Every coral is closed.

[fatskunk]

Yesterday, night right before my main lights went off, I noticed that my birdsnest looked a little closed but did not think much of it. Today, none of my corals are opening. Even my huge rocks of zoo's and mushrooms are all closed up. I have check every common chemical level, temperature is right, skimmer is working, lights are good. The tank has not had anything added in over 3 months and had been looking the best that it ever has.I am in the process of making water to do a water change.What could be wrong?What am I missing?

 

[nycbob]

hv u checked ammonia, nitrite and nitrate level? if thoese three r ok, then try running carbon. carbon solves many water problems.

 

[natclanwy]

Have you or a fish been digging in the sandbed? If so H2S gas could have been released into the tank which is extremely toxic to your tank inhabitants, but it should effect your fish also.
Definetly do a water change and run carbon it could be that one of your corals is starting a little chemical warfare.

 

[symphony]

if I don't keep up with the top off water, and the salinity rises my frogspawn gets ticked and closes up. after lowering it, it's happy again.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Fatskunk
http:///forum/post/3028342
Yesterday, night right before my main lights went off, I noticed that my birdsnest looked a little closed but did not think much of it. Today, none of my corals are opening. Even my huge rocks of zoo's and mushrooms are all closed up. I have check every common chemical level, temperature is right, skimmer is working, lights are good. The tank has not had anything added in over 3 months and had been looking the best that it ever has.I am in the process of making water to do a water change.What could be wrong?What am I missing?

Do you run a skimmer? They pull out stuff you can't test for.

 

[jackri]

When you say water chemical level.. what does that mean? Very vague as there could be a ton of tests run that you didn't mention.. as well as the results.
Hard to help otherwise.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/3028644
Have you or a fish been digging in the sandbed? If so H2S gas could have been released into the tank which is extremely toxic to your tank inhabitants, but it should effect your fish also.
Definetly do a water change and run carbon it could be that one of your corals is starting a little chemical warfare.

I have a very deep sand bed and my goby digs the stuffins out of it, shifts the whole sandbed where he wants it. I just don't think there is any way a fish could do the damage you are talking about. Stirring up the sand yourself can, but not a fish taking a mouthful of sand at a time or wiggling into a burrow.

 

[natclanwy]

It doesn't take much to release a toxic amount of H2S if its present in your sand bed, levels of 2 ug/L of H2S can be toxic to fish which if I did my math right is about .002ppm and sensitive species can be effected at .1 ug/L or .0001ppm.
I don't know how familiar you are with H2S gas but my work in the oil and gas industry has given me a profound respect for it. It smells like rotten eggs and can be smelled at extremely small quantities and if you have ever noticed a sulfur smell while working in your tank you have released toxic levels of H2S because 0.0047 ppm is the recognition threshold, the concentration at which 50% of humans can detect the characteristic odor of hydrogen sulfide, double what is considered to be toxic to marine life.
Just because you have a DSB doesn't mean H2S is present in fact a healthy DSB should have very little H2S present, but the possibility is there hence the strong advice not to disturb a DSB and the many horror stories of nuking a tank. I don't promote the use of sand sifting critters with a DSB and I would try to avoid burrowing fish also. I have seen burrowing fish undercut rock building there burrow and all the way to the bottom of a six inch sand bed so I don't consider them safe by any means. Sand sifters have a double edge sword part because they have the possibility of burrowing into the sand and releasing H2S gas and part because they consume the beneficial microfauna that keep your DSB healthy which helps prevent the creation of H2S gas in the first place.
Heres a link to the wiki if you are curious about the toxicity to people

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/3028832
It doesn't take much to release a toxic amount of H2S if its present in your sand bed, levels of 2 ug/L of H2S can be toxic to fish which if I did my math right is about .002ppm and sensitive species can be effected at .1 ug/L or .0001ppm.
I don't know how familiar you are with H2S gas but my work in the oil and gas industry has given me a profound respect for it. It smells like rotten eggs and can be smelled at extremely small quantities and if you have ever noticed a sulfur smell while working in your tank you have released toxic levels of H2S because 0.0047 ppm is the recognition threshold, the concentration at which 50% of humans can detect the characteristic odor of hydrogen sulfide, double what is considered to be toxic to marine life.
Just because you have a DSB doesn't mean H2S is present in fact a healthy DSB should have very little H2S present, but the possibility is there hence the strong advice not to disturb a DSB and the many horror stories of nuking a tank. I don't promote the use of sand sifting critters with a DSB and I would try to avoid burrowing fish also. I have seen burrowing fish undercut rock building there burrow and all the way to the bottom of a six inch sand bed so I don't consider them safe by any means. Sand sifters have a double edge sword part because they have the possibility of burrowing into the sand and releasing H2S gas and part because they consume the beneficial microfauna that keep your DSB healthy which helps prevent the creation of H2S gas in the first place.
Heres a link to the wiki if you are curious about the toxicity to people
Lil.Guppy stirred her sand and got the toxin released, it made the water so foggy you couldn't see in it. I still don't think that is the OPs problem. He should look for another sourse of the closed corals.

 

[natclanwy]

I agree I don't think it is the problem either, but the foggy water in lil.guppies tank was caused something else H2S won't make the water foggy. Still H2S was probablyinvolved but it didnt' make the water foggy.

 

[flower]

Asking the OP, do you have a skimmer running?