Coral Tip Thinning

[elliot]

Hi,

I only started yesterday - but can see some quite visible tip thinning...... I am very concerened.

I am using 1 ltr of zeo, with 3 x 1.5ml per aday start, 5 drops of bac and food twice a day.

It looks to me like bleaching... as if I had upped the lights...

thanks

elliot

[Diesel3443]

please answer the questions that are in the sticky at the top about your system so that we can help you better

[elliot]

1. Gross water volume of your complete system (incl. sump etc.)

168 US Gallons

2. Net water volume (incl. sump etc.)

132 US gallons

3. Are you using a CaCO2 reactor or other technique

Yes - Co2 reactor (Korraline 1501)

I also dose kalkwasser continously - 13ml/min is dripped via a Ratz kalk stirrer. The peristaltic pump feeds Ro at a rate of 13ml/min for 10 minutes 20 hours a day.

4. Are you using a PO4 reactor (how long, how long ago, etc.)

No - phosban and rowareactors removed for a month, in preparation

5. Are you using Ozone

No.

6. Are you using UV

No... (Yeuck)

7. What skimmer are you using (type, rated water volume)

I am using two skimmers the Deltec Apf850 and a Tunze Comline

The Deltec is rated at 333 Gallons.

8. What are your actual PO4 and NO3 levels

Not detectable

9. What are your actual Ca, Alk and Mg levels

Calcium - eek - 560ppm
Alkalinity 10.6 Dk/H
Mg 1340ppm
Salinity 1.026 @ 25C

10. What filtration method do you use (refugium, DSB, Miracle Mud, etc.)

None of the above... just heavy carbon usgae and mechanical filtration

11. Type of light (Watt, color temp, how old, etc.)

3 x 400W MH - 3 x Blv 10k
4 x 54W T5s - 2 Deltec Aquaplus and 2 pure actinic


12. What corals do you keep

Acropora and montipora only

13. Tissue color (light or dark)

Light

14. How long has the tank been running

Almost 3 years

15. Why do you want to use the ZEOvit system

For the sweeeet pastel colours!

16. Any supplemental dosing (type, amount, why, etc.)

Magnesium dosing once a fortnight to keep level

17. Live rock (how much, how old, etc.)

A mixture of carribean and fiji - about 50kgs

18. Any present problems

Raised calcium due to equipment failure over xmas - currently turned off Calcium Reactor to allow levels to drop.

19. Problem description (tissue loss tips, tissue loss base, diatom bloom, algae, etc.)

Nothing - just raised Calcium levels.

20. What test kit do you use (how old, recently switched, etc.)

All measurements are with <3 month old Salifert kits

21. Present dosing, amounts and intervals (ZEOvit, ZEObak, ZEOfood, ZEOstart, ZEOspur2, etc.)

None

22. Other water parameters and water stability (salinity, temp, etc.)

Salinity is 1.026 - with auto top off (Tunze)
Temp is kept static with a Teco R680 chiller
Flow in tank is 2 x 6100 Tunze Stream, 2 x 1060 on closed loops

Return plumbing from sump is hard plumbed, 40mm down, 22mm up using an Eheim 1262.


c & p ed from RC


thanks

elliot

[elliot]

Sorry fogot to edit... I dont use kalk


thanks

elliot

[Aged Salt]

Elliot, tip recession indicates high KH with ZEOvit or zeo-excess, therefore, continue to run your zeo-filter on cycle mode, while you hold all zeo-dosing for the next 7 days. Lower your KH gradually to 6.5-8 Do not worry about seeding & feeding the filter.Be sure your zeo-filter flow is not > 400l/h. Use only one Cup of carbon. One wk. from now, your corals should have recovered. Now, reinstitute zeo-dosing as follows: bak/food--3drops/3drops every other day for 5X's[over 10 days], then 3drops/3drops 2x's/wk. Bak & Food7 should not be dosed more than once on the days in which they are dosed. Reduce Start to .5ml 2x's/day. Bob

[elliot]

Bob.....

I just tested kh and it was 8.2... so in range .....

I think I may have forgotton an important factor ....... I got new 5 micron nets at the w/e... and I think perhaps it is this which is causing the bleaching....

I have knocked the light back two hours... for now

What should I do with regards the zeo.... slow additions amounts down? stop?

Thanks

elliot

[GTR]

Elliot, ...continue to run your zeo-filter on cycle mode, while you hold all zeo-dosing for the next 7 days. ....Bob

.....SteveU

[Aged Salt]

Elliot, as Steve noted tissue recession is still tissue recession, not matter the cause. One must allow tissue repair before redosing the zeo-components. Why the wide range in KH readings? Bob

[zcom]

3 x 1.5ml per aday start, 5 drops of bac and food twice a day

Hard to tell...does that mean you're dosing 4.5ml/day zeostart on a 130g tank? Or is that 3 times a week, 1.5ml? And 10 drops each of bac and food per day on a 130 is about twice the desirable dosage.

Arthur

[elliot]

The Kh readings have been reduced from 10 when I originally posted on RC to 8 when I commenced with zeo. I also used to run rowaphos

Booboo

Yes.... I was told to dose 3 x 1.5 ml daily of zeostart.... and I was also told the 5 drops twice a day of bac and food.

I even got this rechecked on this forum yesterday???????!!!

Very confused.....

thanks

elliot

[zcom]

Well, back in the stone age when I started , zeostart was 1ml/100g tank volume. I don't think it's changed much, so 4.5ml of zeostart is for a tank of approx. 450g.

IMHO (and I stress MHO), zeostart is the biggest troublemaker in terms of tissue problems with zeovit. I would, of course, follow Bob's recommendations, and definitely do NOT OD zeostart at all.

Arthur

[elliot]

Bob,

Could you clear this up for me please? What dosage should I use for 1 kg of zeo?

The corals look much better this morning Could it be due to OD of Start?

Should I continue to plunge?

THanks

elliot

[G.Alexander]

Elliot, please attend, the quantity unit for zeovit (zeolite) is liter.

Just to be sure.

G.Alexander

[elliot]

Sorry ... my apologies

Indeed 1 ltr of zeovit.

Thanks

Ellioy

[Aged Salt]

The Kh readings have been reduced from 10 when I originally posted on RC to 8 when I commenced with zeo. I also used to run rowaphos

Booboo

Yes.... I was told to dose 3 x 1.5 ml daily of zeostart.... and I was also told the 5 drops twice a day of bac and food.

I even got this rechecked on this forum yesterday???????!!!

Very confused.....

thanks

elliot

Hi Elliot, if I recommended the above, I'm sorry, as Arthur is right about the zeo-excess. I would not recommend ever mutiple dosing of Bak or Food7?? Follow my above recommendations on the revised schedule. Continue to monitor your parameters closely, allow coral recovery[7 days] & it's OK to pump your filter 2x's/day. Bob