I'm about to quit this hobby. someone please help

[Tooch81]

I have two situations that i'm at my whits end about:

1) i think my dragonet is killing everything....maybe it's the damsel but something is. I used to have a scarlet shrimp, a blood red shrimp, a turbo snail, a blue crab, a halloween crab and a large variety of smaller snails. Over time, i've been finding the shells of the snails but nothing else. The dragonet was given to me from someone who said they are easy to keep and very docile. However, i'm realizing that something is killing everything and i only have two culprits. I know the blue velvet is territorial (hence my two clown fish jumping out of the tanks to their death), but he's never really tried to attack....just defend. Am i off base with the dragonet?

2) My corals keep dying on me. This is now my third time with "easy" corals and the first two i was able to identify a problem, with a lot of help from this board. The first time i put them in too early because my tank was too new. It's now 7 months old and totally stable. The second time, my filtration SUCKED and i wasn't emptying the protein skimmer enough so my levels spiked. I have since gutted the filtration, replaced it and everything has been running smoothly for 2 months since my last try. This try, i put the below corals in the tank and after 48 hours the trumpet is hollow (was it eaten maybe?), the brain has lost almost all of it's color and the zoas aren't opening? WTF am i doing wrong?

I have a lot of money and time into this tank because i've always wanted a coral, salt water tank.....but i'm almost done. I can't keep dumping money into fish and coral to just lose them. More importantly, i feel like the 4 horsemen because i have a constant morgue over here.

PLEASE HELP!!!

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Tank
30G biocube

Filtration
2 giant foam pads washed and cleaned monthly(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUFT3HU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00)
Polybio filters replaced pads every month (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004X25R1I?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00)
Matrix Carbon replaced monthly (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255S00?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01)
Purigen Pad replaced monthly (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002A5VK2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00)

Lighting
Current 24" Marine LED Light (http://www.marinedepot.com/Current_...xtures-Current_USA-CU04100-FILTFILDTN-vi.html)
.....Actinic blue
........30 minute fade in at 3:30PM
........Stays on Full power through 11:00PM
........30 minute fade out through 11:30PM
.....8,000K/12,000K white
........15 minute fade in at 4:00PM
........stays on full power through 10:00PM
........15 minute fade out through 10:15

Protein Skimmer
BioCube Coralife skimmer cleaned out daily (http://www.marinedepot.com/Coralife...for_Aquariums-Coralife-OA82053-FIAQAA-vi.html)

It's alive!
40+ lbs of live rock
20+ lbs of live sand
Blue Velvet Damselfish (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+28+114&pcatid=114)
Spotted Mandarin Dragonet (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1635+554&pcatid=554)
Emerald Crab (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=420+1805+1342&pcatid=1342)
Red Crab - no idea where this came from but i was cleaning my filters and a mineature crab was there. it's now about 1" big and doing fine.
2 Bumblebee Snails (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+526+565&pcatid=565)
4 Nassarius Snails (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+526+1133&pcatid=1133)
2 Margarita Snails (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+526+569&pcatid=569)
Colony Polyp, Orange/Green (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+599+1861&pcatid=1861)
Brain Worm Coral - i'm not sure which breed/type this is, but it's pink/purple
Trumpet Coral (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+2856+2139&pcatid=2139)

Tank Levels
3 gallon water change every week
78 degrees at all times
replaced evaporated water, about 1L per day, daily
Salinity - 1.025
PH - 8.07
Magnesium - 1360
KH - 179
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0
Calcium - 480
Phosphate - 0

 

[s_kelley]

Sounds like your pretty dialed in, tell us more about this red crab. Got any pictures of it? I'm Leary of all crabs and watch my emeralds closely even tho they're supposed to be completely reef safe

 

[jokersplayground]

Halloween crabs are not reef safe in my opinion. I have witnessed them eat coral when there is not enough food in the tank plus they will eat snails if there is not enough food also. You should also try to raise your ph a tad.

 

[Tooch81]

Halloween crabs are not reef safe in my opinion. I have witnessed them eat coral when there is not enough food in the tank plus they will eat snails if there is not enough food also. You should also try to raise your ph a tad.

The good news is that the halloween crab is gone.....no idea where he went, but i think the dragonet got him.

 

[G.T]

You give us your results but some i think may be read wrong. Its very unlikely that your calcium is 480ppm ! whats your Alk? A dragonet would not kill these creatures, its probally water quality.

 

[Tooch81]

Sounds like your pretty dialed in, tell us more about this red crab. Got any pictures of it? I'm Leary of all crabs and watch my emeralds closely even tho they're supposed to be completely reef safe

Thanks, i've taken all the advice ffrom this board and followed it to the letter. Thats partially why i'm so frustrated. As for the crab, it looks like a strawberry crab a little. I've actually only seen him 3 times since i first found him a month ago so i don't have any pictures.


http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+1907&pcatid=1907

 

[s_kelley]

If ya see it try to look at its eyes and claws and describe to us, I'm thinking it's the issue
I would toss it in my sump just to be sure

 

[Tooch81]

You give us your results but some i think may be read wrong. Its very unlikely that your calcium is 480ppm ! whats your Alk? A dragonet would not kill these creatures, its probally water quality.

YOu are correct. The calcium is 380 not 480. Typo. Sorry.

As fr the alkaline, i don't have a test for that. Can you recommend one? I'll buy it today and test it the second i get it and get back to you.

 

[jokersplayground]

To be safe I would just yank all crabs and either give them away or toss them. Crabs are lil devils and will kill every snail they can.

 

[Tooch81]

If ya see it try to look at its eyes and claws and describe to us, I'm thinking it's the issue
I would toss it in my sump just to be sure

Will do. I'll see if i can find it and flush it out with some food. I'll see if i can get a picture for you too.

 

[jokersplayground]

Sechem, red sea is good.

 

[Tooch81]

To be safe I would just yank all crabs and either give them away or toss them. Crabs are lil devils and will kill every snail they can.

Really, i've never been told that before. I've been told that they are great for cleaning the rocks and won't hurt anything. Anyone else have the issue of crabs killing corals and snails? I'll move them to the sump immediately if so.

 

[jokersplayground]

Most crabs won't touch coral unless it's dieing already but all crabs will kill snails. The only crab I trust is emerald crabs.

 

[Tooch81]

Good to know. I'll catch the crabs and raise the pH a little bit.

 

[Tooch81]

I do have an alkaline test. It's at 10 or 179 ppm KH.

I just added some buffer to increase the pH a little and drop the alkilinity to around 7

 

[JohnK]

"buffer"will raise the alk, not lower it. The term "buffer" is misleading the way the hobby uses it to refer to aquarium additives. It's generally just an alk supplement. (with seawater PH is a function of alk and Co2. If the alk is in the normal range, the PH will be buffered to stay in the normal range unless Co2 drives it down. Aquarium "buffer" products assume your alk is low, and will help to bring the alk back to the normal range, and that will restore the natural buffer effect)

 

[Tooch81]

"buffer"will raise the alk, not lower it. The term "buffer" is misleading the way the hobby uses it to refer to aquarium additives. It's generally just an alk supplement. (with seawater PH is a function of alk and Co2. If the alk is in the normal range, the PH will be buffered to stay in the normal range unless Co2 drives it down. Aquarium "buffer" products assume your alk is low, and will help to bring the alk back to the normal range, and that will restore the natural buffer effect)

rut ro scooby.!?!

What should the level be at? I'm reading conflicting between 6-8 and 8-12??

Also, if i need to lower it, i'll put some RO water in to dilute it.

 

[jokersplayground]

It depends on what you are trying to keep. Most acropora (sps) like lower alk 7. But lps and softies like 8 -12

 

[Tooch81]

It depends on what you are trying to keep. Most acropora (sps) like lower alk 7. But lps and softies like 8 -12

Ok, so i'm not up @!#$'s creek as much as i though. I have softies and LPS so i'm still stumped as to what's going on then?

 

[Tooch81]

Looks like after i raise the pH a little, everything will be in line for my corals.

Then when i trap the crabs, my snails will be ok.

Anyone else think it's going to be this simple?