Water test

[nly04]

Can anyone in Fremont/UnionCity/Newark can help me to do some water test? My tank can not keep any coral. Fish still ok but any coral that I put in there does not make it for a week. Here is my water test result:

Cal: 600 with Salifer test kit (02/2022) but 400 with Salifer test kit (05/2020).
Alk: 8.6 with Salifer test kit (06/2020).
Mag: 1800 with Salifer test kit, new water has the same result.
Salinity is: 1.026
Temp: 78
PH: 7.78 at 2pm today.
PO4: 0.12 but experience algea on wall and glass every day.
NO3: 2

 

[Coral reefer]

How are you testing salinity? Is it calibrated? What salt are you using. 1800 mg is ridiculously high. Send in an icp test

 

[nly04]

I have around 13 small fishs in the tank (150gal) right now:
2 orange clown
2 purple firefish
2 red firefish
1 borbonius
1 flame angle
1 coral beauty angle
1 poweder blue tang small 3”
1 rabbit fish small 3”
1 yellow belly tang small 3”
And 1 gold flake angle 2.5”

 

[nly04]

I am using red sea pro salt. For last two years. I can seem to keep coral for last two years. Yes, I have Salinity calibration solution.

 

[The_Lazy_Reefer]

Right off the bat I would switch to the blue bucket instead of the pro(black). Those elevated levels are a pain to maintain and running baseline parameters is a much easier path to success.

 

[NanoCrazed]

When you say coral... what type?

 

[Coral reefer]

Icp test it is.

 

[ofzakaria]

Over all:
Bring down your paramaters it's all crazy high.
Check your salinity prob I have a feeling your salinity reading is wrong and you might be adding more salt than you need to.
Add gfo to reduce po4 if you have not yet.
Add carbon if you have not done yet.
Do icp to check for any heavy metals or other harmful substances.

Once u do icp and check your salinity report back so we help further.

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[jccaclimber]

In the order you mentioned them:
1) That's a lot of range on calcium. You can (sort of) validate your calcium test by testing your source water and making sure you get at least reasonable results (you're trusting the source water here). I'd get this tested elsewhere. Also, have you re-tested a couple times with the same kits?
2) Alk sounds fine. Anywhere 7-12 dKh I'm not going to blame it, assuming it's stable.
3) Mg. Sounds high unless you're dosing, but won't be the cause of any issues on its own. If it's a real number and you are not dosing then whatever it's causing it could be an issue. You did mix your salt container once after you got it right?
4) You do zero your refractometer before use right? Have someone else check this too. All parameters being high (other than alk) could be high salinity.
5) Temp is great.
6) That pH is low for daytime. Not kill coral in a week low, but certainly concerning. How are you calibrating your meter? What is the pH right before the lights come on in the morning? Small well sealed room? I don't normally like to blame pH, but that has more to do with me being new to the bay area where people tend to live at a higher density than prior places I've lived. I recently had 2 people instead of one in my apartment for a weekend. I watched my pH fall, and literally saw coral getting unhappy in my tank within a day.
7) PO4 and NO3 are not your problem at those levels. I've run happy reefs there and your problem isn't "not thriving" it's "dies fast".
8) You have three fish in that list that can be coral eaters (sometimes ok, sometimes nippers, sometimes eaters, just depends on the individual).
9) Is the rabbit fish a 2 bar (hopefully yes)?
10) Would like to know what type(s) of coral we're talking along with what "dies" means more specifically (symptoms, timeline).
11) ICP wouldn't hurt, but we might be able to solve this otherwise.
12) How often are you changing water, how much? Any other dosing?

 

[nly04]

When you say coral... what type?

My restart is 5 months now and introduce fish for about 2months. I try from chalice, hammer, zoa, Shroom and couple other sps but none make it.

 

[nly04]

@jccaclimber
I just done water change today I will do another test tomorrow. I only have those kit in the picture but already try multiple times.
I use handle Ph probe. Also calibrate it recently.
I understand those three angelfish are potential coral eater especially my lps.
I change water every two week for about 20% around 30–35gal.
At the moment I only dose Cal (5ml/day) and Alk ( 10ml/day).

Where can I get ICP test? And How does it work?

Thank you all for quick response.

 

[jccaclimber]

ICP:

Triton ICP-OES Water Analysis Test Kit

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Note, not as accurate as many claim it to be, but a great way to tell if you have something odd leaching in to your tank.

Any broken magnets, lost rusty hose clamps, or anything else in the system?
Any history with using copper based medications in the tank or with the existing live rock?
Tank picture?
How do your corals die? Do they slowly shrink, polyp bailout, brown jelly, RTN, straight up vanish?
With the amount of water you are changing I'd be surprised if you had a buildup of anything odd.
Just to confirm, RODI or at least RO as the source water before adding the salt?
Are you using different 2-part products or non-standard concentrations? Odd that you're using 2x as much alk as calcium, although both of those are next to nothing. 10x that as daily dosing wouldn't surprise me, although obviously you aren't consuming much. Low consumption makes sense given that calcifying organisms don't seem to be doing well. I assume there isn't really any coralline?

What are your lights/flow?

 

[NanoCrazed]

My restart is 5 months now and introduce fish for about 2months. I try from chalice, hammer, zoa, Shroom and couple other sps but none make it.

All the others can be hit or miss.. but shrooms not making it , is concerning. Though, i did have issues initially myslef until I took a par meter to my tank.

Have you considered checking PAR? Light parameters might be even more important at this point.

 

[nly04]

I am using radion gen4 pro with AB plus program from Ecotech Marine with reducing red and green to 18%. Light is from 3pm to 10pm with 50% intensity.

I have two mp60 at running at 50% power on refcrest and lagoon. Here are some dying coral at left at the moment.

 

[jccaclimber]

Assuming you don't have an orange filter, temporarily turning off the blue lights or just setting the Radion to ~5000K will help a lot with the color rendering in cell phone pictures.
I'm going to assume that's a branch (not wall) hammer given the number of head sections (the center one just looks wide).
Is putting a cage (egg crate and zip ties) around the hammer an option? It looks *very* withdrawn, which makes me wonder if something is picking at it. How long has it been in the tank?

Lights might be a hair on the dim side, but I suspect not and either way I wouldn't expect that response. Would be interesting to get a PAR meter on it, but more for curiosity purposes. Certainly a quality light (what I use) and it sounds like you have reasonable settings.
Assuming you aren't using any H2O2 in the tank I don't have much explanation for the chalices unless they're right in the path of your MP60's. Flow also sounds pretty reasonable.
Can't really tell what's in the last picture.

What do you feed (type, quantity, frequency)?

Do you have other small inverts (snails, bristle worms, hermits, feather dusters, pods at night)?

 

[Coral reefer]

Chlorine/chloramines?

 

[rygh]

Hi Nhan,
I can probably stop by and look at things. I texted you.

 

[nly04]

Shoutout to Rygh for helping me to check my water. End up find out my salinity is 1.035 or 45ppm which is way too high. My calibration fluid is bad that cause the everything else busted. I will need to adjust the salinity to right level first then other thing next. Again thanks you all.

 

[ofzakaria]

Shoutout to Rygh for helping me to check my water. End up find out my salinity is 1.035 or 45ppm which is way too high. My calibration fluid is bad that cause the everything else busted. I will need to adjust the salinity to right level first then other thing next. Again thanks you all.

As I and couple other suspected. Your salinity was causing the elevated parameters...
Glad you caught it and kudos to Rygh for helping..

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[jccaclimber]

I recommend verifying refractometers with RO or even tap water occasionally for this reason. I’ve seen calibration fluid that’s bad even brand new, but I’ve yet to see tap water not read 0. Cal fluid in theory is better, but if your refractometer is in good shape both should be close.