what's going on in here??

owlett

owlett

Member
Okay, for the past months my tank has been in good shape, then all of a sudden everything seems to be going downhill!
I tested my water, everything is fine, good calcium, Ph, nitrite, trate, ammonia, everything, good.
But my umbrella leather died! It completely shrivled up and fell off the rock! My mushrooms are abandoning ship and have all detatched them selves and are now all sitting on the sand n various places!
My seahorse is doing fine, the button polyps seem fine, the goby is fine, everything else is fine, but I am no getting bad algae everywhere, I thought it might be the lights but I've only had the lights for about eight or nine months. I thought that they needed to be replaced every year??
What's going on???
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
Did you just do a major water change? What kind of lights? Have you had someone verify your water tests? Add anything new lately??
 
gollum

gollum

New Member
well, what kind of lights do u have? and how strong are they? that seems to be a likely cause
 
T

thomas712

Guest
What test kits are you using?
What brand of calcium and alkalinity?
Substrate?
Filtration?
Oh heck tell us everything about your tank that you can.
Thomas
 
owlett

owlett

Member
I haven't done any major water changes, salinity is about 1.022
I use RO water.
the only thing I've added to the tank was an emerald crab, and he is small. think top of thumb to first joint in body size from side to side.
the tank is a 29 gallon.
I am using two 55 watt power compact lights
My test kits are both red sea brand. the test Ph, nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, calcium, phosphates.
I think my calcum is also red sea brand, I'm not sure but it has a blue label on a black bottle.
For my Ph I use Ph up 8.2 and have been using that since I built the tank.
I have a pretty crappy protiem skimmer, I don't know what brand, but it is a internal skimmer in my tank, it's plastic with a collection cup atthe top, it pulls about a half in deep of stuff every other day that is dark brown. It runs from a lime wood air stone.
I also have a power filter with filter media in it, but no carbon.
the substrate isn't very deep, about and inch to an inch and a half. It is live sand/argonite I think.
Still having algae and my mushrooms are blowing around, but the ones that have found a not blowy spot are fully extended and not shrivled up.
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
What are your test results .. numbers ?
pH Up .... manufactured by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals is designed for freshwater tanks.
Proper pH made by the same company is designed for saltwater tanks.
Which one are you using ?
I haven't done any major water changes, salinity is about 1.022
I would consider doing a series of partial saltwater changes over several weeks anytime I see troubles in the tank ..... espeically troubles with corals.
See if you can anchor the loose shrooms in some live rock crevices.
 
owlett

owlett

Member
I think the name is actually proper Ph, sorry, my bad.
Well, as far as the tests seems to say that my nitrates and nitrites and ammonia are all at zero. Which is good. My calcium is at 450, my ph is at 8.2
I am really begining to think is might be the lights, crud, I've only had them for about eight months or so, if not less. I noticed that the white half of the light is starting to turn kinda tan and is not as white as it used to be, and the blue side that is facing the white side is starting to turn white, is that a sign I need to change the bulbs?
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
SOUNDS like the lights ... can you clean off the salt creep and flip them over? That will help in the short term until you get some new ones anyhow ....
 
owlett

owlett

Member
no I don't think that there is any way copper could have gotten into the tank. I use RO water. . .and I havne't put anything into the tank that could have leeched it out.
I didn't know you could flip the lights over! :D that should help alot. I just got a job today too! (I quit petsmart, they were @#$% jerks) I will try to flip them and see if that helps.
Thanks! I will keep you guys posted!
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by owlett
I didn't know you could flip the lights over! :D that should help alot. I just got a job today too! (I quit petsmart, they were @#$% jerks) I will try to flip them and see if that helps.
Thanks! I will keep you guys posted!
Yeah if you remove the light from the socket mine allow me to flip them over. I do this one every two weeks then clean them once a month ...
Don't assume flipping them over will solve your problems - it is a short term band aid to replacing them!!
PLus your stuff dieing like it did was a slow death, not an overnight thing - so I would look to replace those lights ASAP ....
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
What does flipping over a light bulb do that wiping it off with a damp cloth wouldn't do ?
Just curious ? :)
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
means I don't have to drag a wet cloth with me and I don't have to worry about waiting for the bulbs to cool down (yes just generally lazy) plus if he has never cleaned or flipped his lights the other side will be instanly cleaner and have less interference .....
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
Salty Jeff - just a theory here ....
His lights are salt encrusted (or his glass covers are - one or the other). THus filtering out his lights best and most useable spectrum.
Therefore the mushrooms and other corals have been slowly getting choked off from light. They detach and move when they need a better location ... usually as a last resort ....
SO - bad lighting is the output - that is why his fish are healthy but corals aren't.
HTH
 
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