frogspawn, mushrooms, and buttons not doing well

[lubbockfishdude]

Smart Saltwater Gurus-
The past week, my frogspawn, blue mushrooms, and brown buttons are looking awful. Hardly opening at all and looking very sickly. After doing a water change, waiting a day, and then testing. Here are me test results:
Ammonia 0.0
pH 8.0
Nitrite 0.0
Salinity 1.023
Temp 78-82
Things started looking strange after a top off. I use tap water that I dechlorinate. I know I know...ro/do is prolly the best, but finances dont allow me that luxury right now. Im working on it. Everything has been fine up util now. Tank has been going about a year. Good water flow and lighting. LFS could not ascertain what might be either. BTW, I ahve an 18 gallon with 132 watt PCs (96 and a 36)
Anyone have a combination of my corals and had similar problems? Would love to know what might be going on.

 

[a_fender69]

The first thing you need to is contact your local water department and get the water tests results before and after they have purifeid the water (should be free, if not, less than $10.00). From there, you can determine what exaclty you are putting in your water.
Also, have you changed anything else? Trace elements, salt, carbon?
Check your phosphates, calcium, cooper!
After checking these things out, get back to me!

 

[jja]

Also, you said temp 78-82. It should never fluctuate that much and in my opinion 82 is a bit high. I may be wrong and someone else with a little more experience can tell me but that is just my opinion.

 

[a_fender69]

If the water temp is fluctuating from 82 to 78 from lights on to, lights off, that really is not that big of a deal. If that goes on throughout the day many questions come to mind. The first, why?
I agree that 82 is a bit high and around 78 is optimal.

 

[jja]

What is the max for lights? I always here the minimum but he has over 6 watts per gal for what I consider low to med.light corals. My shrooms would probably shrivel in those lights being such a small tank. With all that on an 18 gal there really is no low light.

 

[cowabonga]

it might be too much light for the mushroom...i had a friend who had 2x32 watt on his 10 gallon and his mushroom nevered opened up...and then i transfered it to my tank with had only 3.5 watt per gallon..and it opened it completely...
but im assuming this isnt the situation since u had the tank up and running for a year already.....

 

[jja]

sammystingray-I have always read 78-80 but I know you have a lot of experience,what are the pros/cons on temp? I have also read for sg to be lower than a lot of people keep it on this site. I am still learning and trust experience on this site more than books as they can be outdated. Sometimes I feel like a sw tank is like a computer-you get the best thing out there and in 2 years it is a dinosauer. LOL!!

 

[quazi]

No one is concerned that the pH is only 8.0? While we do not know when the pH was read, I assume that it was read when the lights were on, i.e. not at night. This is a little low and may be a sign of what is going on with the tank. I bet this tank has high nitrates, low Alk, and consequently, the pH is drifting lower.
What is the NitrAte reading? I bet it is high. What is your Alk reading? I bet it is low.
What I would do is perform a decent water change (20% at least) and start dripping kalkwasser. That will get pH up, increase the Alk and add Ca, which was another parameter that needs to be understood.
HTH

 

[eng50]

I would look at recent changes vs some slow downfall. You have had the tank set up as such with same lihts etc, and everything has been fine, same tap water used in the past etc?
Something is now different, you have to be a detective to see what that is, especially if multiple corals are doing poorly...
Other than the water change what have you done, added, removed lately, last week or so?
Quazi also has a valid point, test and post results please so we are better able to help, my PH goes to 8.0 regularly as well, no nitrates, and have been unable to determine the cause, but with no ill effects...
HTH
Bill