Dying Torch Coral...!

[BCOrchidGuy]

Hagen and Tetra are both bargain test kits, in my opinion I wouldn't use either. I rather liked SeaChem test kits and there are other premium kits out there but Salifert has my vote as I said before. What are you using to test S.G.? Make sure if it's a plastic one with the arm that floats that there are no micro bubbles attatched to the arm, rinse it well in fresh water before you test S.G. (in my opinion) and DO NOT make sudden changes in salinity or pH, even reducing bad stuff to quickly can be bad. The old saying, doing something is better than doing nothing isn't always the best approach, first off you have to know if your test kits are accurate, one way to test for ammonia is to add a drop or two of ammonia to a mixing bowl of water then test and make sure your kit shows the ammonia... just an idea.

Doug

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by fishbait

.... I didn't realize the blue T5's don't really count towards total wattage..? Can someone expand on the reasoning for that a bit further? ....

Assuming the blue lights you are refering to are actinics....they are for aesthetic purposes, ie: they allow the more vibrant colours of marine life to be visible. They do not actually provide the correct spectrum for sustainability and growth.

Cheers,

[fishbait]

I don't have a copper test - though we are using an RO filter which I believe is supposed to remove all that good stuff.

Perhaps I should consider swapping out one or both of the actinics for regular T5 bulbs?

[Raf]

looks like that torch is doomed IMO.

also, test for copper, I could not figure out why all my new corals, snails and shrimp were dying when I added them until I tested the tap water...sure enough, copper.