polyps dying... whats wrong

[reseter5]

i have always had fish only.. since adding about 200lbs of rock i decided to try some simple reef stuff.. button polyps and green star polyps.. but they slowly die off to nothing.... any ideas and any suggestions... all my anemones do fine..

[reseter5]

also i have a big wet dry sump.. berlin skimmer.. vho and halides... should i have bioballs and rock??? tank picts are available if needed...should i get rid of the bioballs and ge to a refugium??? ..thanks ahead of time

[zhenya]

It is hard to pinpoint the reason why things die in a reef aquarium. I think the best way to get at it would be for you to post results of any recent water tests. It always helps to know if simple things like salinity, calcium and alkalinity are where they should be.

Having said that, utilising live rock and then having a wet/dry filter is just counter productive if you running a reef tank. Fish only systems are OK to use wet/dry, providing that you are staying on top of it and cleaning it religeously.
And another thing, have you ever used any medications containing copper in your FO tank?

[reseter5]

i never use copper based medication... nitrates are high.. probable due to the bioballs...i am reconfiguring it this weekend to a refugium in the sump.. i dont have much bioload.. i have 6 fish and the tank is 200 gallons..... and i am sure tap water is also a problem... i have yet to buy a ro unit

[zhenya]

i never use copper based medication... nitrates are high.. probable due to the bioballs...i am reconfiguring it this weekend to a refugium in the sump.. i dont have much bioload.. i have 6 fish and the tank is 200 gallons..... and i am sure tap water is also a problem... i have yet to buy a ro unit

Well, I think you may have answered your own question. High NO3 levels could be the problem, and I agree that you need to get rid of those bio-balls.

It may take few weeks to get the Nitrates down but it could be done. In the interim, stay on top with the water changes and slowly remove those bio balls, handfull at the time.
Hopefully thing will improve speedily for you!

[vtec si]

How often do you feed and how big are your fish. Big fish + lots of food = lots of waste. Test your water and post it so we can see whats going on. It sounds like your are heading in the right direction!

Good luck,
Martin

[dragonladylea]

What type of water flow are they receiving? GSP usually do survive in high nitrates (wont grow) but will dwindle without adequate flow.

[reseter5]

my tank is predrilled with overflows and 4 returns.. i am using a gen x pump there is a lot of flow in my tank... i have a ton of bioballs... my tank is 200 gallons.. my sump is 60.. i would say 30-35 gallons of it is bioballs.. and my overflows are full of them too... i will take out a little at a time...fish-- procupine puffer. 6 in. reverse color goldentail moray 2ft . coral cat . a few clowns and a few yellow damsels..... thanks

[zhenya]

Yeah, I would look into removing bioballs slowly. With the amount you have you'll probably need at least two month to get rid of them all. When I was getting rid of mine I upped my water changes to every other week while removing them, worked like a charm for me.

[reseter5]

thanks for all the help