40 Gallon Breeder

[Easyflip]

That's too bad Pisces, RIP Tommy.
Sergio, you're sump should have partitions, that's how you trap micro bubbles and keep them out of the display tank. You have to keep the macro algae away from the return pump. You could do it with a cheapie net tank divider if you don't want to add partitions.

 

[Pisces3473]

Just pick up some Lexsan at Home Depot.

 

[Pisces3473]

I've used the Salifert test for the Calcium. It showed around 480-500 still pretty high from my understanding, and this confirms the results I've gotten from my API test. I've been dosing with Aquavio 8.4 and still haven't been able to get the two (Calcium vs. KH) to stabilize. The KH is staying around 8 or 143. I don't want to go hog wild with the 8.4 and jack up my tank. My understanding is the Carbonate Hardness should be around 200 and helps to offset the Calcium level. It seems no matter how much 8.4 (KH additive) I use, I cannot get the two levels to balance. Anybody got some advice on this?

 

[Ingy]

I compared my API to Red Sea for Alk and Calcium as well. Calcium matched for both tests (360 API vs 365 RedSea). My alk tests tho were 8 API vs 11.2 RedSea even tho both used 8 drops for titration with different chemicals. Red Sea measures 0.5 meq/l per drop which is 1.4dKH per drop. I tend to believe the RedSea scale over API for this one. If true, your API test of 8 amy also be 11.2dKH, same as mine. And that probably makes more sense based on your dosing results. You seem to be in the same situation as me, except I'm still trying to raise calcium.
What corals do you have? Makes a big difference on Calc/Alk consumption.

 

[Pisces3473]

I compared my API to Red Sea for Alk and Calcium as well. Calcium matched for both tests (360 API vs 365 RedSea). My alk tests tho were 8 API vs 11.2 RedSea even tho both used 8 drops for titration with different chemicals. Red Sea measures 0.5 meq/l per drop which is 1.4dKH per drop. I tend to believe the RedSea scale over API for this one. If true, your API test of 8 amy also be 11.2dKH, same as mine. And that probably makes more sense based on your dosing results. You seem to be in the same situation as me, except I'm still trying to raise calcium.
What corals do you have? Makes a big difference on Calc/Alk consumption.

Two Mushrooms, Yellow Polyps, Hammer, Frogspawn, Open Brain, Small Zoanthid cluster, 1 small Candy Cane or Trumpet Coral, Small Alveopora, and a plate coral Heliofungia. The Open Brain and the Helio are pretty good size, everything else is pretty small.

 

[Ingy]

That looks like a nice 'normal' assortmant of corals that should be consuming alk/calc on 'average'. With the calcium being high, it can drive down carbonates thru precipitation. Increasing mag will counteract that.
2 things really determine alk/calc levels (taking coral consumption out of the loop). Percentage and frequency of water change coupled with salt make-up, and dosing regiment. You have giving an indication that you are dosing, but what is your water change schedule? And what salt are you using?

 

[Pisces3473]

Change the water once a week, I'm not sure what water it is, I get it at the LFS. I've spoken w/ the owner and he's mentioned that's it's the one with higher calcium. Reef Salt or Kent I think.

 

[Pisces3473]

Plate Coral / Heliofungia

It's been a while and I wish this was a better update. I know this guy is in trouble, I'm just not sure what to do about it. I left my office last Friday and had noticed the fish were all just kinda hiding out that day. I figured no big deal, just like corals fish do different things on different days. Then when I came in on Monday 3 of 4 fish were dead and this coral is in serious trouble. I tested the water and the big three were off the charts. I added an entire bottle of Bio-Spira and 24 hours later the Ammonia, trites, and trates, are back in line. I'll be testing more again later, but in the mean time anybody got some advice on what to do with this guy?

Thanks in advance!

 

[mr_X]

I would put it in a bowl of water and shake off the brown jelly, then put it back in the tank. Unfortunately, long tentacle plates don't live very long in closed systems. These are another coral that should be left in the ocean.
Next time get the short tentacle plate. They are quite hardy.

 

[Pisces3473]

Thanks X!

Update:
Got all the water parameters back to normal or what they usually are. I have no clue what phantom event happened that killed three fish and damaged my coral. I still have the Pajama Cardinal, he lived through it all. All other corals are thriving as well. Not sure what lesson I was supposed to learn from all this, but I did a 25% WC today and then checked parameters, dosed accordingly and all seems well.

 

[mr_X]

Perhaps the plate started to fail and it caused a spike.