Hit my breaking point, thinking of leaving the hobby

[RMS18]

Last night was my breaking point, i have just about had it with corals/inverts. The only creatures that are doing well are my fish. Every 2-3 weeks i run into another issue and i can not figure it out and i am so tired of my lfs having me try this supplement then that one. At first i had a issue with my lights being dialed in right. My shrooms and zoas were shrinking away. So i rented a par meter, got my pars fixed, turned out my lights were not bright enough. Then i had a issue with corals not opening, thinking it was my lights but it wasn't. So my lfs said i have no phosphates or nitrates, so he had me buy Marine Snow, then the corals started to look much better. Then i started to lose zoas again and the same thing, bubble coral not opening, frogspawn not opening, zoas not opening etc. So my lfs said to do 3 water changes a week, tried that and things got better. Then i broke out with bryopsis, so i started treating with mag, i am 3 days into my levels being at 1650, so far nothing on the bryopsis. Now my glass gets brown algae on it every days use to clean the glass once a week. In the past week i lost my rbt, mini maxi and now a carpet is shrinking just like the last 2 nems. This week 2 more zoa colonials are on their way out. My lfs said my water parameters are fine. It's like i was not meant to have a reef tank. I follow every procedure, acclimating, dipping, feedings, water changes. Upgraded my skimmer, i have a UV sterilizer on it's way. I have not had 1 solid month where my tank is running well and everything is doing good. My girlfriend has had it with me and the tank, it's taking over my life. Every time i go to my lfs i walk out another $15-$30 spent on more supplements to fix my issues. I don't know what to do anymore. Here are my tank specs:

7 months old
30 gallon
2 Ai primes
CPR fuge
tunze 9001 skimmer
20lb lr sand
25lb lr
nitrates 0
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
ph 8.4
salinity 1.026
alk 9.8
mag 1650
calcium 470
phosphates 0 (salifurt)
temp 78-79
Was running gfo took it out last week
Running carbon

I have a lot more $$ corals and a new clam, i don't want to see them go down hill. At this point i have no idea what to do or think, that's how frustrated i am. All i want is a healthy tank to come home to and enjoy.

 

[Pete polyp]

Quit skimming
Check the accuracy of how you're checking salinity

 

[Oscaror]

Have you at any point in your tanks history has a huge rise in nitrates that lasted a few days or more?

 

[Oscaror]

Quit skimming
Check the accuracy of how you're checking salinity

I'm intrigued, what makes skimming a bad thing?

 

[RMS18]

Quit skimming
Check the accuracy of how you're checking salinity

Refractometer, water comes from lfs.

 

[Pete polyp]

I'm intrigued, what makes skimming a bad thing?

He has no nitrates and that's a problem. Why remove organics of the lack of organics is causing an issue?

I have had a tank that was too clean even without a skimmer. Corals don't respond well to 0 nitrates

 

[RMS18]

Have you at any point in your tanks history has a huge rise in nitrates that lasted a few days or more?

No never since the tank cycle have I had nitrates. I have brought my water to my lfs once a month to cross reference against what I get. I test everything 3 times a week.

 

[RMS18]

He has no nitrates and that's a problem. Why remove organics of the lack of organics is causing an issue?

I'll shut my skimmer off now.

 

[Oscaror]

No never since the tank cycle have I had nitrates. I have brought my water to my lfs once a month to cross reference against what I get. I test everything 3 times a week.

Okay, well what conditions was the rock under when you bought it? In a bin with no filtration, or in a system?

 

[RMS18]

Okay, well what conditions was the rock under when you bought it? In a bin with no filtration, or in a system?

In a bin with lights and filtration. It is purple 2.0 cured rock. Sand is fiji pink.

 

[Pete polyp]

You might want to back off on the carbon too. Using too much can burn corals up.

 

[RMS18]

You might want to back off on the carbon too. Using too much can burn corals up.

I'll take the carbon out also then.

 

[Oscaror]

He has no nitrates and that's a problem. Why remove organics of the lack of organics is causing an issue?

I have had a tank that was too clean even without a skimmer. Corals don't respond well to 0 nitrates

Hmm, that makes a lot of sense actually. I think with the mindstream consistently giving a feed as to what your levels are you could increase the amount of micro fauna in their water by regulating, possibly even automating when your skimmer skims?

 

[Reefrookie220]

Lfs are notorious for not changing membrane in the ro unit. Check tds. If it's not 0 then no telling what's in it.

 

[Pete polyp]

I feel your pain.... I have a pain in the butt tank that threw all kinds of new things at me over the past couple years. Battling low nutrients, which I tried to overstock and overfeeding with no results. I had to start dosing nitrates! After dosing nitrate for a couple months everything was rocking! Two months later I had an outbreak of dinoflagellates and out crashed. I lost 11 fish and about 40 corals, totally sucks

 

[soeminpaing]

Too many changes. Also it is usually kent tech M that kills bryopsis and not really magnesium. Maintain salinity and alkalinity consistent. Don't overdo water changes. Keep it at 15 percent weekly. Do you add 1 more AI prime to increase lighting? Use the acclimation mode with prime. Let the tank run itself and you will be fine in a month. Don't go chasing numbers with nitrate, phosphate, ca, mg. I dont even have test kits for these and my tank is fine with zoas, LPS, acans and monti.

 

[Pete polyp]

Hmm, that makes a lot of sense actually. I think with the mindstream consistently giving a feed as to what your levels are you could increase the amount of micro fauna in their water by regulating, possibly even automating when your skimmer skims?

Selective skimming is something people are doing now days. In my case I just took the plug out of the collection cup and allowed the skimmate back into the tank. Essentially my skimmer is an overpriced air stone now.

 

[RMS18]

I feel your pain.... I have a pain in the butt tank that threw all kinds of new things at me over the past couple years. Battling low nutrients, which I tried to overstock and overfeeding with no results. I had to start dosing nitrates! After dosing nitrate for a couple months everything was rocking! Two months later I had an outbreak of dinoflagellates and out crashed. I lost 11 fish and about 40 corals, totally sucks

It's crazy, lfs has me dosing marine snow, reef roids, algifix, green water... I feel like I'm at the doctor and he's just pumping me full of drugs.

 

[Oscaror]

In a bin with lights and filtration. It is purple 2.0 cured rock. Sand is fiji pink.

What kind of filtration? Was there water flow?

 

[RMS18]

Too many changes. Also it is usually kent tech M that kills bryopsis and not really magnesium. Maintain salinity and alkalinity consistent. Don't overdo water changes. Keep it at 15 percent weekly. Do you add 1 more AI prime to increase lighting? Use the acclimation mode with prime. Let the tank run itself and you will be fine in a month. Don't go chasing numbers with nitrate, phosphate, ca, mg. I dont even have test kits for these and my tank is fine with zoas, LPS, acans and monti.

I'm using tech m. Sorry should have posted that. I have 2 primes to have equal pars from left to right. They went through a 2 week acclimation.