analyze my tank please (1 Viewer)

[cope]

I have had my tank for 1 year now.... I do my weekly water changes. have not had a fish die in a long time. tank water is super clear... all looks well...

the question here is: why do my more exotic corals not last a very long time?

I have Leathers, & mushrooms that are very healthy and huge...

I have little luck with frog spawn, torch coral, and feather dusters....
I have shrimp and hemit crabs that are at least a year old. my turbo snails do not seem to last ether.....

does this point to maybe one or more items lacking in the nutrition of the tank? I have good new lights...

anything I can test for, or any additives I can add to help these corals survive better...?

Thanks Cope....

 

[flexrac]

how much flow in your tank, I find that too much flow with certain lps (mostly the ones you mentioned) will damage the corals tissue, causing them to die, also light shock can kill them and heat.
so tell us whats your:
flow
mag
alk
cal
lighting

oh and i found that with a good skimmer, weekly water changes were overkill, try 2-3 weeks instead.
works great on my 55 gal, and it's being running for about 6-7months now.

 

[cope]

thanks Flex... I purchased this beautiful torch coral... huge.... and it did very well for about 3-4 months.. then I noticed one day that it stopped extending as much as it used too... I watched it for a week or two.. I noticed it was actually getting smaller.. and smaller untill they just disappeared.. same with my feather dusters... Huge clump and now very very small...
water temp 79 with chiller... flow 3 water movers,
Mag, Alk, Cal.... no clue... lighting 2 metal halide date changed 5 of 2009 might need new ones..

 

[trb]

Do you know your nitrate level? I've read that higher levels can be bad for certain corals. I've been working on reducing mine since it has gone up to between 20 and 40 on my API test. My torch and hammer have not been opening as much the past few months as they had in the beginning, but my frogspawn is as big as always. One more big water change this weekend and hopefully I'll be down below 20 and then I can see how things go.

 

[rxonco]

As for your LPS corals, you may end up needing to get a kit and start testing to try and figure out if there's a problem. What size is your tank? What kind of MH lighting are you using? Where are you placing these corals (lower, higer, on the sandbed, etc...)
As for your turbos...I think your culprit is most likely your hermits. A handfull of hermits can decimate a snail population with ease.
Are you using any type of food in the water column for your feather dusters? You might try something like DT's and see if it helps to maintain their diet.

 

[cope]

I use phyto feast and I do target feeding about once a week... I also have the frozen food that I thaw out and target feed as well... I have tons of it.. all types...

140 gallon tank. I use phoslock ..once a month I change it out..
I was having trouble with algea but that has somewhat slowed down. and the corals that have dies off where close to the top of the rock pile the feather dusters are on the sand bed.. tank is 26" deep

I know there has to be a fool proof fomula... I do not believe people are testing there water on a daily basis. someone who has had success using a certain product once a week .. a cap full or something like that... and I also know that every tank is different and one thing does not work for another tank...
I completely understand the variables on the subject...

Maybe someone can suggest .. some sort of routine they have been successful with... I am open ... I love my tanks and feel like I have neglected them in some unknowing way... thanks for all the help.. Chuck

 

[cope]

one more note: I have test kits, I have several liquid additives, I have all that stuff... I even have a PH meter.. I think I have all the bells and whistles.... I just seems funny how all my stuff was doing so well in the beginning and now its kinda baron..... I was even thinking about setting up a separate room with a bigger sump and even a frag tank... but I am afraid they will all die at the rate things are going....... I am a little discouraged...

 

[rxonco]

It could be something as simple as just having bad luck with a few poor specimens. LPS, like many others, can come into your tank in less than great health and you just won't know it. Sometimes it can take a few months for its demise to play out. Where are you getting them from? Are they coming from a LFS or a fellow reefer?
If your doing regular, weekly, water changes I would have to believe that your water quality should be ok. That being said, are you mixing your own water for these changes? What's your SG being kept at? Many of us don't test on a regular basis...except in the beginning. I went years without ever testing anything other than salinity after water changes. Once your tank hits that "cruise control", you can kind of let your tank tell you when something is off.
LPS can sometimes be a tricky coral to keep. Mushrooms, zoas, and softies in general can basically live in your toilet bowl and thrive.

 

[SuperRay]

I have a 180 gallon tank that is just about a year old, and I have similar corals as you. Some definitely do better than others (Hammer Head vrs Torch) in my tank.

One thing that I like to do is send a water sample away and get it lab tested. I have had instances where my Calcium has been low and even though I though I was dosing enough with Kalkwasser and things were not getting bleached the ELOS test kit said Ca=420, the lab said Ca=200!) I keep adding stuff to my tank and so the uptake is not at a constant yet.

www.aquariumwatertesting.com is what I use.

You get a great report back via email and for $40 you all the important elements tested and know precisely where you tank is at for elements

 

[cope]

thanks RX... I get my stuff from Global Leader. I have a Ro/Di filter and I mix Redsea salt. I would consider my tank to be on Cruise control due to it's age... that is why I think one thing might be off... One thing I have notice is that my skimmer is not skimming as much lately ..is that any kinda clue?

 

[flexrac]

I would not rule it out, but i would not count on it either, your skimmer may just need a good cleaning. trust me it makes a big diff.

 

[AnnetteG]

my first thought is what is the Calcium & Kh at? You're having trouble with things that both need Calcium to grow their skeletons in addition to being filter feeders. You mentioned that you are target feeding once a week. IMHO, that is not nearly enough. I shut off the return & skimmer when I feed, 2-3 times a day, with cyclopeeze, arcti-pods, marine cuisine, Formula 1 and 2, selcon, pellets & flakes. Not all at the same time, of course, but I pick a couple to mix up at each feeding. I leave the return off for 15-30 minutes so I give all the fish and corals time to really catch as much food as they want before turning it back on and letting the skimmer have whatever's left. Now, I only have one LPS at the moment - a Duncan, but I can tell he definitely enjoys the food.

That's just my 2 cents. I'm no expert by any means, especially with the hard corals. But I'm a dedicated over feeder & it was working for me in the past tanks I had and it seems to be working for me with this one too. Good luck!

 

[RR-MAN]

Mag, Alk, Cal.... no clue...

That's your problem especially if you are not testing Alkalinity (DKH).