Coral Woes: I need help! (Looking better, 4/1)

Did you have any amphipods before the interceptor treatment ???

 

No worries, but thank you. Sounds similar, to a degree, of what I have going on.

Notably, the downhill slope looked to be quite improved last night. Nothing had drastically declined from where it was a day before, so it seems I'm onto something now with the GFO off. Or at least I hope.

Yeah, I've reviewed my reef log and then reviewed it again, trying to find something definitive that changed. I'm pretty good about writting things down, but some things don't always get on there, like when I start a new batch of bulk medias or additives. And while I have a good (photographic) memory, I can't remember everything. Regardless, I've got nothing on that front. A few "small" things, which might all be contributing, but that's it. The only thing that's really changed in the last two weeks, was new GFO and carbon. So I can't help to think it's mainly things starving, or there's something in the GFO and/or carbon. I'm too hesitant to take the carbon offline though, because that might actually be helping too. Yup, over analytical me. But the fact LPS faced problems first, then SPS, and coupled with little growth of the SPS, makes me think there's zero phosphates available. There's only a handful of things which can stop SPS growth like this; zero phosphates being one.

I should check TDS in my top-off container; this thought did occur to me but I have not yet done it.

I did recall your issue with pods, and I've always had some of those same issues myself. But watching how things were melting/peeling during the day, it's more than just that.

In addition to reducing the photo period yesterday morning, I also turned down the intensities last night while I was sitting in front of the tank.

I did, and I even noted your name on that topic earlier in this thread. Some monsters too, but I didn't get them all. I looked with a flashlight last and and still found one. Tough little buggers, but I'm sure I put a sizable dent in the population. I've got one Halichoeres that is my friend and will follow me around if I flip things over. He nabs all he can then in lightning speed. Kinda fun actually...

 

Going to mix up a big batch of new water tonight and do a 20% change or so tomorrow; yay for holidays.

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles Hunter. All things that came to mind when I read have been addressed. I would advise (as you already know), don't change too many things at once. Good luck!

 

Thanks Andy. I can't help but think I might have been going too slow and not addressing the real problem, but once the train starts to run away, I'm a bit less hesitant to make some changes I was afraid to before.

When things are peeling, there's not much to lose.

 

Tell me about it...just got back from Minnesota last night only to find my Greg Carrol Ultimate Stag to be a nice stag-skeleton now.

Why was your Alk fluctuating so much? Was the lack of growth, due to 0 PO4, causing your supplementing to be off?

 

Doh! Nothing good ever seems to happen to me when I leave either.

Now you're connecting some dots for me, but I like it.

Alk wasn't fluctuating quickly, but rather creeping up without changing the dosing program (my wall-o-text spans 2 months of time). Something I should have thought more about while it was happening.

The good news at this point, is nearly all the SPS are at a point they can still recover. And for whatever reason, it doesn't bother me to have to replace some LPS anyways, as there's things I've always wanted by never had the space for. Plus I really just had too much on the sandbed. Of course, this sounds like an easy way to justify losing things I've kept for years. :/

 

I hope you are on the winning end of this battle with the removal of the GFO. I'm planning on attempting it again but with very small amounts. I'm sure the water clarity/lack of nutrients was a major factor in what happened to your tank.

 

I run GFO at about 1/3-1/2 the suggested dosage, just started using it a couple months ago. I do not love my reef with it and have comteplated removing it but decided to ride things out. Seems to be more cyano now, maybe from increased iron in the water?? and also soem of my lps do not seem as full and open as before.. I have also had a difficult time maintaining alk and dealt with lots of flucuations since adding GFO. If i do not dose my lps do seem to look better but than my numbers drops too low. Since I run without dosers and work 12 hour days I have to do a large alk dose in the pm and a large ca dose in the am causing swings.

While it is easy to point the finger at GFO though may reef is only 1 year old and I am newer to this so it could jsut be maturatio nof the tank and incompetance on my part. I hope adding dosing pumps next week will help keep my CA, ALK, and pH more stable.

 

I think it's just optimism when handling a problem