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All right here is an update.....

Parameters tested today and the following was discovered

Alk 6.1!!!!!
Phosphate 0.1
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Ph. Forgot but PH probe is toast. Getting one soon.
Calcium 480..

Tested on the Read Sea Pro and Hanna Checker. I will never use API again.

All of my SPS has been transferred to a friends tank with hopes of a 75% survival rate. I am slowly rasing my Alk up now with B-ionic Alk. Since I have no SPS I am also starting the GFO back up.

We will see how it goes..

My poor SPS. I feel like the guy who keeps animals only to have them taken away due to lack of proper care.
 
Hang in there, Shawn! I maintain my main tank in what I consider a holding pattern for weeks at a time, and I know that my husbandry starts slipping when water quality begins to deteriorate. Usually it is something like feeding more in small daily increments, which adds up over time. We can remind each other to test on a regular basis. :)
 
I asked Dana Riddle what test kits he recommend s.

Here's his answer:

The phosphate test recommendation goes to the Instant Ocean phosphate kit (uses Hach's ascorbic acid reagent). If you prefer a digital readout, go with the Hanna Checker for phosphate (two are available, pick the one correct for your anticipated PO4 concentration).Alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium kits are colorimetric titrations. I use the Hach digital titrator and reagents. I only recently found out that *none* of the alkalinity tests available to hobbyists are entirely correct (including the Hach test I use). However, the result is close enough. Calcium & magnesium are determined by the sequential hardness method. Getting set up for these are fairly expensive. The Digital Titrator is $125 and alkalinity and Ca/Mg tests total ~$140. If you prefer other options, I have used Salifert and Tetra alkalinity kits. Calcium and magnesium kits... hmmm.... the Hanna Checker for calcium seems OK (see Advanced Aquarist for Hanna Checker product reviews). I draw a blank on Mg since I have always used Hach's method but hear the Salifert Mg kit is OK.
 
I haven't tried everything out there, but think salifert is pretty decent for alk ca mg. Hanna checker for phosphate is good. I would prefer liquid reagents over powder, but what can you do?
With API and salifert kit it is important to shake the sh*t out of the liquid reagent bottle before use!
 
I'm loving the red sea pro mag and ca kits (all liquid reagents in the mag kit!), and the hanna colorimeter for alk. I do notice that with the hanna checker (and the api tests too, for that matter) the readings become less accurate as I get down to the second half of the bottle. Whether the reagents just degrade over time, or to oxygen exposure, or I'm just not shaking the bottles frequently enough, I don't know. But it's cheaper to get a new bottle of reagent every few months than lose corals to a bad alk test.
 
treylane said:
I do notice that with the hanna checker (and the api tests too, for that matter) the readings become less accurate as I get down to the second half of the bottle. Whether the reagents just degrade over time, or to oxygen exposure, or I'm just not shaking the bottles frequently enough, I don't know.
Click to expand...

Interesting observation! Mind if I inquire how you determined the reading are less accurate over time? Have you noticed whether they tend to start drifting too high/too low or is it more random than that?
 
Shawn, did you do any dips of any sps during the trasfer to your friends tank just to see if any pests dropped off at all? How are they doing in his tank?
 
They are doing much better and we checked and dipped everything. He has a dedicated frag system thats NOT tied into the main system. Its a stand alone. I was told a little tissue loss but they are looking good now. Tips are looking better.

After all this I belive that it was a staright Alk issue. We checked each coral and no bite marks, eggs or worms to speak of. My wrasses took care of any thing I had.
 
Borchers said:
They are doing much better and we checked and dipped everything. He has a dedicated frag system thats NOT tied into the main system. Its a stand alone. I was told a little tissue loss but they are looking good now. Tips are looking better.

After all this I belive that it was a staright Alk issue. We checked each coral and no bite marks, eggs or worms to speak of. My wrasses took care of any thing I had.
Click to expand...

What wrasses do you have?
 
Oh wow, that's awesome. I was thinking about doing either a Sixline or Mandarin but doing both is probably out of the question if I'm putting together a 40B, huh?
 
I loved my yellow wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) aka canary wrasse. Though they are commonly called yellow coris they are not of that genus.
He was great for eating pests (monti-nudis and apparently planaria flatworms) but also, unfortunately, a carpet surfer. 3 circles on dorsal fin is a female or immature male. 4 circles is a mature male which will also have subtle but cool facial markings.

The green pastel wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus) is also a good pest wrasse but is more interested in eating inverts such as spaghetti worms, bristle worms, vermitid snails. He also attacks and is sometimes successful in killing trochus snails, hermit crabs and shrimp. Stays away from coral though. Has subtle markings as well and gets bigger than canary.

Gresham has previously recommended Melanurus wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus) as a pest controller for flatworms. Some people seem to recommend the entire Halichoeres genus as beneficial wrasses. I couldn't say whether that's true or not.
 
Well another update.

Tested last night after not dosing anything for a few days. Was slowly bringing up my ALK and doing water changes. New test results

ALK 10.1
Cal 460
Mag 1500+
Phos .08
PH 8.7
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

Started skimming wet and the stuff is horrid! Upped GFO a tablespoon. Shortened the lighting cycle by 4 hours. 2 off actinic and 2 off main lighting. SPS is doing good in buddies tank. Little tissue loss but all in all very good.
 
Nice! Stick with that gfo, .08 is fine, lets keep it there.
Alk is a touch high for my taste now, but should be better than 6. Dial it in and get your corals back!
 
Been a while for an update. Well SPS I kept are some what ok. I kept a few to see how that tank was recovering. Still on water changes weekly with testing every Friday. Hopefully soon my tank will be stable. What's funny is the Clams are growing and all the chalices look good except my Robokaki.
 
I had a true Red Dragon as well, I lost a Blue Matrix, Palmers Blue Millie and Rommels Rainbow Millie, what gives the best stuff always goes first!
 
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