live rock crumbling, star polyps droping off...HELP

[VNVixen]

And my hermit crab died.
Temp 80
Alk 4meq
ph 8.6
kh 12
no2/no3/nh3/nh4 all 0
cal 400
20 gallon
11lbs fiji
jvj compact
prizm protein skimmer

WHYYYYY!!!! I am new to reeftanks, set one up 11/02. Bought stuff 1 1/2 week ago and everything was fine the first week i brought everything home, now everything is dying.
4 snails, 4 hermit crabs, calerpa, 3 mushrooms, green star polyps, and some type of leather. Now my live rock is turning white instead of purple, and the star polyps are droping off!!!! What is wrong?
Please email or aim
vixen@thesloth.net or banefull00

[Fiji Live Rock]

More than likely your LR was subject to air to long. When the coraline algae dries out it will die off and turn white. Don't worry. Your tank will "re-cycle" and regrow that coraline algae faster than you would expect. Just watch your ammonia levels for a little while and you should be fine. :wink:

[Pineapple House]

Likely your tank just finished the cycling stage.

Some posibilities for the death include (from the highest posiblity, to the lowest) :

1. Your pH is extremely high
2. Not aclamated properly
3. Hitchhiker in the tank killing them off (Helicus Snail, Rapa Rapa snail, parasetic worms, etc)
4. Boght them unhealthy at the LFS
5. Your tank is still cycling


My bet goes towards the pH, although there are a wide variety of posibilities.

As for the Liverock turning white, it's likely from the coralline die off. Sudden shocks in lighting (if they were kept with little or no lighting for a long period of time, then got shocked from your lighting, pH, calcium, or temp can trigger coralline die off. It should grow back as your tank matures.

PH =)

[Zack]

IMO I think it is also the Ph!

[michealprater]

I would also say PH. My PH rose to 8.6 once and I had a beautiful finger leather disinergrate into nothing in one day. However, a 15% water change later, everything was A OK!

[Zack]

I would also say PH. My PH rose to 8.6 once and I had a beautiful finger leather disinergrate into nothing in one day. However, a 15% water change later, everything was A OK!

Nothing else died? :?:

[VNVixen]

Well, I took my water in to be tested. Turned out I had no iodine in the tank. I started putting some in yesterday. Amazingly enough, some of the star polyps that have been hiding are starting to come out again just today!!!! The guy also explain kalkwasser. I had no idea. So I will continue with the iodine, and start dosing the calcium. I am glad to hear that my stuff will grow back, per the above replies. I do have one question. Everyone seems to think my problem is my pH. How is that so since it is with in range? I don't understand the correlation. Thank you for all your help and explanations!!!! :D

[RazerCorals]

That's kind of weird that you needed iodine.

[reefrunner]

How is that so since it is with in range? I don't understand the correlation. Thank you for all your help and explanations!!!!

Because it is not within range. Acceptable range for ph in a SW tank is commonly considered to be 8.0-8.4, PH works logarithmically for each 1.0 difference in ph it is 10 X... so 9.0 is 10 X more alkaline than 8.0, so 8.6 is 2 times as alkaline as 8.4, you can see where the impact would become very large in a short space of time.

[Fugly]

Iodine, Iodide they prob reacted so well because that is practically food for corals. 8)

[reefrunner]

Iodine, Iodide they prob reacted so well because that is practically food for corals. 8)

Nope. Iodine/iodide is a trace element in NSW that has not been proven to be necessary for corals or inverts with the possible exception of it's antiseptic qualities. IMO, if you are doing regular water changes, there is no reason for any iodine supplamentation. The statement that it is practically food for corals will be an invitation to continue adding iodine and adding iodine, until it reaches toxic amounts. I have no qualms about maintaining iodine at NSW levels, (.06 ppm) that is 6 parts per billion, but anything above is flirting with disaster. It is not food and should not be treated as such. I would like to stress, you should not add anything to your tank that you do not test for.

[Fugly]

I totally agree with what Kev has said. I was sort of wrong in saying it was a food. It is an enhancer for the living tissue on the coral. As he said it is antiseptic, which in turn helps healthy new tissue to be produced.
When using this element you definitly must pay attention to the overdosing warning! I am merely saying it can help in the well being of coral livestock. :)
I will choose my words carefully next time I guess... :(

[VNVixen]

well, the iodine didnt work. the whole tank is messed up. I cant find an iodine test at any of the lfs, so I had to order one online. I did a 50% change, and NO MORE iodive until I can test it. You were TOTALY RIGHT!!!! I know better too, from years of keeping planted tanks, a little goes a long way. ANyway, lease go to the INEED HELP section and read my post from 1/31/03. Maybe it was the iodine, but that was for only a few days. I dont know what to do anymore....

[Fiji Live Rock]

Testing all varies for every one and every tank.

I only test for the four major items:

pH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate

and my Coraline Algae is beautiful, My two Anemones are happy as can be, all my livestock is doing great...and my Tonga LR that is LOADED with small polyps is doing awesome.

It all depends on the tank and the person when all is said and done. :?