Since you don't have aged water, don't change 75% then, stick to 50% because freshly mixed saltwater is harsh (but so are heavy metals in the contaminated carbon ack). Get more water mixing up and once it has been mixing for 24 hours do another 50-75% waterchange. If you can get a Boyd Poly Filter pad today, DO IT. Poly Filter will help to remove heavy metals.

Thanks Steve! Yup mine were quite a bit different ;)

water is mixing, going to leave it for 30 minutes the change 5g, then another 5g later and so on, as thats all I have for a bucket..

Actually, before totally panicking you should probably check the batch number on the container of Kent Carbon. There is a list in the recall thread I just posted. If it is indeed one of the affected batches you should raise quite a stink with Big Al's because they should have received the recall letter weeks ago and should not have any of the affected carbon on their shelves.

Was just about to suggest that...

Batch is EXC6OCT14 so apparently before the recall.. I called big als and they told me all this carbon is new, but obviously OCTOBER has long since past..

also cant find the thread on here. I googled the recall dates and it was dec-mid feb, but I'm sure october would have been affected too

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...threadid=84323

October batches are fine.

:lol: apparently not! ;) so I borrowed a 10g pail from my neighbour. lucky me! Mixing more water. poor corals and fish.. DAMN YOU KENT! :twised:

No, I think it is a false alarm. A waterchange definitely wouldn't hurt, but I don't think you have contaminated carbon. You could always send an email to Kent and ask "Are you sure EXC6OCT14 isn't affected?"

thanks Myka, and everyone for the help! Hopefully the water changes set things straight. I hope my montis have enough left to come back, everything is just shriveled up right now.. :( FIngers crossed!

If the date on the bottom wasnt listed in the recall then I can pretty much guarantee that your issue isnt related to kent carbon.....if your still in doubt then take a magnet and place it in your carbon container.....if there are any heavy metals in the carbon it will stick to the magnet......FWIW Ive been using kent carbon for years....

but why would everything just suddenly bleach? I have 3 dead snails now and my shrimp is a goner to.. might just sell the tank at this point..

I can afford to keep putting money into it and having things die. some one said a while back that they thought I would get out of the hobby soon. might be right

now the hammer coral and frogspawn, and ricordea mouths are all wide open. still no corals open. still waiting on water to mixed and heat up....

Anyone want this tank let me know.

Like Doug, I have also been using the Kent Carbon for years. Sometimes poop happens.

In regards to what is going on now, it really does sound like the same symptoms as the contaminated carbon, but it "can't" be. Hmm...definitely keep with the plan on the waterchange. Fwiw, I keep a 65 gallon drum of RODI water and a 20 gallon tub of saltwater on hand all the time just in case of problems like this. Many times if there is something significant and bad going on in the tank a large waterchange can really help to alleviate the trouble.

Don't give up yet! Pretty much every experienced reefer on here has had a major setback at some time or another. In my first few years I had not one, but two tanks crash due to faulty heaters getting stuck on. I learned from the first experience to buy a better brand of heater. From the second experience I learned to use two small heaters rather than one big one. 15 years later I haven't cooked another tank (touch wood). The trouble is that there is often a lot of money tied up in these reef tanks (usually relative to a person's income). My best advice is "don't spend more than you can afford to lose". This is a hobby and therefore it is also a luxury that we don't need to spend money on. Decide on a budget and stick to it. The pressure will then be off your shoulders and you will be able to appreciate your tank more. I also advise to not bite off more than you can chew (like buying stags for example).

dont quit buddy , just take a breath and listen to me, your doing to much , think about it you noticed a small problem that wasnt a problem , you rectified the problem(which doesnt exist) since there was no problem now youve upset the balance of your already fragile system my advice do your water changes and relax. losing a few corals in your first setup is nothing alot of us including myself have lost full systems the trick is knowing that success isnt easy and expecting the worst before it happens is being prepared:P

biggest and hardest lesson is keep it simple in your case right now its water changes and get things back to routine, consistency and maturity are the key.


if i were you i would do some water changes add nothing and monitor..... after stability comes back i would look into gettng some birdsnest or pocci as my first sps frag:)

cheers buddy and good luck any questions just shoot i would be glad to help any way:)


stop buying beginner frags at lfs those should be free from reefers then once you know you can do it go buy the stuff you want to have:):)

Thanks myka. And i know. I'm just frustrated. I'm waiting for the part where I get to sit back and look at the tank and say, wow look at what I have made. You know? But i am no where near there and seeing a set back like this just makes me think I won't see it anytime soon you know?

And thanks to Denny too. I think I'm going t stay away from sps for now. My kontis look bleached but maybe they can come back. Should i take out ky chemipure elite too? I haven't heard anything bad about it yet. Maybe the calcium was the thing that bunged up my system. I just hope my 22 zoa frags are ok LOL. Lots of nice zoos there.

kenny if you want the security of adding the things without worrying about if it will survive then play the patience game , pretend your tank doesnt exist for a month or 2 just do water changes and keep the livestock happy, as your tank matures and if its left alone to grow it will be able to handle alot more:)

whats the biggest concern you have right now with your tank??:):)

smart move buddy just let it grow if conditions are right the montis will come back within a week or two.

chemipure should be fine:)


remember new tanks dont take to changes very well especially a bunch of small ones like ...new carbon,large water changes,calcium additives etc....when it rarely ever sees these things anyways......stability first.....additives second:)

My biggest concern is not screwing it up anymore so I can get my tank looking as good as all of yours

buddy my tanks a dive lol im debating on giving it away to the next poster:P:P

I dunno I loved your tank. Special that giant carpet nem

there ya go lesson learned we are all our own worst critics cause i love your tank i think your off to a great start with lots of potential,just dont quit before tyou have a chance to see it:):)

want a carpet lol:P

Nahh I know. I just hate killing things. Like my new shrimp LOL poor guy.

ive been reefing since i was 19 im now 30 in may.......my death list is prob about 4 canreef pages long...trust me your doing good:)


i hate to kill things too.....all the more reason to get free testers off reefers cheaper and not a big deal if you lose it it isnt wild caught:):)

Wow, sorry to read this thread and your struggles Nano! I'm also thankful for you posting, as it's extremely informative, loads of info lots of reefers can use! Don't give up, your new tank has become one of my favorites, it's too nice and you've worked too hard to get this one going! I know mine can be better too and can't wait for this and that, but I do sit in front if it now and think, hey this is pretty freaking cool the way it is, even with the diatoms and I'm sure there's an algae outbreak coming....:lol:

Thanks coral I appreciate that. It's just frustrating is all.

Yup, but you've mastered taking photos of your tank and corals and have some wicked cool shots, I still can't get a decent pic since I transferred my tank and that's frustrating!!

I don't like things dying either, been ok with corals, not so much with fish, so just taking things slowly and always researching! I've got a couple simple sps, one that was bleached but still had polyps, so I moved it to the sand and it's got great color now after a few months, but i've lost about 5 other frags.

Hey nano if it's any consolation I think we are in the same spot with our learning curve give or take a few points and I just bleached one of my first SPS too.

Like you I got a monti cap, and he's fine. Also have a birdnest, and he's doing okay too. The third guy (can't remember the name), wasn't in the tank for 3 hours and he went white on me. I think he died to warn me that I'm being too impatient. My tank's only a few months old after all, just like yours.

The beautiful pics up on this site that we see look so great but the owners are very quick to tell you that Rome wasn't built in a day and they've spent hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours to make their set ups look so good. I bet there's not a single person on this forum that hasn't accidently killed a coral by inexperience or a simple mistake. Don't beat up yourself over it! And don't give your tank away either (unless it's to me :mrgreen:!)

NOPE... mine was definitly contaminated and it WAS NOT in the batch they recalled.

So anyone using Kent carbon recently bought should return it no matter what because it still might be contaminated despited them not issuing a recall!

Here is their reply when I asked them why my carbon was not in the recall:

"They could only test batches that they had samples for. That is why we are asking for samples from batches that we have not been able to test."

So they only did a recall in the carbon they tested, that's all. Anyone having some bad reaction with their corals after adding Kent carbon should remove it immediatly, then do a large water change and add some Polyfilter to filter out the copper and nickel which were the heavy metals contaminants in my batch of carbon.

NO NO and NO. They only recalled what they tested for! any batch of Kent carbon could be contaminated.

So do not garantee something like that!

I have a professional laboratory analysis of my carbon to prove this and my carbon was not in that list, yet it was very much contaminated.

What is that magnet going to do??? does copper attach to magnet????? I don't think so.

so it is a possibility that the carbon is the culprit, but not 100% closed case. at any rate it is out of the tank, I am doing water changes, and hope the corals turn around and open up in a day or 2. But still waiting to see if it solves anything, I also think adding carbon may have just added to it, so it could be a combination of 2 things

Wow, that is very interesting Daniella, thanks for sharing that.

Did you get a waterchange done Nano? How is everything looking?

yes 25% everything is still mad at me but I have some filter floss as well to hopefuly help out a bit

yes yes and yes......Ive seen a contaminated batch of kent carbon sticking to a magnet......I would like to see this professional laboratory analysis of your kent carbon......that must have cost a pretty penny to have your carbon tested like that....

Nano, the filter floss isn't likely to help. The Boyd Poly-Filter isn't typical filter floss...it is very good at absorbing heavy metals. It claims to do other things, but it is best known for its heavy metal absorbancy.

Here ya go Doug...



http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...9&postcount=87

Ask and you shall receive. :wink:

So I did another 10g WC today, and have another 15g for later maybe tuesday. There are a few zoo's peeking out now which is nice to see. I think I might have 2 snails that survived. LPS still looks mad though. maybe later in the day or tomorrow will hold a different tale