softies in w/ sps

Discussion in 'Coral' started by kimberlee, Mar 20, 2011.

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  1. kimberlee

    kimberlee Flamingo Tongue

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    Location:
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    Okay so I've been going for a mixed reef tank which seems to me to be a little more challenging than most. I have 3 types of GSP, a good size kenya tree, some red shrooms and these bubble mushrooms which I've read are a lttle on the aggressive side.

    Now the last 2 days my tank has been cloudy, and yesterday by the end of the day my skin was a little irritated I believe by the water. I have shown I'm a bit sensitive to the corals. The mushrooms make my skin tingle and I don't like to touch my hammers directly.

    Is it possible I have a sofftie war in my tank? Could it make the water cloudy?

    I've read sps and softies don't mix well and if I have sps to keep my softy population to a min?
     
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  3. m2434

    m2434 Giant Squid

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    Carbon, GFO and some decent flow should be more than sufficient to remove any toxins. What are your parameters though? Are there any devices such as heaters leaking voltage into your tank? Are any corals possibly touching at night? Some of my lps corals, such as my Diploastrea heliopora can actually extend their feeder tentacles a good 6"+ a night.

    I personally don't subscribe to the "warfare" idea. The idea seems a bit absurd to me, although I know it is a common belief in the hobby and understand there is good reason for this. In the scientific literature, there is very well documented evidence of alloepathic toxins, however, these have mostly been show to be defensive against pathogens living on the corals surface and to deter predation. The chemicals described are not toxic enough to be effective in the open ocean against nearby corals, due to the massive amounts of water flow and circulation. They would just be diluted way too quickly. In our closed systems however, there is less dilution, so this can become a serious issue. This is solved fairly easily however with carbon and GFO and good flow. (Edit: I mention GFO because it can actually remove toxins in addition to phosphate, not everyone realizes this though)


    I only point out my opinion on the coral warfare hypothesis because I think too many people get caught up in this "warfare" idea and often overlook more obvious issues.
    Not to suggest that there isn't deleterious effects of allelopathic chemicals acting on our corals.

    Often IMO if a coral is leaking toxins into the water it is because something is wrong with it. For example, recently on another forum recently there was someone with this problem after a new addition. However, after looking into it further, he found that a Marineland stealth heater was malfunctioning and leaking amperage into his tank.

    So, certainly run carbon, and provide good flow, but don't declare that this is the issue and overlook other problems. Many people keep mixed reefs, there may be additional challenges, but if it seems impossible, IMHO there is something else going on. The cloudiness suggests possibly a bacterial bloom. Possibly a coral spawned and the decaying organic matter is polluting your water for example. It's tough to say without more info however.
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2011
  4. kimberlee

    kimberlee Flamingo Tongue

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    Location:
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    Nitrates 0
    Amn 0
    Ph 0
    PH 8.2
    KH 7
    Cal 420
    Mag 1200

    Heater is new and is working well, no other changes non of the corals should be able to touch each other. I was vodka dosing and I think that could be why the tank is cloudy. Like you said bacterial bloom which can happen w/ vodka dosing. I have since cut back the dose

    DT is a 55gal w/ 4 54 watt T-5 adding the sump this week

    The only thing I can't explain is my sensitivity to the tank water, which isn't normal. Normaly I can be in and out of the tank all day with out a problem, Irritation tends to occur when I handle the corals or have fraged some.
     
  5. m2434

    m2434 Giant Squid

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    That makes sense, LPS corals seem to be especially sensitive to vodka. I can always tell when I've added too much, too quickly by watching my LPS corals. You would think the same would be true for soft corals, but no the ones I have apparently. My mushrooms, ricodia, zoanthids and leathers seem to like it actually, go figure...

    Also, what skimmer do you have?
     
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  6. kimberlee

    kimberlee Flamingo Tongue

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    Modified sea clone I know I'm looking to up grade, but w/ the mods it works well

    Turned lights on tank is clear
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2011