Unable to keep corals...What's the deal???

[bguile]

Lately, I have been having the hardest time keeping corals alive in any of my tanks...display or Q-tanks. My last display tank (40G) began having problems with corals dieing for no apparent reason at all. I had later believed this may have been attributed to a brass fitting I had used temporarily to fill the tank with water. So, eventually the tank appeared to begin to recover and I had several patches of pulsing xenia beginning to grow back and everything was thriving again. I moved and decided to make my 40G a barebottom just to see how things faired. I went through an algae issue that I've been fighting since. Although I had algae, my water parameters stayed in the acceptable ranges. Ammonia-0, Nitrate/trite-0, phosphate-0, pH 8.2. One day, may Xenia started closing up. A few days later my zoos started not to open as wide anymore. I didn't change anything and my water parameters still measured the same. Temp stayed around 80F. I tried setting up a hospital tank for corals using Arga-live sand, but the zoos still seem to be decaying. I'm at a loss. Anyone have any ideas of what it could be or ever seen this happen before?

[weez1959]

I'm not an expert but brass is made with copper, maybe the short time it was in your tank some of the copper leached into the rock

Then again I could be full of it!

[charlie]

Good call weez!!! I think you may be correct. If it did leech into the rock, the LR isn't gonna be any good either. I am not sure water changes will take care of this either. Maybe someone else could chip in here with some insight!!

[bguile]

Yeah, good call Weez. I didn't even think of that. But here's maybe why I haven't. I don't seem to be short on a bristle worm population. Unless they aren't affected by copper I'm not sure that this is the final answer. I've also seen copepods in the algae that was also in the tank and I'm quite sure they'd be killed off in the presence of copper unless they have a toleration for copper levels that don't register on our test kits. Could that be a possibility? I'd just as soon get rid of it all and start afresh. I was going to use the old 40G display as a sump in my new setup but if this theory has any validation at all, then it would contaminate my new system and that can't happen. Thoughts?

[Reefland]

I am not sure of what the problem is, but the since the cost of a new 40 wouldn't be high, I would definitely get a new one for the sump. I agree with your thoughts that the copper would be harmful to the inverts in the tank too. What about snails, do you have any in the tank?

[bguile]

I did have a couple, but they died and I'm really not sure why. Come to think of it, I had moved two fish to that display tank after a long quarantine. A Lamark's Angel and a Threadfin Butterfly. They seemed to be doing quite fine for about 3 weeks until one day I noticed the Threadfin hiding behind rocks even when I tried to feed them. Those two never fought..not even in the 20G Qtank so I figured something else must have spooked him. The Lamark was swimming like normal. The next day or two I find them both pale and dead. Again..no reason at all. I immediately tested the water to see if I could find anything, but came up with nothing; not a trace. I don't know which was worse. Finding nothing, or losing two fish and paying almost $100 in test kits to still find nothing. At that point I just shut the tank down. Lights, pumps and everything because I wasn't going to put another fish or coral in it. It sat for about 2 weeks until I could drain it and that's when I saw the bristleworm population appear...they were everywhere. So, I hope someone can come up with something for me. Otherwise I'm dumping or selling everything I've used with this setup and starting all brand new.

[weez1959]

Did you test for copper?
I've seen Amphipods in my QT filter for the duration of copper treatment and still make it out ok

[bguile]

I believe I did before since I now have a kit and don't remember getting any readings. I'll test now and see if maybe it'll register now.

[bguile]

well, tested and again came up with nothing...

[Reefland]

It is very hard to tell... but since your setting up the new tank I wouldn't use anything from this system and go with all new to be safe.

[bguile]

It is very hard to tell... but since your setting up the new tank I wouldn't use anything from this system and go with all new to be safe.

Looks like I'll have to, just for my piece of mind and hopefully a successful display.

[charlie]

All this sounds strangely familiar to what happened to my tank last summer. I didn't lose the fish the same way, but the corals sure went to $%^& in a hand basket.
I agree with Scott also, no use trasnsfering a problem, even if you can't see or identify what is wrong.

[bguile]

I'm going to continue this thread since it's still relevant to my issues. I haven't been on in a while due to computer problems, but I haven't been short on tank problems either. I setup a new QT for corals with all new equipment. I placed new LR and argamax sand in the tank and let it sit for a few weeks. The water parameters stayed stable so I figured I'd pickup some small zoo frags, turbo and nassarus (?) snails, and some peppermint shrimp. This was about 3 weeks ago. Today, the only things living are the nassarus snails, and I think one of them has died. I haven't been able to figure out what the problem is. I believe the problem to be IN the water but don't know what I can do? Any suggestions of what it might be or if I'll ever be able to keep corals or inverts again? All of my fish are fine (O. clowns, hippo tang, tfin bfly) I do live in a new neighborhood and thought I saw a post of someone having problems in a new development. Could that be an issue?

[fishgeeksrus]

What kind of water are you using?

You also stated that you went to BB. How did you accomplish this?

[Reefland]

Have you tried inverts from more than 1 supplier?

[bguile]

Have you tried inverts from more than 1 supplier?

I'm going to try this today. I got some peppermint shrimp from a different store.

[bguile]

What kind of water are you using?

You also stated that you went to BB. How did you accomplish this?

I'm using DI from my RO/DI unit. When I went to bare bottom is was during the move. I threw out all of the substrate before moving the tank and left all of my rock in a 32G BRUTE for a couple weeks. Before putting it back in the tank, I cleaned the 40G out with water only from my garden hose.

[Reefland]

I'm going to try this today. I got some peppermint shrimp from a different store.

The results of this will be interesting...

[bguile]

Yeah, it definitely will be. I purchased three of them and am acclimating them very slowly just to make sure shock is not a factor. I forgot to test the LFS water parameters before I started but I figure after a 12hour acclimation it shouldn't matter anyways.

[Reefland]

I'd say 12 hours will more than do it.