I need help, Im calling on the experts.. please?

Discussion in 'Coral Health' started by GSUBiology, May 10, 2013.

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  1. barbianj

    barbianj Hammer Head Shark

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    It's a combination of the amphipods eating the corals, and infection. with such a large population, what else do they have to eat? They look for the weakest spot, and tear away at it. Especially newly introduced corals. Some say it's a certain type, or that they only go after sick corals, whatever. They will eat what they can. They are one of the most successful creatures on the face of the earth for a reason.
     
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  3. reef_guru

    reef_guru Humpback Whale

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    amphipods are scavengers so enough of that nonsense, the real issue is why. salifert test kits work just fine. carbon/gfo backfire and do more harm than good sometimes. stray voltage will only effect you. im assuming with an hob skimmer you have no sump, thats a shame, the more water you can play with the better.

    1) ro/di or just ro? it must be ro/di. whats your tds? water going in is very important
    2) dKH?
    3) light par rating on top, middle, and bottom?
    4) what type and how much flow?
    5) wet/dry skimmate
    6) water changes? how much? how often? and how?
    7) PO4?


    a dosing system to manage Ca/dKH/Mg along with a ro/di automatic top-off helps with the stability needed for sps/lps. even allowing the salinity to fluctuate is enough to make livestock unhappy. water chemistry is key, consistency is a must, to many nutrients in the water negate chemistry and consistency. Mg is the ref for Ca and dKH.
     
  4. barbianj

    barbianj Hammer Head Shark

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    Seriously? Then explain why their population is so high. What are they eating, rocks?!?
     
  5. reef_guru

    reef_guru Humpback Whale

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    they dont multiply overnight in great numbers, they've always been there. their opportunist and are taking advantage of the distress the corals are having. its what they do, they clean up. the little buggers didnt wake up one day and decide to start eating corals, the real problem is whats going on. an established tank has/needs these little guys.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2013
  6. Ford101

    Ford101 Fire Shrimp

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    yeah i would also recommend the hannah alk tester. Alk is so important when keeping sps, too much of a swing too quickly will kill them off pretty quickly.

    How much GFO are you using? BRS is notorious for recommending too much of a dose on their calculator and instructions. Having too much GFO can bleach out corals. Happened to me, made my LPS shrivel up and lose color, and almost killed one of my monti caps.
     
  7. gcarroll

    gcarroll Zoanthid

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    GFO can drop alk the first couple of days. If you are aware of this you can counteract it by dosing and then you can use as much as you like.

    Based on what I'm seeing in the photos, there I wold bet all is below 7 based on the pics. Unless the tank is new.
     
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  9. barbianj

    barbianj Hammer Head Shark

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    Missed that earlier in the thread, absolutely agree, and it was right there on the first post. :-[
     
  10. GSUBiology

    GSUBiology Feather Duster

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    Wait.. GFO can cause drops in alkalinity?? I was not aware of that. I have been running GFO none stop since the HUGE algae break I had. I had really big levels of Phosphate because I had a barrel that leaked both silicates and phosphate into the tank so I bought some GFO and have been changing it often. I didnt know it was harmful to run it so often.


    I do not have a test kit for it, but that sounds like it could be the problem. I will get a test kit as soon as possible. However, my coral might be harmed in the mean time. Is there anything I can do now?

    Should I remove the GFO all together?
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2013
  11. GSUBiology

    GSUBiology Feather Duster

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    1- Just RO, however Ive always done only RO and its been ok for me in my other tanks. 0TDS
    2-I dont know
    3-I do not understand this to give you an answer. Im not sure
    4-I have one powerhead 1400gph i believe. It's more than enough flow
    5-It's a hang on back skimmer so Id say it's a dry skimmate?
    6- Once a month. I did a water change right before I added the corals this time. It was a 25% water change.
    7- 0
     
  12. Jake

    Jake Sea Dragon

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    That looks like brown jelly to me on the branch near the middle.