Coraline Dying!!!!

[loans_n_fishes]

My coraline has died back considerably, and when I add my calcium supplement to the tank, it precipitates. I have also had a difficult time keeping ph up. I asked one of the guys at Austin Aquariums and he said that it sounded like a magnesium deficiency. So now I am dosing Kent magnesium. Does this sound logical to you?

[JimD]

Whats your current magnesium level? Normal Mag levels are usualy maintained by routine water changes. Have you done anything new to your lighting recently?

[loans_n_fishes]

Lighting has remained the same. (2x96W on a 75 gallon....I know...it's low. I originally got the lights for the 30 gal, but got a great deal on a 75).

I have done water changes, but I have used tap water. I just won the RO/DI unit at the meeting :D , but haven't set it up yet. Do you "fill as you go" or keep it running. I have NO IDEA what to do with this thing. I know it's a great score, but not sure how to work it. Probably sounds pretty rediculous. <_<

I need to get a magnesium test kit. >_< I use IO salt if that makes a difference. I dose with SeaChem reef complete and Reef Builder and now the magnesium. I feed frozen mysis, formula 1, cyclopeez, Kent phyto, and Kent zooplankton. Do I need something else for the water?

[Richard]

Also what calcium supplement? If you use alot of the single part calcium supplements (calcium chloride) you can really screw things up if you don't know what your doing.

Tell us about your setup. Smaller non sps setups are pretty easy to maintain with just regular water changes using a good salt mix and a little buffer once in awhile.

Yes, the Mg deficiency is a possibility also since Mg helps keep Ca from precipitating.

[loans_n_fishes]

I am using the Reef Complete for calcium and the Reef Builder for carbonate.

[GaryP]

PM sent.

[GaryP]

Brian,

Are you commenting on my verbosity? If you can show me how to explain chemistry with fewer words please let me know. :)

[Richard]

Are you commenting on my verbosity? If you can show me how to explain chemistry with fewer words please let me know.

Yeah your chemistry explanations are usually pretty long. Let's try a shorter way.

If you add stuff and then some stuff plus some other stuff. You can make stuffstuff or stuffstuffstuff. stuffstuff and stuffstuffstuff can be good or it can be bad, depends on what the stuff is.

Hmmm, guess the short way doesn't work too well so we'll just have to keep reading Gary's long posts :lol

[discuspro]

Hey, where are you in Austin loans n fishes? Maybe I can come over and help you out. You can pm me if you need. This Thursday. Friday, and next week I will have time to help you with the RO and other stuff if you want.

[Reef69]

Ive seen that different light spectrums make it grow differently... Also, from personal experience, light changes make it die..Why?..I dont know..When i upgraded to MH, all the Coralline algea in my tank died..it was weird..

[hobogato]

i have some rock that i moved from my home tank to the tank in my classroom and it has much more coraline than the stuff in my tank. lighting at school is just PC and at home MH and PC. i have heard that the intense light from MH can inhibit coraline, but dont know why.

[GaryP]

lol.. nope I just didn't want to write a book and knew you would :lol

Now you know why they never print articles on chemistry in readers digest. OK, back to being on topic.