Everything is slowly dying… What could be wrong???

Discussion in 'LPS Corals' started by eddie2OOO, Jun 13, 2014.

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  1. eddie2OOO

    eddie2OOO Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Instead of power heads tanks cycles the water with a return pump in the back in the sump area and has two nozzles that I would say are creating a relatively strong flow, I also have another additional pump on a side (not pictured) so I am not sure if low flow is my problem, however at this point I would try anything.

    I also realized that I did not change my carbon media in over 6 months, so I did that last night.
     
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  3. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    I'm not sure what you mean by the extra pump on the side. Is it on the interior of the tank pushing water? I have no way of knowing hope the flow is. If there is detrius collecting in pockets then you need more flow.

    Obviously, on the carbon issue, you need to cover the basics. Keep the sponge filter clean and media changed...
     
  4. proreefer

    proreefer Feather Star

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    let me say that I'm not trying to say your wrong but I also tried not to vacuum my tank, it crash on me after some time, now I vacuum and I'm not getting any deadly gas but I'm getting lot's of other stuff from the sand and all my corals are wonderful, I now vacuum at least once a month
     
  5. eddie2OOO

    eddie2OOO Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    When i get home from work i'll make a short video of the entire tank and will explain what equipment i have and how often i maintain it. I think it will answer most asked and un-asked questions.

    Perhaps my basics are screwed up. For instance for media i use:
    few sponges that came with aquarium and i wash with saltwater every month
    activated carbon that i didnt change the the past 6 months until last night
    Chemi-Pure that is in my tank for the last year (i dont wash it off)
    Purigen that i replaced 8 months ago
    PhosGuard that i have for the last 3 months
    And the majority of my sump is several mash bags of crashed shells (i was told by lfs that they provide almost the same benefits as live rock and provide an additional source of calcium, it is best at purifying water the same way it is done in nature)
    And lastly a Nuvo skimmer for 25G tank

    Keep in mind i do not use or have media reactors
     
  6. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
  7. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    Perhaps my basics are screwed up. For instance for media i use:
    few sponges that came with aquarium and i wash with saltwater every month

    This seems a bit long between cleanings, but problems from this should show up in elevated nitrates and phosphates.

    activated carbon that i didnt change the the past 6 months until last night
    Chemi-Pure that is in my tank for the last year (i dont wash it off)
    Purigen that i replaced 8 months ago
    PhosGuard that i have for the last 3 months

    I haven't used most of the above so I can't comment on them. Phosguard is the only chemical filtration I've used so I'll comment on that. I change mine about once a month, or when I see phosphates rising. It does seem like that is a lot of chemicals you have in there. But I imagine it depends on the quantity of each and how often they get changed. Maybe some others that have more experience with them can comment.

    And the majority of my sump is several mash bags of crashed shells (i was told by lfs that they provide almost the same benefits as live rock and provide an additional source of calcium, it is best at purifying water the same way it is done in nature)

    It makes sense to me that the shells would be just as good as live rock considering most of the value is the surface area for bacteria to cling onto and do their thing.
     
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  9. eddie2OOO

    eddie2OOO Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Asterina stars - I have a lot of them, I try to pick them out one by one, but they still come back.

    I'll install a power head and see if it helps... Also I checked my water at petco and even though he was running basic tests, he said the water is fine. He also mentioned that perhaps my problem is the light, he suggested that increase its intensity and see how corals react. Any thoughts?
     
  10. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Well it's a light the Bubble corals seems to like.

    Are the Asterina on you corals, physically?
     
  11. eddie2OOO

    eddie2OOO Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Yes they are physically on corals
     
  12. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Two most common types eat the film algae so you see them on the glass a lot, the other type eats coralline algae, they may appear to be grey or blue in coloration. All others on corals should be suspected coral eaters.
     
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