Corals suffering...calcium reactor causing these problems...?

[boobookitty]

As some of you who have seen my other threads know, I'm tweaking a new reactor. After several weeks, I'm close to where I want it to be, but during that time, the tank alk has fluctuated between 6.5 and 11. It's currently at 9-10, but every few days I still have some issue arise that causes a fluctuation.

During this, I've had a few corals suffer, and I'm wondering if it could be the reactor. I have an open brain that has receded from one edge fairly badly, although the rest of it looks healthy and extends normally. I also have a hammer coral that has virtually disintegrated, and this morning I noticed one of the clusters on a large frogspawn near it is jellied over. However, I have other corals, such as an elegance, a plate, etc., that look fine, and SPSs that seem OK.

It's a 75g reef, with a temperature controller/chiller/heater that keeps the temp at 80 constantly, and an AquaC 180 skimmer that pulls out at least a cup a day. Nitrate, ammonia and nitrites all zero. Calcium at 450, pH at 7.8-8.0 (due to reactor), alk currently at 9.5, but as I said it's been dropping to as low as 6.5 or going as high as 11.

Any other parameters I should be checking? I'm ****ed, because I really liked the hammer and frogspawn. I've been thinking about getting a phosphate kit (I've never checked for phosphate before)...

bbk

[newkie]

If things are looking bad do a water change. Run carbon in the 24-48 hours it takes to mix the NSW in the meantime. I don't really think a reactor would cause this, unless it was allowed to really suppress the pH. HTH

[boobookitty]

I knew I'd forget something...I run carbon in the tank as well, 24/7.

And that's the thing - things don't look that bad, but there are 3 LPSs that are having problems (out of 8 or 9 in the tank). SPSs look OK, and my one soft coral, a leather, is fine.

The pH has been suppressed since installing the reactor, but it drops to around 7.8 at night, and gets to 8.0-8.1 in the day, which doesn't seem to set off alarms here when I've posted it before (in a different thread).

Damn. I really liked that hammer and frogspawn, and they had been in the tank and happy for 9 months.

bbk

[boobookitty]

Any other suggestions? Parameters to check? Before anyone asks, salinity at 1.025 (forgot to include that one).

bbk

[goofball310]

YOUR SKIMMER IS PULLING OUT A CUP A DAY?!!!!
That seems like alot.
Do you have it tuned properly?

Your reactor might have caused these problems. The main concept when maintaining a reef tank is stability. The constant fluctuation of your Alk might have caused it. But this is JMO.

[goofball310]

Have you been checking your PH levels?

[boobookitty]

Hi...

Thanks for the response. pH levels are as I mentioned: 7.8 at night, 8.0-8.1 in the day. A standard issue for reactor tanks, AFAICT. I plan to begin supplementing with kalkwasser to keep the pH at around 8.0-8.1 steady, but I didn't want to start that until I had the reactor tuned; I'm close, but still not there.

The skimmer output varies...some days it's pretty low and dry, other days it goes nuts and pulls out a cup or more. Feeding levels are constant, although I do tend to overfeed due to ich issues in the past (keep 'em fat and healthy :)); it's why I bought a higher-end skimmer for the 75.

I hope to have the pH level stabilized this week; should I just wait and see if that helps, or is there something else you guys think I should be checking?

bbk