Questions

[j.and]

I have Salifert Calcium test kit and have done a couple of test with it recently. At the end of the test I cannot get the test water to turn blue or clear as stated in the test, it just stays pink?? Even after using the whole syringe.

I also have a large Devil's Hand Leather that seems to be not very happy. When I first got it a few months ago it was very full and looked great. Now it is shrunken and has small black "fungus" looking areas on parts of it.
Everything else in the tank seems to be thriving and multiplying- mushrooms, Xenia, Hammer, zoo's, polyps, colt coral, kenya trees....etc.
The tank that the leather came from had MH lighting, I have PC lighting.... would this cause its demise? The 2 pics show the difference.

Nitrate-5-10ppm Salifert
PH-8.3 Salifert
ALK-1.7-2.0 Red Sea
Salinity-1.026
Temp-77.5-78

 

[wrightme43]

Your CA level is higher than the kit can test.
You can just fill another syringe and keep adding drops and add that amount to the first one.
Or Dilute the tank water with 50% pure rodi to get a good idea of what the level is.

IMPORTANT note
High calcium doesnt help.
Do a water change to get back lower where it needs to be.

 

[ronj]

i would frag the parts that are not infected....also, you might want to run some carbon in there..the corals could be having chemical warfare...the pc lighting shouldn't be a problem...i'm not sure if it is an illusion, but it looks like that Seio pump is blowing linear flow dirctly on it..if so, you might want to move that...also the water seems to have a film on it..i would point that powerhead towards the top of the water to break it up some and get some surface aggitation.

 

[j.and]

I have been running constantly and have just recently stopped a few days ago. Ron that Seio is actually pointing directly on the back glass, not on the leather. Which brings another question, i've had a small diatom outbreak since adding the new rock.... but the brown diatoms are only directly where the seio's are pointing, where the highest flow is, I would have expected it in low flow areas??

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Ron is most likely right on the chem warefare. Run Carbon and move the leather to the bottom of the tank away from any other stuff. Water change will help too. Keep blowing the black rot off of it. Don't bother fragging yet unless you are going to move it out of the tank. The diatoms are most likely from a mini-cycle on the bio-load from the dying leather.

 

[j.and]

I just thought of something, could this seamat colony be the prime culprit in the warfare? They seem to slime quite a bit, and right now they are only about 10" or so from the Leather.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Is it upstream from the leather? What is that between the leather and the seamat, behind the flame in your picture?

 

[j.and]

Ron, look in the second pic at the beginning of the post. That is how it is now. They both came from the same tank, but the tank was 400 gallons....

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Had a similar problem recently and got it all cleared up:

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20585&highlight=necrosis

 

[j.and]

Very interesting..... I will move one or the other tonight and start the carbon again, do a WT and see if the condition improves. Thanks for the help.

 

[j.and]

Is it upstream from the leather? What is that between the leather and the seamat, behind the flame in your picture?

I'm sorry I didnt read this completly before. Here is a better pic of the brain.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Here is a better pic of the brain.

There is your probable cause. Brains often have night feeding tendrals and they sting! You have chemical warfare. Move the leather to the bottom by itself and point the SEIO in it's general direction to help blow it clean. Get the carbon running if possible.

 

[mmkeeper]

When you are using the test kit are you using 2 oz or 4 oz of water?

 

[ronj]

how big is this tank????

 

[Herefishyfishy]

how big is this tank????

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21069

 

[j.and]

When you are using the test kit are you using 2 oz or 4 oz of water?

If I remember right it is 2ml if water, i'll have to check.

Ronj, its the 72 I had pics posted of the other day.

 

[ronj]

oh yeah!!!! i remember now!!

 

[SueT]

what salt are you using?? Are you supplementing anything for calcium now?? I use the salifert calcium test and use IO and mine tests out right at 420ppm. It was testing out at 450ppm til I added a bunch of frags this past friday night..Thanks Todd.

 

[j.and]

I was waiting on you SueT.......
I use Kent salt and Kent Calcium Liquid, one capful a day. I was using Purple Up but stopped about a month ago.

 

[SueT]

I might stop the liquid calcium for now til you get the levels back down to normal. Do some water changes and get the corals pepped back up. I don't add anything til I test. I drip kalk at night but it's not enough to change any levels drastically.

Got a late start this afternoon, LOL, hang in..