NEED HELP WITH MY TANK!!! corals are starting to die

[kevinpratt823]

You said the tank has been set up for a year, but didn't you just transfer everything over from a 40 breeder?
Def need to check cal/alk/mag and ph regularly, esp if you're dosing blindly.
Not running the skimmer at night will allow the ph to drop even more than usual, because you're not oxygenating the water and expelling CO2.

 

[Greg Hiller]

I'll just add to all the good advise you've received. TEST FOR ALKALINITY NOW!!! The skimmer off at night is probably not a good idea also.

 

[willray]

What kind of skimmer is it? Make...model? Lets see, if maybe,we can quite that bad boy down.

 

[MofoCorals]

A pink T5???lol
I hope it wasn't a LFS that told you this.
Get that thing out of there.10K and actinic blues are all you need.

+10 on testing for alk. I had a problem with alk a few months back and everything started to die... Also pink/purple bulbs are to bring out the reds in you corals. I have one in mine and the red pop. I sought that has anything to do with the corals dying.

 

[dzemo7]

so i went and got everything tested in my water. all the parameters were amazing except for some reason my ph and my alkalinity keep dropping. i used some brightwell aquatics alkaline and ph buffer so hopefully the conditions will start to stable out

 

[dzemo7]

i also talked to the guy at underwater world and he said its not a bad idea to keep the pink bulb on it. so right now im running 2-10ks,1-12k,2-420s,1-pink. and im not too sure the brand on the skimmer off the top of my head and im at work right now. i do know the pump on the skimmer is a maxijet 50, and its too loud at night, my tank is silent other than that pump.

 

[lisa foster]

I am wondering if it is that big of a deal not running the skimmer at night there are some people who run skimmerless. Do you know if this is the first time you are aving a problem with your ph and alk or has this always been a problem.

 

[dzemo7]

im starting to think the problem might have been happening for a little while now, most likely my corals in the tank now have adapted to low alk but the new ones are just freaking out about it.

 

[dzemo7]

and yes i agree with you, i dont think the skimmer is making that big of a deal, i never used to run a skimmer before and the tank was fine, also it doesnt really pull a whole lot out of the tank anyway

 

[lisa foster]

My understanding is low alk leads to low ph. Raise your alk and that will help your ph again I am far from an expert but I have also read that buffers are not a great way to raise ph. Seachem makes a reef builder to raise alkalinity I would try something like that.

 

[lisa foster]

Sorry I missed that you dosed for alk already.

 

[frank180reef]

so i went and got everything tested in my water. all the parameters were amazing except for some reason my ph and my alkalinity keep dropping. i used some brightwell aquatics alkaline and ph buffer so hopefully the conditions will start to stable out

drip kalkwasser

 

[MikeG]

How low was your alk? Be careful about pH buffers as most raise alkalinity and dosing both may give you some unexpected results. Bring alk into the right range slowly, then if your pH is still low and it is not an issie with elevated CO2 levels in the house or poor gas exchange from covers on the tank and not always running a skimmer, then think about dosing kalk for calcium and alkalinty. That will bump your pH up while dosing for alkalinity and calcium.

 

[kevinpratt823]

A skimmer oxygenates the water, helping expel CO2, which is what brings the PH down. Photosynthesis during the daylight time also consumes CO2, which is why the PH rises when the lights come on. Running the skimmer during the day only is allowing your PH to rise higher than it would without it(which is fine), but when you shut it down at night there's a much bigger drop as the lights go off, the skimmer shuts down, and CO2 starts building up. Low Alk will make this far worse, as proper Alk is a big factor in your PH's ability to stay stable, and the biggest thing with corals is not so much about keeping exactly the right parameters, as many people mantain this stuff with different settings, it is about keeping those parameters STABLE, ESPECIALLY PH, ALK, and SALINITY.

 

[lisa foster]

Good point Kevin.

 

[JBarry471]

The others are 100% correct. You need to check your levels. For the longest time my corals were not growing. I went to my lfs and they tested my parameters. They told me my calcium was a little low and my magnesium was very low (around 650). So I started testing and dosing magnesium and calcium at their proper levels and BAM!!! Coral Growth!!!

Beyond that, you may want to look for a new skimmer if it keeps you up at night. Some run near silent...ask your local fish guru for help

 

[kevinpratt823]

If it's the air sucking in the skimmer that is making the noise, you can easily get or make a muffler, many skimmers come with one, I'll show you sometime when you come by again. Also, if your pump is submerged too far it can make the sound worse.

 

[Shawnburg]

How old are your bulbs??

 

[dzemo7]

when i brought my water to be tested the alk was very low, and the ph was about 7.8, i did two days worth of dosing with the brightwell alk and ph buffer, and now the levels are alot better. alk= 2.5 meq/l and the ph is 8.1, aside from that on my skimmer the pump just makes a loud humming sound and its not due to the bubbles. the skimmer i got used so the pump has probobly seen too many hours of use and is running uneven

 

[dzemo7]

so the new corals in the tank dont look like they are getting worse and they are opening up so hopefully they will get better. the only thing im worried about at this point is the new maxima clam that i just got. i have him mid range in the tank and his mantle is extending funny, it s folding over itself very strangely and he doesnt look too happy. i dont know whether to leave him there or move him alot higher.