So upon testing my water, my pH was a bit low (7.8ish), so I decided to try some Proper pH stuff. Upon putting it in the tank, my starfish and snails got all pissed off, and all my corals closed up. My zoos all have this white film looking stuff on them and only a couple polyps are slightly open. My green anchor isn't open like it was before the pH stuff. Same with the button polyps. My starfish isn't moving like it was before (it was all over the place), nor are my snails. The fish and shrimp are all fine and swimming around like before. Feather duster is open as well. Any ideas on what I could do? My pH is back to 7.8 btw No ammonia or nitrites, SG is 1.023 (I'm going to go get a refractometer, just found my tax return in my checking acct:whstlr: ), nitrates are about 10ppm. Is a heater necessary? I have it in a room where the temp doesn't vary all that much, the LFS didn't say anything about it. Any ideas on why my corals are unhappy, while everything else is fine?
corals not wanting to open after "Proper pH"
- Thread starter zpyro
- Start date
blue_eyes53813
Well-Known Member
What is the temp of the tank? I dont have any experience with that product but If the corals dont open back up within the next day or so I would do a water change... Or maybe even sooner..
lcstorc
Well-Known Member
Did you add it directly to the tank or did you mix it in water first? Was it added near the corals you mention? Sounds like something annoyed them. I would do a water change and then give them a couple of days. My softies get annoyed for a couple of hours after a water change. It could just be the change that set them off.
I just added it to the tank, and it went everywhere. The dumb chromis tried to eat it (like they do anything that floats by). I posted this on another forum (nano-reef) and someone suggested it's the undissolved CO3 and HCO3 particles that landed on the corals and annoyed them.
Snelly40
Well-Known Member
im not yelling but, YOU GOTTA MIX IT FIRST!!!!!!!!!
this mixes it in and it will all disperse, the way u added it will not add the ph effectively and will only irritate your corals that feed by food particles landing on them, so they just took in this additive like they would food
this mixes it in and it will all disperse, the way u added it will not add the ph effectively and will only irritate your corals that feed by food particles landing on them, so they just took in this additive like they would food
, 
Your corals should be okay.
But just to cover a couple of things.. first, a PH of 7.8-8.5 is acceptable (given an alk of at least 2.5mg/l); secondly, the product you added (buffer) will not only affect the ph but also the alkalinity. Increasing alk may affect the calcium. Always test the water for alk & ca before and after adding a buffer. Secondly, adding a buffer to raise the PH is not always the best correction method. PH Issues
But just to cover a couple of things.. first, a PH of 7.8-8.5 is acceptable (given an alk of at least 2.5mg/l); secondly, the product you added (buffer) will not only affect the ph but also the alkalinity. Increasing alk may affect the calcium. Always test the water for alk & ca before and after adding a buffer. Secondly, adding a buffer to raise the PH is not always the best correction method. PH Issues
well, seems everything is dying now. both maroons, gramma, cleaner shrimp, 3 chromis and a starfish have all bitten the dust. my feather duster seems to be trying to pull itself out of its tube. there's bristle worms all over the place, coming out of the rock. My kenya tree corals are looking normal now, but pretty much everything is closed up or shriveled. button polyps are all closed, zoos are (still) closed and white, mushrooms are shriveled up, etc.
Shows the coral closed up. What kind is that, next to the mushroom? It came on the rock I bought
wtf is this? I've never seen it before, it's just sitting there moving its legs
and what is this? another thing I hadn't seen til now
feather duster in distress
Shows the coral closed up. What kind is that, next to the mushroom? It came on the rock I bought
wtf is this? I've never seen it before, it's just sitting there moving its legs
and what is this? another thing I hadn't seen til now
feather duster in distress
lcstorc
Well-Known Member
Oh no! That does not look good.
Have you run your tests? What are your parameters?
I would immediately do a 50% waterchange.
Sorry for your troubles. I don't think the proper ph would do all of that. What size tank is it? Did you use the recommended amount or more?
I hope the rest of the tank pulls through.
Have you run your tests? What are your parameters?
I would immediately do a 50% waterchange.
Sorry for your troubles. I don't think the proper ph would do all of that. What size tank is it? Did you use the recommended amount or more?
I hope the rest of the tank pulls through.
flricordia
Active Member
Really sorry to hear you are loosing things. Hope you are doing massive water changes at this point. There are much better and safer products out there that will help keep your PH up. One is to setup an auto top-off and mix kalkwasser to it (1 tsp per gl/top-off water). The kalkwasser will keep the PH up both day and night, provide calcium for coral growth and retard unwanted algae blooms. Seachem's Reef buffer is good and reef builder and Kent's has several products. If you don't end up loosing too much and stay with the reef do some research for products, not reaserch product claims, but what others suggest on reef forum.
Well ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all jumped up from just about nothing to at least one color block if not 2 up. The guy at the LFS said to put some am-quel in it to detox the ammonia last night, and I brought a water sample in today. He then said to do a 50% water change and just let it run for a week, then bring another sample to him.
At this point in time all the coral is shrunk up/closed as far as I can tell. There are a couple of nassarius snails I can see, and the 2 turbos, all not moving very much (but still alive). I took out the feather duster, it lost its top and rather than see if it was still alive and it possibly be dead and just create even more ammonia I just took it out. The LFS owner said that when it all stabilizes he's gonna help me restock it cuz he doesn't want me to get discouraged. I've spent a bunch of $ already so I don't really have the choice of backing out now lol
At this point in time all the coral is shrunk up/closed as far as I can tell. There are a couple of nassarius snails I can see, and the 2 turbos, all not moving very much (but still alive). I took out the feather duster, it lost its top and rather than see if it was still alive and it possibly be dead and just create even more ammonia I just took it out. The LFS owner said that when it all stabilizes he's gonna help me restock it cuz he doesn't want me to get discouraged. I've spent a bunch of $ already so I don't really have the choice of backing out now lol
blue_eyes53813
Well-Known Member
I am so sorry for your troubles... Try some water changes.. Good luck
flricordia
Active Member
Most of us have been through it all. When I was living in OKC and new to the hobby I was using tap water for water changes. I had a beautiful 20 long stocked full of Florida LR (can't get it anymore) with lots of Christmas tree worms and some pretty nice corals. One eveningI went to do a water change and not 5 minutes afterward my sanils began to fall of the sides and die, then the corals started to shrink and die and within an hour everything was dead. Come to find out the city had backflushed or something liek that and there was excess copper in the system. At least that is what I was told. It wasn't enough to be harmful to humans they said. I tryed to sue, but no luck. It was heart breaking and took many years before I got back into it. I eventually got into FW and had some breeding groups of Geophagus jurapari and some nice oscars and other cichlids.
Then shortly after moving to Pensacola one evening the city mosqueto control came around the nighborhood spraying and I had some windows open. Lost all the tanks on one side of the room. had about 10 tanks going then and lost all my Red-hump juraparis. Hopefully we learn and get stronger from our mistakes.
InLimbo87
Well-Known Member
How long have you had the tank set up for? As, to me, it sounds like you could very well be cycling still.
Also, I would stop adding any type of dosing stuff to the tank (amquel, etc). Just do a couple of massive water changes and hope. The general consensus with reef tanks is to stay away from those ammonia reducers, ph lifters, etc, etc as much as possible. Good luck!
Also, I would stop adding any type of dosing stuff to the tank (amquel, etc). Just do a couple of massive water changes and hope. The general consensus with reef tanks is to stay away from those ammonia reducers, ph lifters, etc, etc as much as possible. Good luck!