Help, still struggling

[Corwyn]

So I've had a AIO 30g up and running for about a year now.
It has never seemed to take off.

I cycled.

Recently I posted by perams and the only thing out of wack was the SG which was a bit too high at 1.032

I reduced over the next 2 weeks, and now it is at .025. PH is at 8.2 all other perams are in the acceptable range.

I have a pair of clown in there that I got when they wer about a 1/2" they are not healthy happy fat 3-4 inches.
couple of hermits still alive

BUT other than green hair algea nothing will stay alive.
I have transferred red and green mushrooms from my 170 red sea where they are taking over the bottom half of the tank and within 24 hours they die.

I have done multitude of water changes, large water changes, frequent water changes, I've done 50% water change where I took the water from the up and running red sea tank and added it to this tank

SAME result. I CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHY!!

only 2 new things on this tank I have not used before is
Liferock which I am beginning to suspect is leaching something into the tank - though copper and Iron show zero. and
current USA PRO lights ( I went with that because it's a 15" deep tank and with the sand and rock it's only about 11 on the average. and I was only planning on softies)

Any suggestions or should I just flush the tank?

 

[scavdog]

Hang in there man. What kind of filtration are you running? Is the tank skimmerless?

 

[dz6t]

Most likely is the rock, it is contaminated before you get them.

 

[Reefer508]

Check all your pumps, powerhead, heaters for rust or cracks.

 

[thrillreefer]

Mushrooms “dying” like melting? Or just closed up? Seems like a *major* difference in parameters like salinity/pH/temp/alk to actually kill mushrooms in 24 hours. Or something could eating them, etc. If you’ve ruled out heavy metals by ICP, and even those I wouldn’t expect instant death. Shrooms are tough animals!

How are you checking salinity? Well calibrated?

 

[ChrisV]

Have you tried doing ICP testing? Was the rock new or purchased from another reefer?

 

[Joe Rice]

have a pair of clown in there that I got when they wer about a 1/2" they are not healthy happy fat 3-4 inches.

Did you mean to type "now healthy"?

 

[Corwyn]

YEs the fish are totally healthy
I use a refractometer for SG calibrated with rodi water

I got the life rock from a member here who said they used it on their tank and this was left over.
My tanks is just a 30g AIO
I have a skimmer on the tank _ cant remember the brand anymore I bought it for a small tank over 12 years ago, then it sat for a decade while I had my 180..

the mushrooms simply vanished overnight, like there was no trace of them left AT ALL!

This is what they look like in the tank I took them out of for comparison finger for scale.
brand new heater and pump was 6 months old inspected both, cant see anything.

I have some carbon, and phosguard in the overflow and sponge filter I clean with water changes

 

[highfive52]

I can't keep mushrooms to save my life. They dissappear. But I can grow hard to keep pieces....go figure.

 

[MarkSzy]

Have you tested to see if something is putting stray voltage into the tank? I bought a cheap powerhead for my mixing barrel and one day got a nice shock when I put my hand in the water. Just a thought.

 

[serwobow]

YEs the fish are totally healthy
I use a refractometer for SG calibrated with rodi water

Calibration with rodi water is a big mistake. It is so different from salt water that it could lead to large errors in your salinity. You want to use salt water at 35ppt to calibrate, because this is what you want your tank to be at.

 

[Corwyn]

Have you tested to see if something is putting stray voltage into the tank? I bought a cheap powerhead for my mixing barrel and one day got a nice shock when I put my hand in the water. Just a thought.

no have not checked that. I will look into that.

 

[Corwyn]

Calibration with rodi water is a big mistake. It is so different from salt water that it could lead to large errors in your salinity. You want to use salt water at 35ppt to calibrate, because this is what you want your tank to be at.

Hmm that's interesting,
I googled how to calibrate and found this vid
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf...=1067&dpr=1#kpvalbx=_JlQVYtiHM8qe_Qb-s4aoDQ20

Never seen or ever heard anyone talk about acurasea or anything like it before.

 

[davev]

Wow, so this is deja vu all over again for me. My general advice is start with the basics and work your way up as I'd suspect it's something relatively obvious.

I see salinity being suggested as a possible cause and this was EXACTLY the cause of my early failures in the hobby. I had a miscalibrated refractometer that resulted in me having crazy high salinity and killed almost everything I tried to put into the tank.

I'm not saying that salinity is your problem but I'd suggest you check and double check the basics before chasing some of the less-common potential issues. I can't tell you the time I spent (mostly because I'm embarrassed) chasing some of less common issues only to come up empty.

I wanted to quote Sherlock Holmes here and say, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." - but that's the opposite of what I'm suggesting - eliminate the obvious first..

Good luck!

 

[coralfishreef]

Hmm that's interesting,
I googled how to calibrate and found this vid
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=APq-WBvv1ADZ4--239vR_03BAGKcXqTxdw:1645564933443&q=how to calibrate a refractometer with distilled water&ved=2ahUKEwjJ37-Kn5T2AhWnc98KHfKlAjsQmoICKAF6BAgEEAs&biw=1920&bih=1067&dpr=1#kpvalbx=_JlQVYtiHM8qe_Qb-s4aoDQ20

Never seen or ever heard anyone talk about acurasea or anything like it before.

There are several refractometer calibration fluids for sale. I’ve tried 3 of them in the past. From what I recall, all 3 of them gave different readings. I use a hydrometer to calibrate my refractometer.

 

[rock-n-reef]

There are several refractometer calibration fluids for sale. I’ve tried 3 of them in the past. From what I recall, all 3 of them gave different readings. I use a hydrometer to calibrate my refractometer.

+1.
I have been using the Tropic Marin hydrometer to calibrate. Pretty accurate.

High Precision Hydrometer

Ensure that your equipment is reading correctly and your aquarium is at the right salinity with Tropic Marin's High Precision Hydrometer. Many tank inhabitants are sensitive even to minor changes of the water conditions. Unfortunately as we've all experienced, salinity reading equipment as...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

+1.
I have been using the Tropic Marin hydrometer to calibrate. Pretty accurate.

High Precision Hydrometer

Ensure that your equipment is reading correctly and your aquarium is at the right salinity with Tropic Marin's High Precision Hydrometer. Many tank inhabitants are sensitive even to minor changes of the water conditions. Unfortunately as we've all experienced, salinity reading equipment as...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I just recently invested in one of these also.

 

[Chris.sturgis]

I just recently got a Milwaukee refractometer and 1.026 sg standard solution and to my surprise my handheld refractometer was reading .002 sg low. I was using RO water for calibration. A hydrometer would be the most accurate reading but user error can be high since you have to make sure there are no air bubbles and you need to ensure your temperature compensation is correct. Like what was previously mentioned I would highly recommend getting calibrated standard solution to confirm your meter is reading accurate and not rely on RO water.

 

[highfive52]

Please stop water changes and let tank settle in. You will be quite surprised that it will launch. Oh and that macro dry crap rock takes forever.