Coral status after vacation

[nystang]

Is this OK to increase Ca in the tank. I want to buy something locally instead of waiting for online delivery.

Seachem

Kent

[21093r53]

b ionic is better

[Rrudo74901]

B-Ionic is made by ESV, comes in a 2 part kit or you can buy seperately.

I switched to the seachem Ion series and the calc "seems" to hold better in the water and levels stay higher longer. Might just be a coincidence. Also, the calc concentration in Ion is higher as per the label.

Both work well, so no preference.

 

IMO you should dose the calc to get it up to 440 ppm. It can't hurt, only help.

With the alk at 10, dose slowly in 2 parts, 12 ppm and wait a few hours and dose another 12 ppm. That will get you over 400. Then do the same tomorrow and restest levels.

 

Unless someone with a different experience has suggestions, this is what worked to make my corals healthy.

[AndyK47]

The large water changes might not help that much if the "Euphyllia" are the only ones that are affected. My last tank was up for 3 years and all was going well! I did a, say 40% water change and more torch, hammer, and frogspawns all bailed out of there skeletons. Everyone told me that it was because they like dirtier water qualities and that they didnt like the large quantity of new water that I had added. I since have replaced those ones and only do 10% water changes and it has never happened again.

 

I've had frogspawns for years and when all the SPS/Acros are melting away and dying off the frogspawns always stay healthy. They like water that's a little dirtier than normal, and since you did a W/C before and after you went on vaca. there's a possibility that triggered it as well.

 

I'm with all on here who say stop doing additives. I don't use additives and have only ever found that unless you can test for it, don't add it. W/C's should keep your caclium level plenty high without throwing more money into Calc. additives. too much Calcium can be bad, it puts white coralline like buildup all over the tank and pumps and it's not easy to get off and isn't pretty. I say you pull anything out of the tank that's is dead/dying do one more water change and get consistent with W/C's... you can have poor water quality and a nice looking tank as long as you're consistent with the quality of water. It's not always dirty water that's the problem, it's when you go from 1 year of mediocre water quality to overnight having crystal clear untainted water the corals are gonna get shocked. Any change in params shocks the system.

[nystang]

I know patience, patience.

I went to a local Petland and purchased a new product by Instant Ocean - Calcium Booster. I added 3 ml to my 29g tank as recommended. I will test the water in a few hours. They don't carry ESV, Seachem nor Kent. I should've checked some lfs but I didn't. We'll see.

[Rrudo74901]

I looked up that product on the IO website and they don't give the concentration. Look at the back label and see x ml will raise y gal, z ppm of calc. Post that up please.

[nystang]

Thanks for PM. Here is the info on the back. I actually copied this from Dr.Foster website. The label doesn't say anything else.

 

Directions for Use

Shake well before use. Use 5ml for every 50 gallons. For easy dosing, use the top of the screw cap. Fill inner ring for 5 ml and top of cap for 10 ml. Repeat dosage weekly until desired level is attained.

 

Note: Closely monitor alkalinity levels and adjust as necessary to maintain healthy levels while treating with Calcium Booster.

 

Principle Ingredients: Concentrated Calcium Chloride.

 

General Information

Corals, coralline algae, clams and other reef inhabitants need calcium for skeletal growth. It is recommended to maintain free calcium level between 400 and 450 ppm. Use as needed to raise calcium levels in marine aquariums.

Benefits

 

Concentrated formula quickly raises calcium levels.

Simple to use. No complicated reactors or messy powders.

[nystang]

I tested water for Ca about 3 hours after adding the booster. Ca level is 460 now.

[Rrudo74901]

I tested water for Ca about 3 hours after adding the booster. Ca level is 460 now.

 

Perfect, hopefully you will start to see some recovery. How are the corals today?

[nystang]

The same. I will monitor Ca closely and post any changes.

[nystang]

Quick update on the corals.

As for Aussie torch and hammer - no change but the frogspawn looks a little better and some of the tentacles are more inflated, it is a little bigger than it was.

[NanoNewb2011]

Quick update on the corals.

As for Aussie torch and hammer - no change but the frogspawn looks a little better and some of the tentacles are more inflated, it is a little bigger than it was.

Any improvements?

[nystang]

The Aussie hammer and torch stay the same. The frogspawn is back in 80-90%. Other corals look very well. I think that boosting the calcium level to 460 helped them a lot. I feed very lightly now. The problem with algae is almost gone as well. I cleaned the rocks with a blower and a soft brush. My CBS and a peppermint molted last night. No stress on other livestock. Water is clean. I am very puzzled by those Aussie corals. Maybe they need more time.

[Rrudo74901]

The hammer and torch looked very, very stressed in the pictures. It may take some time.

Are they shedding tissue off the skeleton or just deflated? If they are shedding tissue, that isn't good. If they are deflated, it may take some time for the calcium, alk and mag levels they thrive on to be restored in the coral itself.

Keep alk between 8-11, calc between 420 and 475 and magnesium above 1350-1450 and nusisance algae has a more difficult time growing, in my experience. Unfortunately, I still have some cyano but I don't have to scrape the glass as often.

[nystang]

They are just deflated, torch a little more, hammer a little less. here is the pic on June 24 and today to compare. To me they look almost the same. the torch may look even worse.

 

 

 

[Rrudo74901]

Status?

[nystang]

As for the above corals, no change. Other look better every day. The frogspawn is almost the same as before vacation. Blastos, acans duncan look very happy. I have no clue what happened and if they will survive. I will do next WC on Monday.

[dling]

As for the above corals, no change. Other look better every day. The frogspawn is almost the same as before vacation. Blastos, acans duncan look very happy. I have no clue what happened and if they will survive. I will do next WC on Monday.

I hope you you can get things back in order.Wife and I were gone for a week and left 21 year old son in charge of tank just to feed fish and add alk,ca and mag as instructed. I have an ato so I thought all was good. Got home to find tank full of micro bubbles. I didn't think that that ato reservoir would go empty after a week but it did . Water level dropped so return pump was sucking air and water and tank got them both.

[Rrudo74901]

If the corals aren't getting worse, I would consider it a victory. The level of skeleton showing in your pictures clearly indicates they were on their way out. If they stay the same for awhile and once the nutrient levels build in their system they should recover but it won't be a quick recovery.