Frustrated...

[daddio]

Any ideas are welcome...

Here is where I am at. About a month or so ago, I was plagued by montipora eating nudibranches that killed off a large head of plating montipora and a bunch of 4-5 inch across pieces that had broken off as well as a branching variety that was really starting to grow well. My tank looked bare afterwards and then everything else started to look bad as well. I attributed this to the loss of the montipora as it had created large shade areas where my zoos, mushrooms and sun coral thrived. I made many water changes and still no results.

Soon after, I realized (after a couple of fish jumped) that there was stray electricity in the tank. I replaced the pump and had the water tested by an electrician friend to see if there was any remaining electricity in the tank.

So two weeks have gone by and the tank still looks like crap. I have cyano and hair algae for the first time since my tank cycled. All through this period the water parameters look good:

KH: 9
Ca: 420
pH: 8.4
NH: 0
Nitrates/Nitrites: 0
Phosphates: 0
Temp: 79-81
Salinity: 1.022

For hardware, I have a 75 gallon tank with a 38 gallon sump refugium with chaeto. I have two hydor Korilia 4 powerheads, an ASM G1x skimmer (the pump on this was what was creating the stray electric) and a return pump (I can't think of the brand at the moment). I have about 100lbs of live rock.

I make my own RO/DI water (newer membrane/filters... about 3 months old)

My lighting is 2x150 watt MH + 2 130 watt CF actinic (Outer Orbit)

For livestock, I have a Regal Tang, Cherub Angel, 2 green Chromis, a six-line wrasse and a clam. My jawfish and royal gramma jumped to escape the electric... These all seem healthy and happy now that they are not being electrocuted 24 hours a day.

For coral, here is what I have left: various zoos, mushrooms, xenia, galaxia, brain, star polyps and a couple of leathers. The zoos and mushrooms are not opening entirely, the leathers are not extending their tentacles and it is hard to keep the the corals free from the algae.

I have about 10 snails and around 20 hermits.

I make water changes of about 5 gallons a week, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I am pretty good about not slacking.

My tank is round 9 years old and this is the first time I have been frustrated with the lack of results. I have had my water tested, both the tank water and the RO/DI water and both seem fine with the LFS.

Anyone have any ideas of what I can try. Even though I have had the tank for a long time, I still consider myself a newbie as my ritual up to this point has always worked well and I never had problems to fix before. I always felt that knee-jerk reactions to changing conditions were harder on the tank than slow adjustments, but obviously, I am doing something wrong that needs to be corrected. It makes me sad to see my tank not look clean and healthy.

 

[glampka]

Salinity appears low. I'd go 1.025 - 1.027. Also get yourself a grounding probe to remove any stray voltage that might be in the tank.

 

[daddio]

I am going to inch the salinity up and see what happens. Thanks.

 

[DaveK]

...
For hardware, I have a 75 gallon tank with a 38 gallon sump refugium with chaeto....

I make water changes of about 5 gallons a week, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I am pretty good about not slacking.

My tank is round 9 years old ....

I think you fixed the main problem by fixing he electrical problem. To some extent your livestock has been damaged and it may be healing.

However, by having the electricity running through the water, you may have also thrown it way out of balance. Remember those experiments in chemistry where electricity was used to break water down into hydrogen and oxygen?

Your 5 gal water changes a week is also too low. It should be at least double that.

I recommend that you do about eight 30% water changes at the rate of one or two a week. This will change most all of the water, and give your tank a new "lease on life". In addition clean everything.

Since you have had the tank 9 years, you may also want to vacuum the sandbed , if you have one. Only fo down about 3/4 of an inch. This will remove a lot of dirt.

 

[daddio]

I have been cleaning everything including the sand bed. I am figuring out how to prepare enough replacement water to do a change that large. Logistically, that requires some thought... but it it is probably a wise decision. I will let you know how it goes, thanks.

 

[Cloudburst2000]

You might also want to expand your clean-up crew. 10 snails and 20 hermits in a 75 gallons seem on the low side to me. I have more snails then that in a 25 gallons tank and about half as many hermit crabs. Expanding the CUC will help with the algae growth.