DESPERATE for an answer......

[azguy]

The subject of this post says it all... I need some help from the experts here. I will try to keep this short as possible.....
I had a nice, established reef tank up for 2 years. I had to move to a different part of Phoenix, and at the same time, had a new acrylic tank built for me. I set the tank up about a month ago, transfered all of my rock, sand, fish, and corals.
Since then, EVERY coral has died, EVERY snail, EVERY crab has died. ALL of the fish are fine. I tested the water..(100 gallons of catalina water) all perameters seem normal. (even had lfs test it, nothing strange found. Even tried a 40 gallon water change and added 5 snails, and 1 small mushroom rock. ALL DEAD THE NEXT DAY!!! (fish are still fine).
My setup:
100 gallon acrylic tank (reef ready)
150 lbs Marshall Island rock
75 lbs fiji live sand
2x 250 m.h. lighting
1 96 watt actinic p.c.
1/3 h.p. chiller
1 small purple tang
1 flame hawk
1 percula clown
1 yellow watchman goby
test results: Ammonia 0 Nitrire 0, nitrate .10, ph. 8.6 phos .5

 

[nas19320]

Copper?

 

[azguy]

ran out of room on the last post.. here are the rest of the test results...
salinity 1.024
temp 80
calcium 475
(do not own a copper test...never added it)
I am starting to think there is some kind of foreign chemical in the tank that the average hobbyest would not test for. Can it be the Acrlyic glue? residue from the stickers on the inside of the tank?
ANY IDEAS? PLEASE HELP...I HAVE LOST AROUND 10 CORAL FRAGS THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS...AND AM REALLY UPSET BY THIS. ANY HELP/SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

 

[jacknjill]

i would test for copper because fish can survive it, corals/inverts cant

 

[azguy]

if I have never added it, how could I have it in the tank?
I always thought copper was something you added to treat a sick fish? Can it just show up in the system?

 

[ross]

Its possible that is somehow in the new tank that you got. It definetly sounds like copper to me.

 

[azguy]

ok, how about this theory...I am in an area that has very hard water. (I beleive it is well water) allthough I do have a large water softener (about the size of a hot water heater) and top off with a kent marine ro/di unit, can copper be present in hard water conditions? and would a eo/di unit not filter that out?

 

[avbryce1]

get a copper test

 

[shawnts106]

AHHH COPERRRRR... CU! YUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP.. get a test.. test it .. then prepare for a while of horide waterchanges and constant checking!!!!
this is serious.. so get it fixed QUUUIIICCCCK!

 

[azguy]

Is there anyone that can answer the question...Can copper be present in top-off water (even with a ro/di unit)?? I always thought copper was added by the hobbyist.

 

[azguy]

^^^

 

[farslayer]

If you are using well water then most certainly there can be copper in it. Copper is not necessarily present because it is added by the hobbyist, it can show up if you have copper pipes even. Get a copper test ASAP. You want to have absolutely 0 copper in your tank, it is very harmful to inverts and corals, but it does not bother fish.

 

[herp_house]

meh, i got an idea. when you changed the tanks did you change the filtration? i dont know if its possible but your filtration can be taking somthing out of the water that they need to live.

 

[golfish]

You might want to check your ammonia levels with another test kit....

 

[jacknjill]

the only time when copper is good is when it is used very carefully to treat ich

 

[azguy]

well..First off. I would like to thank everyone for the responses...however, I am EXTREMLEY frustrated to report, I just got home with my new salifert copper test, and have 0 traces of copper in my tank water, ro water, OR tap water...
what else can it be??????? I am ready to pull my hair out!!!

 

[spsaddict]

Originally posted by JacknJill
the only time when copper is good is when it is used very carefully to treat ich

all inverts will die from copper. corals, shrimp, snail.. copper will also leach into your live rock and be realesed over time killing snails months if not years down the road.... i agree a copper test is not a bad idea. however if this is fresh water...brand new never used... im guessing you have a ammonia spike because the waste is not getting taken care off.... you cant add a huge bioload to a new tank.
.. you will kill things.... but still get a copper test and stop fighting it...

 

[spsaddict]

get another amonia test..... btw how long of acclimation did you give everything?
sry for last post didnt see it before i posted

 

[ophiura]

Well, I think there is a bit of jumping the gun on the copper thing. It is possible to have it based on how well your RO filter is performing and whether you have copper pipes, etc....but to get it in lethal concentrations so that things would die almost instantly? That would take a fair amount, IMO...not just from some top off water unless your RO was totally busted and you had a serious issue in your tap water. I see that you got a O reading, so that isn't an issue I guess. Other heavy metals may be an issue....definitely seems to me to be more along these lines than something related to the biological filter. I am not really convinced of any ammonia situation, as I think it would not affect inverts to the exclusion of fish...and would certainly not kill everything so rapidly as you report....some inverts would most likely survive it. But did the tank recycle when you moved it?
So I would also have to think there was something in the manufacturing process or in your initial catalina water...were you using that in the previous tank. I am assuming that you did not move someplace where a lot of construction/painting/refinishing or whatever is going on? Your RO filter is new or you've been keeping it maintained? Have you run a polyfilter in the tank? You may wish to try that also, to see if it turns an odd color.

 

[premnusb]

When you switched tanks did you use the sand from the old tank? I have heard that if you disrupt an established sand bed it can leach harmful substances and may even have to re-cycle. Although your parameters don't hint of another cycle.