What could be wrong?

[KMitch]

Hey guys

 

I have 2 tanks-- my nano and a 110gal reef. The 110g reef is actually my dad's but he has been "neglecting" it. He still does water changes, etc, but doesnt have anything but mushrooms in the tank bc he cant keep anything else alive. Since he has such back luck with corals, he told me it was all mine to try to make over.

 

Problem is......

 

No matter what other kind of coral besides mushrooms he puts in, it will die. He has a few zoas that are kicking and a little bit of xenia but the xenia is less than impressive and his leathers die fairly quickly. He had some LPS which all died slowly without explanation. There are almost no crabs, shrimp, snails because he can put them in and about 48 hrs later they are goners.

 

Water params are perfect, RO water, lights are 4 months old (and its ample light for LPS-- cant remember exactly what it is but either flourescant or VHO), 7x turnover, refuge, protein skimmer, external filter, etc, etc. Really there is no mechanical explanation for why things could be dying. Tank is 10 yrs old. Couple of fish: goby, angel, clows, wrasse, and royal gamma. The fish have been in there for a long time without prob.

 

I have 3 theroies as to what could be the issue:

 

1. Guy at the LFS says that since the tank is 10 yrs old the live rock has "gone bad"== i personally think thats a crock of BS and hes trying to sell me 100lbs of new rock but is that even possible? Ideas?

 

2. Some of the live rock is lava based bc it was cheap, and at the time, seemed like a good idea for base rock. Can lava rock leak copper or something else that would be bad for the sensative residents of the tank?

 

3. There is something in the tank eating/killing everything except mushrooms and fish. I have been up many times in the middle of the night on the hunt for a beast and nothing. A large bristle worm was spotted about 1 yr ago but has not been found since. I dont even know where to begin looking since the coraline on the rocks has fused them together and it would require major reworking to move them.

 

If you think one of these theories is plausable or have other ideas, I desperately need them to revitalize this tank.

 

KM

[Grantlington]

boost up the flow a bit more.

 

how long do the corals take to die?

 

it may be the flow not being strong enough or the lighting might not be strong enough (how deep in the tank?)

 

- Grant

[Dave61]

I don't know if this would be the problem but I know that some lava rock can contain large amounts of iron (as well as sulfur, but then you'd expect low pH problems as well).

[Mr. Fosi]

7x turnover is low. Can you confirm what kind of lighting (VHO, regular fluorecent, PC) he has, what brand the bulbs are, and what power (wattage) the lights use?

 

Have you done any iron or copper tests?

 

Has he ever tried growing any macroalgaes?

[Cuba Libre]

You mentioned that water parameters are perfect, but you can tell us exactly what the salinity, pH, calcium, etc. are? Also, have you verified if your testing kit and hydrometer are accurate?

 

Also, you mentioned that your dad was not taking care of the tank, maybe he hasn't changed the bulbs in years.

[pico1]

are the angel and the wrasse reef safe?

[KMitch]

are the angel and the wrasse reef safe?

 

 

To answer a few of the questions....

 

Water params:

PH 8.4

Amonia 0ppm

Nitrates and Nitrites are fine (dont remember the exact # for nitrates but 0 for nitrites)

salinity 1.025 confirmed with 2 hydrometers and refractometer

 

I dont have test kits for iron and copper but I can take some water to the LFS later for that.

 

His lights are retro florescent bulbs. 96W each bulb with a total of 4 bulbs. Ample light for leathers, etc. I believe 2 of the 4 are antics. Bulbs all replaced end of January

 

Flow: He has the built in pumps which I dont know how much water they push, but he also has 3 Maxijet 1200's -- 2 on each side of the tank and one in the middle to hit the back of the tank (it points down). He has them on timers to create a wave effect and I told him to change it because at any given time, the water is only moving to half of its capacity.

 

I dont think its a fish doing the killing since the fish are all pretty small and the corals all take a long time to die. Its not like they look chewed on--- they just start withering away.

 

Anyone have ideas about the live rock theroies? Can lava rock be problematic and can live rock just go bad? Would a pic help?

[darkwaterdevil]

do the bulbs only have 1 terminal on each end instead of the normal 2??? if so its probly t5 bulbs

[KMitch]

do the bulbs only have 1 terminal on each end instead of the normal 2??? if so its probly t5 bulbs

 

 

No they are 2 prong -- i dont think lights are a prob. flow maybe--- other ideas??

[tinyreef]

have yu checked your phosphate levels? if you have any (algae growth is a decent indicator) that could be killing off the stonys you're trying to put in.

 

the invert lethality is something in the water. i'd shake things up by changing your water source. go to RO/DI instead of just RO. i assume your salt is decent.

 

look into using Poly-Filters for a while. that may point out something in the water as it discolors/ages/used up. i wouldn't rely on it as a po4 filter though. more of an indicator and filter aid than anything else.

[darkwaterdevil]

yeah there just regular floresents even though the bulbs say there good for corals there not realy good for much