Must be doing something wrong. Any help appreciated

[tcarlisle]

I am a newbie to the saltwater world. Tank has been running for 4 months. 120 gallon with 40 gallon sump. Radion Gen 3 lights on "High growth" templet at 80%. I have taken my water to 2 different LFS and they both say my water is excellent.

No nitrates or ammonia. Salinity 1.025. Temp 82, Calcium 450. Alkalinity and anything else the stores check for is good. Both stores, trustable according to longstanding reputations, say my water is great.

My corals do not grow at all. Any hard corals seem shrivel and turn pasty white. Frog spawn sucks in and never comes out fully. Zoe's stay closed up. Leathers don't show polyps and sometimes wither. Xania shrivels up.

I have acclimated everything to the lights and slowly took the percentage up from 35 to 80 over a months time. Really confused about what might be happening.

Fish in the tank: four tangs, clownfish, melanarous wrasse, cleaner wrasse, fire fish, green chromis. They all get along and I never see any fish bothering corals.

Any tips are welcome. New here and may be doing something wrong that i don't know about.

 

[snakeblitz33]

What top off water are you using?

Do you have lids?

Ever treated the tank with copper?

Are you using any brass fittings?

Is anything rusting in the tank?

What is your phosphate level?

Do you smoke or use incense in the house?

Do you use or spray window cleaner on the tank?

Is the tank grounded from electricity/ current in the tank?

Are you using a GFCI?

If you are using an RO/DI unit, have you changed the filters? What is your TDS reading?

That's all I can think of for now.

 

[tcarlisle]

What top off water are you using? I use RO/DI water from the LFS.

Do you have lids? No lids. A canopy though. The top is open with lights suspended above the tank. I have lids and can put them on if you recommend it. I never put them on to help keep the tank from heating.

Ever treated the tank with copper? Never treated with copper. I asked the LFS about copper in their water and they said they don't use it.

Are you using any brass fittings? No brass.

Is anything rusting in the tank? No rust either. I clean it regularly and i don't see any rust.

What is your phosphate level? LFS said no phosphates.

Do you smoke or use incense in the house? No smoking or incense. Sometimes a typical candle but not near the tank and rarely is it used.

Do you use or spray window cleaner on the tank? Just a damp cloth on the outside. No cleaners.

Is the tank grounded from electricity/ current in the tank? Everything plugged in with regards to the tank is grounded.

Are you using a GFCI? No. I had to look this up to see what it is. I am using two outlet extensions which both are high end with grounding and surge protection.

If you are using an RO/DI unit, have you changed the filters? What is your TDS reading? I get all my water from the LFS which is the main source for the local fish enthusiasts here.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I would check the tank with a voltmeter to make sure there is no current going through the tank, even if everything is grounded, there may be a short, causing issues. Install a GFCI unit when you can. They are typically $20 and have saved my life a few times.

I would buy a TDS meter to check what your top off water really is. I purchased water from a LFS with a TDS reading of over 100. It should be zero, but they were selling it as RO/DI water anyway.

Buy a poly filter and put it in a swift flowing part of the tank. The pad changes colors according to what excess elements are in your tank. Blue is copper. Iron is green. Something else is red. Black is nitrate/phosphate. It will give you a better clue as to what might be wrong.

My last tank crashed because my city water supply switched from chlorine to monochloramine, which is a different animal entirely. It is often overlooked as a possible contaminant.

Check your tank for invasive bristle worms that like to eat corals. Shine a red light into the tank at night and see what is crawling around.

If you can, throw some macro algae in your sump with a decent light.
The macro algae will also remove different contaminants, regulate pH, increase DO levels and help your tank all around.

I also don't suggest putting lids on your tank at all. It limits gas exchange which could have been causing a low pH.


How long has the tank been set up?
How often do you do water changes?
Do you mix your own salt water?
What is your current salinity reading?
What is your tanks average temp and does it fluctuate?
What do you use to measure salinity?
What and how much do you feed?
Do you have a skimmer?

 

[tcarlisle]

Great. Thanks. I am going to check my LFS water. A poly filter sounds great and i will put one in to let me know what is going on. As for the bristle worms... i will be checking tonight.


How long has the tank been set up? Tank has been up for 4 months.
How often do you do water changes? Water changes at least once a month. Every other week if i can.
Do you mix your own salt water? I mix my own and heat it to temperature before putting it in. I use Red Sea Pro salt.
What is your current salinity reading? 1.025
What is your tanks average temp and does it fluctuate? 79-83
What do you use to measure salinity? I have a refractometer. Its a black tube that i place the water on one end and look through it to measure the salinity.
What and how much do you feed? I use a blend of homemade food from the LFS. (popular) I use to get shrimp and my fish love this stuff more. I feed only enough for the fish to eat and when they are finished there is little floating around.
Do you have a skimmer? Yeah, i have one and empty it about once every three days.

 

[snakeblitz33]

check your tank with a voltmeter - you can usually get one for $5 if you don't have one already. It will help determine if you have electrical current running through your tank.

Your tank is relatively young and still establishing itself. If you are still adding fish, the bacterial populations are still waxing and waning. Sorry I didn't catch that information from the original post.

My general rule of thumb is one pound o live rock per gallon. Some people vary that, more or less - but that's been the rule of thumb for me. Adding base rock would help establish new hiding spots as well as more bacterial colonization.

Your temperature should only vary by a degree or two. 83 is not necessarily that high, but the problem comes with stability. If your tank temp peaks at 83, you should set your heater to 83, so that it doesn't vary too much over the course of the day.

I might would turn the lighting system back down a bit and add the corals that you are going to add and then start bringing it back up slowly again. light shock is a real thing - especially for LEDs.

Test and re-test your top of water. Look for nitrates, phosphates, total dissolved solids, chlorine, chloramine.

how do you mix your saltwater?
what powerheads are you using? what is your internal turnover rate?
break down the rest of your equipment list, please.

That polyfilter will tell you a lot about your tank too. Im looking for results posted soon!

 

[tcarlisle]

Sorry it has been so long since my last reply. Work took over for a while. I have no electrical current in the tank. I put a bunch of micro algae in the sump to try and balance things out naturally. My readings are all fine but i figure having the algae will only help. I do need some more rock in but i think i am only around 10-15 pounds shy of where i need to be. I have been watching the temperature and i have kept it more steady. I got a fresh supply of top off water and am checking it tomorrow for any readings. I will have to order a polyfilter online because my LFS doesn't have it.

 

[bang guy]

" I put a bunch of micro algae in the sump"
I'll assume you meant Macro Algae Good idea.

Get your own test kits. Good ones.

What is the Alkalinity level? "good" isn't specific enough. This is the #1 cause of slow growth in captive corals (too High and too Low are equally bad).

What's the average PH of the water throughout the day? This won't necessarily be a direct cause of trouble but it can indicate something is wrong.

How much waterflow do you have?

Do you acclimate new corals to your intense lighting? Going from dim lighting in a store to your intense lighting can cause issues. Initially place the corals low and dim the lights a bit. Depending on how different your light intensity is with the place you got them from it could take up to a couple/few weeks to fully acclimate a coral. Even differing light spectrums can cause a problem as well.