Drexellake Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I would tend to agree with you. From what I've read most metals aren't good in aquariums. Rusting would cause it to leach faster. I think you're doing the right thing with the water changes. Link to comment
k4ndyk1ng Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I think it is the iron oxide flaking off and all the other nasties in the metal because I doubt it is 100% pure Link to comment
cswan19 Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Sorry if I have asked questions that have already been asked, but I have jumped on this thread late How often do you do water changes? Do you dose? I think it is the iron oxide flaking off and all the other nasties in the metal because I doubt it is 100% pure No worries, I appreciate you taking the time to respond and try and help me out. I usually do 20 - 30% water changes on a weekly basis but sometimes I get really busy with work on the weekends and miss a week. I never go more than 2 weeks without a WC though. I do dose when needed. I dose nano code A for calcium when my calcium gets low (below 400) and Red Sea magnesium supplement when magnesium is low (which it has been for a while, right around 1100 - 1200). However, I never dose more than the normal dosage on the bottles as to not cause to big of a swing. I would tend to agree with you. From what I've read most metals aren't good in aquariums. Rusting would cause it to leach faster. I think you're doing the right thing with the water changes. Yes, it is what makes most sense and what I am leaning towards believing. I am very surprised at how much it rusted even when I take it out of water when it is not in use. I contacted Two Little Fishies (the makers of nano mag) and hopefully they will get back to me. In the meantime I need to try to get my tank back in order and my corals happy and healthy. Link to comment
k4ndyk1ng Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Takeout the rust and see if things improve. What is the flow like over the corals? Link to comment
cswan19 Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Takeout the rust and see if things improve. What is the flow like over the corals? I immediately removed the rust upon seeing it and am now working on water changes to remove it completely. The flow is good over the corals. I have a Koralia 240 power head and might think about upgrading to the mini-jet 606 as well to further enhance the flow. Link to comment
k4ndyk1ng Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I immediately removed the rust upon seeing it and am now working on water changes to remove it completely. The flow is good over the corals. I have a Koralia 240 power head and might think about upgrading to the mini-jet 606 as well to further enhance the flow. Yeah, the rust is just about the only thing that could do it, out of interest what are your phosphates? Link to comment
cswan19 Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Yeah, the rust is just about the only thing that could do it, out of interest what are your phosphates? Not a clue what my phosphates are. I don't test for them as I have been told that most test kits are not accurate and are fairly expensive. Link to comment
k4ndyk1ng Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Not a clue what my phosphates are. I don't test for them as I have been told that most test kits are not accurate and are fairly expensive. Yeah I was just curious. And only the Hannah ones are good Link to comment
cswan19 Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 So, I lost my first coral today /: It was the birds nest. It had been white for a while but was starting to turn brown so I took it out. Haven't seen really any improvement since the last update Did another big water change today (about 45-50%) It came out to about 2 gallons of new cultured saltwater. I'm thinking about doing a 100% water change using the already cycled, cultured saltwater from my LFS if I don't see any improvement in the next week or so. I'm starting to get really worried about my trumpet/candy cane coral. I haven't seen it opened and fluffy in a while and it is still pretty damn white. I'm getting a bit discouraged by all of this. I feel like I might not have the experience for this small of a tank. I just hope I can figure things out and get them resolved. Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 sorry to hear about the troubles. it happens to all of us. things will get better soon. Link to comment
Drexellake Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Yea man, hang in there. Give it some time. Link to comment
OCNcheffy Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Any update? Have things improved? Link to comment
cswan19 Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share Posted November 1, 2014 Things were starting to improve but are now going down hill. I am still at a loss as to what is going wrong. I picked up some chemi-pure blue and I am hoping that it will help solve the problems. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can get to the bottom of this. /: Link to comment
Drexellake Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Water changes are your friend. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 Hey guys, I come to you with an apology for the lack of updates the last month or so and also a bit of good news (I think...) I got up late last night to get a drink and decided to check on my tank while I was up. Well I checked the temperature and it was at 71*F!!!! By morning it was back up to the normal 76*F. Thats a BIIIIIIIGGGG fluctuation. Not good. I bet that is a big part of why my corals are so stressed and in turn bleaching out and not looking good. I plan to get a ReefKeeper or some other controller this weekend after I get my paycheck and hopefully fix the temp fluctuation issue. I think it has been dropping at night and I don't realize it because I never check it. I really want to share all the new corals I got since the last update with you guys but I really want my tank to look better first. Hopefully recovery is on its way. Fingers crossed. *Also thanks to all for all the advice and help everyone has shared with me. Idk what I would do without this site and awesome reef friends I have made to help me learn about reef keeping. You guys rock Link to comment
Drexellake Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Hey guys, I come to you with an apology for the lack of updates the last month or so and also a bit of good news (I think...) I got up late last night to get a drink and decided to check on my tank while I was up. Well I checked the temperature and it was at 71*F!!!! By morning it was back up to the normal 76*F. Thats a BIIIIIIIGGGG fluctuation. Not good. I bet that is a big part of why my corals are so stressed and in turn bleaching out and not looking good. I plan to get a ReefKeeper or some other controller this weekend after I get my paycheck and hopefully fix the temp fluctuation issue. I think it has been dropping at night and I don't realize it because I never check it. I really want to share all the new corals I got since the last update with you guys but I really want my tank to look better first. Hopefully recovery is on its way. Fingers crossed. *Also thanks to all for all the advice and help everyone has shared with me. Idk what I would do without this site and awesome reef friends I have made to help me learn about reef keeping. You guys rock Yea, that's a huge change. What type and wattage is your heater? Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 wow, get a new heater asap. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Yea, that's a huge change. What type and wattage is your heater? 50w its the hydor theo. Pretty sure the thermostat is broken in it.... clearly. What watt should I be using? wow, get a new heater asap. Thanks, I plan to get a cobalt neo therm this weekend when I get paid but I think I will get a cheaper one that isn't broken to hold me over until then as I just got my car fixed so I don't have the cash right this second for the cobalt. I really hope this was the problem... Link to comment
Drexellake Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 50w its the hydor theo. Pretty sure the thermostat is broken in it.... clearly. What watt should I be using? Thanks, I plan to get a cobalt neo therm this weekend when I get paid but I think I will get a cheaper one that isn't broken to hold me over until then as I just got my car fixed so I don't have the cash right this second for the cobalt. I really hope this was the problem... I use nothing but Ebo Jager heaters now. Cost a little more but they are very reliable. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 I will check that brand out thanks Also, once I get this stability issue figured out is there a way to get my corals back to their normal color? Or are they permanently damaged? Any tips on recovery? Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 I will check that brand out thanks Also, once I get this stability issue figured out is there a way to get my corals back to their normal color? Or are they permanently damaged? Any tips on recovery? They will recover with time and some TLC =). It may vary by coral in that it may never go back to the original color, but I had some corals that recover to look even better than before. Link to comment
erinwillett Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 I think my 25w hydor theo heater is doing the same thing in my 12 gal. Living in southern California it wasn't cold in my apartment at all, but now its about 70-73 in the place. The tank is fluctuating SO much from, 70-81 and I have the heater on the lowest setting. I'm so frustrated. Time for a new one. Link to comment
OCNcheffy Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 My Hydor Theo 50w does a similar thing as well. My water will constantly fluctuate from 81-84 with it set to 79. If I set it to the lowest setting, I seem to get a stable 82 since my apartment is fairly hot. I haven't noticed any downsides to being on the warmer side though, otherwise I'd invest in a cobalt heater or a small fan. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 Bummer, I woulnd.t recommend this heater to anyone then as it seems that I am not the only one experiencing fluctuation issues. A couple degrees of fluctuation can cause major havoc on a tank, especially when it is happening on a very frequent basis. I plan to pick up a cobalt neotherm tomor or friday from my LFS and then order the reef keeper this weekend. Then I will hook up both my heater and my cooling fan to the controller so that everything can stable out and my corals will start to recover. Once they recover and look better I promise to post a big update. Link to comment
kimberbee Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I dunno if it's the weather or what... But I keep having to alternate between using my heater and my fan every few days. Recently, I had my heater on for a day, then nothing on for a week, then my fan for two days, nothing for another week, and my heater was in for a day until I turned it off again this morning. Luckily, I'm around to check it every 12 hours. Thinking I might get some sort of controller for my heater and fan too. Keep us updated on how the new heater works for you! Link to comment
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