don't know why) so they're on the sand still. So, the tank still looks good and I must say, I'm really liking my zoas (not sure what "type" they are) that I've had for a whlie now. I may be getting more zoas soon (if I can find some I like, like Rastas)! I saw one of the people in my local reef club yesterday and she said that she has had brown jelly disease in her tank before and that an iodine dip helped. I may try that (especially on the chalice that is all but gone) but I don't know. I've never read that iodine helps with brown jelly (plus I am not sure she was correct about it being brown jelly because she said it not only hit her LPS but her kenya tree, which I've NEVER heard of).
I need to do a water change soon. Does anyone think that "Salinity" sea salt (by AquaVitro) is good? My LFS has a bucket of it right now. I could also just get more "Oceanic" (it sells really fast so that is assuming they have it) because it seems to work really well for me and the alk/mag/calc/pH balance is good. Tips?

[Tamberav]

Brand of salt isn't that big of a deal as long as it mixes up to the parameters you want.

 

A strong iodine dip is what some people do indeed use for brown jelly.

[jedimasterben]

Use whatever salt is most available to you and/or least expensive (typically Instant Ocean, though some LFS don't have crazy markup on the Seachem/Aquavitro stuff). Stick with it. Salt is salt.

LPS corals can get brown jelly infections, and iodine (specifically Lugol's Solution of Iodine, do not use iodine tincture or any other kind) does help, as do some other products (such as TLF Revive).

[Fishgirl2393]

I know LPS get it (I've lost a couple of corals to it) but I've never heard of softies getting it (what she said happened with her Kenya tree). I may try iodine if it does sometimes work. Thanks!

[Fishgirl2393]

OK, so I've pretty much lost the chalice (it has a TINY bit of tissue left, but not much) and where the flesh USED to be is red stuff (on the skeleton, and it is NOT raised up like the flesh but is actually like algae growing on it or something) and the candycane coral keeps having polyps bail out. Any idea what's going on? I tested my water and the parameters are the same (but as follows): nitrate 6ppm, caclium 485-490, dKH 8, pH 8.3, temp 79F, ammonia and nitrite 0, S.G 1.024-1.025. The chalice receded, the candycane receded and then bailed out, the duncan corals that I had had brown jelly (classic symptoms) so I figured that the other LPS had it too, but I don't know. Softies look good. HELP!

[farkwar]

Here are some pics (from a few minutes ago)...

FTS

http://www.nano-reef.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=141473]Reefaug1.jpg[/url]

Chalice/new mushroom (the red one)

http://www.nano-reef.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=141474]Mushandchaliceaug.jpg[/url]

Candycane

http://www.nano-reef.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=141475]candyaug.jpg[/url]

Your light looks very white.

 

What are you using for your reef light?

 

Are you dosing this tank? If so, why?

 

How often are your water changes, how big are they?

 

You seem to be having more than average problems with this tank. How often are your hands in the water?

[Fishgirl2393]

Your light looks very white.

What are you using for your reef light?

Are you dosing this tank? If so, why?

How often are your water changes, how big are they?

You seem to be having more than average problems with this tank. How often are your hands in the water?

I have an Odyssea 4x24watt T5HO light with 2 12,000K bulbs, 1 actinic blue, and one "purple" bulb. They are WavePoint brand.

I am NOT dosing the tank. I have in the past but it has been a while and after I fixed my pH problem a while back, I quit dosing.

My water changes are usually every 1-2 weeks. If I wait two weeks, I do a larger one (25%), otherwise I do 10%-15%.

Due to college so my hands are in the tank MAYBE once/twice a week.

[farkwar]

If this were my tank, I would

 

1) Switch out those tubes early for ATI, KZ, Geiseman, even Coralife tubes, and swap one 12K to a blue bulb

2) Clean all that algae off the back and sides, off the equipment.

3) Get rid of the Phosguard, switch to GFO. Phosguard is known to leach aluminum into saltwater.

4) Get a better CUC to clean the algae off the rocks

 

5) Use distilled or RODI water, you have way too much algae in that tank for whats in there

6) Do more frequent water changes, 5 gallons at least

[Fishgirl2393]

If this were my tank, I would

1) Switch out those tubes early for ATI, KZ, Geiseman, even Coralife tubes, and swap one 12K to a blue bulb

2) Clean all that algae off the back and sides, off the equipment.

3) Get rid of the Phosguard, switch to GFO. Phosguard is known to leach aluminum into saltwater.

4) Get a better CUC to clean the algae off the rocks

5) Use distilled or RODI water, you have way too much algae in that tank for whats in there

6) Do more frequent water changes, 5 gallons at least

1. I can consider getting one of those brands but I've bleached a couple of things even with them so I am not sure if intensity of the light is the problem (you can weigh-in on that if you want)

2. I have the sides/back/equipment clean right now, it just got bad when I wasn't here in the summer as much

3. I will certainly try that one because I've heard about the aluminum, though it doesn't seem to affect every tank.

4. I do need to do this as well... I have some blue legged hermits and a peppermint shrimp (for aiptasia control)

5. I ONLY use distilled water and have ever since this tank was set up (restarted so early in the thread, it lists tap water, but that has not been used for the new set up)

6. I can try larger water changes as well.

I just don't know what's going on and why it seems to be ONLY hitting the LPS. They are similar (in needs) to softies so it shouldn't be water quality and light, but I don't know. I have absolutely NO cyano anywhere in the tank. However, that stuff on the chalice where the flesh used to be looks kinda like it. It's pink/red and all. Any other ideas from anyone?

[Fishgirl2393]

Here are a couple of pics I took with my tablet. They are not great, but you can see the problems...

[Tamberav]

The tank looks like it has a nutrient problem regardless of what the test kit says. I can see algae on the rocks. The other parameters seem fine.

 

Softies can survive in almost anything, LPS are a bit more tricky.

[Fishgirl2393]

There is caulerpa (for which, I'm probably getting an urchin) but there is not really a lot of excess algae (there is the green/brownish filmy stuff that I see on most tanks on the glass). My rocks are mostly "clean". I may get another nitrate kit just to verify but I'm using a Seachem kit (w/reference solution). Last time I checked phosphate, it was really low (0.03 or less). However, I didn't think LPS were sensitive to that anyway...

[Tamberav]

Maybe it is the caulerpa I am seeing, there is a lot of green at the bottom of your rock but the picture is fuzzy. I would assume PO4 would not be ideal for LPS since they calcify but you would probably have GHA before you had a high PO4 reading.

 

I'm not sure what would cause polyp bailout. The only time I have had that happen was from a very bad alk swing but you aren't dosing.

 

What brand are your test kits? Maybe one is bad/not accurate. Maybe Mg is too low, can you get that tested anywhere?

 

I am mostly just taking stabs in the dark Sometimes figuring out what is wrong is trial and error.

[Fishgirl2393]

Maybe it is the caulerpa I am seeing, there is a lot of green at the bottom of your rock but the picture is fuzzy. I would assume PO4 would not be ideal for LPS since they calcify but you would probably have GHA before you had a high PO4 reading.

 

I'm not sure what would cause polyp bailout. The only time I have had that happen was from a very bad alk swing but you aren't dosing.

 

What brand are your test kits? Maybe one is bad/not accurate. Maybe Mg is too low, can you get that tested anywhere?

 

I am mostly just taking stabs in the dark Sometimes figuring out what is wrong is trial and error.

A very helpful (hopefully) LFS employee suggested that one of the elements might be out of whack. He specifically said calcium, magnesium or strontium. Since I've been using Oceanic salt (which some say has elements in a non-usable form that make it appear high, but it's not usable), he suggested I try another brand. I bought some Salinity (AquaVitro) salt since I needed more salt anyway (and they only had a huge bucket of Reef Crystals). We'll see. If it is an element, strontium would be my guess (unless the levels I've tested are not usable) but who knows. It's ONLY the LPS affected so it seems possible it is an element imbalance, but it might not be. Any other ideas? I'm just trying to get ideas about what it could be so I can remedy it and continue to get cool corals!

[Fishgirl2393]

Well, I took out the chalice skeleton and the candycane skeleton today... the candy had a couple of heads that were bailing out left, but nothing else. That leaves me with only softies right now. I'm doing a water change either tonight or tomorrow with my new salt. Overall, the softies are very happy in the tank except the shrooms that bleached a week or so ago (they are gaining a bit of color back) and one random blue mushroom (I have others like it which are happy, but this one for whatever reason is not as happy) that keeps moving around (detaching and drifting). Any ideas? I'm not happy right now but want to get this sorted out. ALL other softies are happy and some are growing nicely (clove polyps, zoas, kenya trees, and most shrooms).

I also added new Phosguard (I'm trying to use it up though I don't think it is the problem) and GAC.

[Fishgirl2393]

Just did a 4-gallon water change (about 25% of the water volume). I like the new salt (it mixes strong and spot on with parameters), we'll see what the corals think about it.

[Fishgirl2393]

So far, corals seem to be fine in the Salinity salt. Everything looks good and hopefully if I have phosphate, it is being sucked out by PhosGuard. I'm going to wait a couple of weeks and then probably will try another LPS coral and see how it does. I really like LPS corals and would like to be able to keep them again. Based on what I've said, does it sound like phosphate inhibiting calcification (and thus causing polyp bailout) or strontium depletion (Oceanic levels are low according to some research I've read)?

[Fishgirl2393]

Probably going to run by my LFS today and see what they have coral-wise. I'm scared to get LPS, but really want to. Ideas? I still don't REALLY know what killed the ones I had, so I can't make any guesses as to whether something is still wrong. I'm waiting on some things from Seachem to come in to verify my tests (nitrate in particular) but unless they are wrong, my tank shouldn't have a nitrate problem.

[Fishgirl2393]

Update: Seachem stuff came in (it was replacement reagents) and the new ones match the reference solution so they are correct. My nitrates are a bit higher than originally thought, but not high enough (I don't think) to cause problems. They appear to be about 12-15ppm instead of the 5-7ppm that I had thought. Easy to fix (water changes) but I'm glad to know it.

[Fishgirl2393]

So, I got another ricordea yesterday (an orange one). I'm also looking to get an aqua-blue one in the future (and maybe pink, and other colors as well!). I like rics a lot!

[Fishgirl2393]

Well, I need suggestions for protein skimmers (cheap if possible) ASAP. Mine is on its last legs.

[Fishgirl2393]

What about this one? It says it is for tanks that are 80-150 gallons but would it be OK on my tank or should I go with something else?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-Protein-Skimmer-W-530GPH-Pump-Filter-Powerhead-Tank-Salt-Water-150-Gal-/251630654625?pt=Fish_Filters&hash=item3a965b14a1