Slwoly Dieing/Bleaching Coral

[Kenya]

Im having a significant problem with my tank. My coral are slowly dieing. I have already lost around 3-4 heads of shrooms and a 5" kenya tree along with some zoas. They have turned into mush.

And im afraid my anemone, SPS, GSP, and Xenia pumps are soon to follow. They already look pretty beat up. SPS tips are bleached and anemone is super small and is usually closed. It seems when I moved them over to my new tank they have been very slowly dieing off but only until recently they have been doing worse. A good side note my fish seem to be doing really well.

My current readings for my tanks are:
NO2= 0
NO3= 0
Amm= 0
PH= 7.8

I have been trying to adjust my PH with buffer max but it wont go up... could this be the cause? Also I used regular instant ocean salt and before I used reef crystals since i couldn't find a 5 gallon bucket at LFS. Should I switch back?

[Europhyllia]

what are your values for alkalinity and calcium?

[Kenya]

I lost both my alkalinity and calcium cards for my API test kits. Can any one scan their cards and upload it? that will save me 30$ so i dont have to buy a whole new test kit just for the cards.

[tebstan]

The colors will never look the same if the card is reproduced. Alkalinity & Calcium don't need the card anyway - count the drops added, when the mix turns color thats the number to read off the chart.

Calcium test (pink to blue) instructions:

Directions
Read thoroughly before testing. Do not allow test solutions to get into aquarium.
To remove childproof safety cap: With one hand, push red tab left with thumb while unscrewing cap with free hand.

1. Rinse a clean test tube with the water being tested.

2. Fill the test tube to the line with the water being tested.

3. Holding the bottle vertically, add 10 drops of Calcium Test Solution #1 to the test tube, cap and shake for 10 seconds.

4. Shake Calcium Test Solution #2 bottle vigorously for 10 seconds.

5. Holding the bottle vertically, add Calcium Test Solution #2, drop by drop to the test tube until the solution changes from pink to the blue end-point. Each drop is equivalent to 20 mg/L (ppm) calcium (Ca2+). Cap and shake the test tube between drops. Be sure to count the drops added.
a. A pink color should form after the first drop.
b. If a blue color forms after the first drop, the calcium concentration is 20 mg/L (ppm) or below.

6. As the end-point is approached, the color will usually change from pink to purple before finally changing to blue. After the purple color forms, only one or two more drops should be required to reach the blue endpoint.

# of Drops mg/L (ppm) Calcium (Ca2+)
1 20
2 40
3 60
4 80
5 100
6 120
7 140
8 160
9 180
10 200
11 220
12 240
13 260
14 280
15 300
16 320
17 340
18 360
19 380
20 400
21 420
22 440
23 460
24 480
25 500
26 520


Alkalinity (KH) instructions: (blue to yellow)
Directions for Testing Carbonate Hardness (KH):

Read thoroughly before testing. Do not allow Test Solutions to get into aquarium.
To remove childproof safety cap: With one hand, push red tab left with thumb while unscrewing cap with free hand.

Rinse a clean test tube with water to be tested.
Fill the test tube with 5 ml of aquarium water (to the line on the test tube).
Add Carbonate Hardness Test Solution, one drop at a time, holding dropper bottle upside down in a completely vertical position to assure uniformity of drops. After first drop is added, solution will turn blue. If the water sample contains only 1°dKH, the solution will turn from clear to its yellow endpoint after the first drop is added.
Cap the test tube and invert several times after each drop. Keep count of the drops being added. Do not hold finger over open end of the tube, as this may affect the test results.
The test is completed when the water in the test tube, after having been shaken, turns from blue to yellow. If you have difficulty discerning the color after the first drop of test solution is added, remove the cap from the test tube and while holding it over a white background, look down through the tube.
The Carbonate Hardness value is determined by the number of drops of the reagent that must be added to turn the water in the test tube bright yellow. Each drop is equal to 1 °dKH or 17.9 ppm KH, (see the chart).


# of drops dKH ppm KH
1 1 17.9
2 2 35.8
3 3 53.7
4 4 71.6
5 5 89.5
6 6 107.4
7 7 125.3
8 8 143.2
9 9 161.1
10 10 179
11 11 196.9
12 12 214.8

[Kenya]

WOW thanks tebstan that helps alot.

Ok My params are bad.
calcium- was between 480-500
and ALK was over 2.2mqel the highest on level on this ALK test kit i bought

what should i do? Should I do a huge water change to lower ALK? and how should i go about increasing PH to around 8.2 without increasing ALK.

[hobogato]

edit misread your post. 2.2 is actually pretty low for alk.

if your alk is that high, i would be surprised if the pH is that low. it could be CO2 buildup. take a cup full of water from your tank and test the pH. then, put an airline from a pump with an airstone in the cup of water and let it run for 30 minutes or so. then test the pH again and see if it is higher. if so, it means you are getting a buildup of CO2 in your tank that is keeping your pH lower than it should be.

[Europhyllia]

2.2 meq/l is low in my opinion, not high.
I try to keep alk around 9 dkh and definitely not lower than 8 dkh
Here's a conversion chart
http://glassbox-design.com/2009/alkalinity-conversion/

[Kenya]

Ok i retested and my dkh is 20... so i believe thats way to high. How should i try and lower this?

[hobogato]

wow! ok, now what i said earlier may be true about your pH


if your alk is that high, i would be surprised if the pH is that low. it could be CO2 buildup. take a cup full of water from your tank and test the pH. then, put an airline from a pump with an airstone in the cup of water and let it run for 30 minutes or so. then test the pH again and see if it is higher. if so, it means you are getting a buildup of CO2 in your tank that is keeping your pH lower than it should be.as far as lowering it, you may try a few moderate size water changes over the next few days. it will normally come down on its own, but that is really high.

[Kenya]

Yeah hopefully I can fix it before I lose most of my coral :/

[Kenya]

Ok after two 30 gallon water changes I have been able to drop my DKH to 15-16. Hopefully three water changes over the week will drop it to around 8-11dkh. Do yall think this high spike in alkalinity is the problem with the coral? my sps bleaching has gotten alot worse on a frag with 4 sticks about 2 are completely bleached, the other two the tips are bleached. any chance for recovery?

other params:
amm, nitrate, and nitrite -0
ph still 7.8
dkh - 15-16
calcium- 400
my calcium has drop alot since these water changes just added some liquid calcium to help with the drop.
Also anyone know how to increase PH without increasing ALK significantly?

[hobogato]

if they still have polyps, there is a chance. you will need to make sure they are getting plenty of flow and a little less light than usual. if luck is on your side, some of them will pull thru.

[stoneroller]

I wouldn't worry about adjusting pH as you are making considerable changes in water chemistry fairly quickly with your water changes. Assuming your test kits and testing are accurate, I would wait until you get your alkalinity in order then reconsider your tank maintenance protocols. Your calcium level is fine at 400. I don't worry about pH as long as calcium and alk are in order.