Tank transfer didn't go well

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by High tide

I have never used Deltec salt, but I know some salts take a couple days to dissolve properly. Flow changes would not trigger RTN throughout your tank. Unless there is some information you left out, the stress of the transfer and a 40% water change with freshly mixed salt resonates. I never do a water change when I transfer a tank, too much change at once is detrimental to SPS. Ideally you would have started the new tank slowly with some water from your old tank and some live rock, while doing small fresh water change in your established tank prior to transfer.

That wasn't possible. It had to be done all at once.

I still don't see why the transfer would have really caused these kind of problem. Obviously it did but it still doesn't make sense to me. There really were not many changes. The corals were out of the old tank and in the new tank within 30 minutes.

I guess it must have to do with the water change, new tank having something bad in it (I did clean it though with RO water) or just my luck

FWIW, I always mix my salt a day before or less and have never had any problems over the past 6 years.

[High tide]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

That wasn't possible. It had to be done all at once.

I still don't see why the transfer would have really caused these kind of problem. Obviously it did but it still doesn't make sense to me. There really were not many changes. The corals were out of the old tank and in the new tank within 30 minutes.

I guess it must have to do with the water change, new tank having something bad in it (I did clean it though with RO water) or just my luck

FWIW, I always mix my salt a day before or less and have never had any problems over the past 6 years.

I hear ya, it's not always an ideal situation when doing a big job like that. Sounds like your salt dissolves quickly. All we can do is try and learn something from it to save our asses next time. Hopefully the death will stop soon and you can enjoy your new tank!

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by High tide

I hear ya, it's not always an ideal situation when doing a big job like that. Sounds like your salt dissolves quickly. All we can do is try and learn something from it to save our asses next time. Hopefully the death will stop soon and you can enjoy your new tank!

Yeah originally I wanted to do exactly what you had described and go really slow but it just wasn't going to work well. For one, I don't have enough equipment for both tanks (even just to keep good circulation) and two I didn't have nearly enough water or space. The new tank is quite wide and so even when I had just filled it with established tank water, it was under half full. Plus most of my corals are already encrusted to rocks. You can't even see the putty or superglue anymore to remove them. So most corals had to go with the rocks.

Perhaps it was the salt though or big water change...

Its either that or the sand I think. Will never know I guess.

[Whatigot]

may not be anything you did.
It's odd that some more delicate specimens made it some that were hardier did not.
Odd that your prams seem good and odd that you didnt do anything different than the 5 or 6 times I've had to move a reef and got few if any losses.


we're missing a piece of this puzzle and may never get it...
I guess thats aquaria for you sometimes, no matter how much you play by the book you just can't win em all.

[Doug]

Sorry to hear about this GSP. Truly unfortunate. I have switched tanks more than most, {but thats another story,}. Seldom any acro or other sps losses. Now that I have said that, my stuff is moving from my 20g to my 30g this weekend, so hope I never jinxed myself.

Cant see salt mix being a problem. Lots of times, I have mixed a major cganhe for only a couple hrs. no problem. Most of my tank changes have been like yours. Part old water and part new water. Have not done sand changes in awile but when we moved Mike,s from his 120 to his 150, we moved most of his sandbed, which he did rinse well prior to putting it in the new tank. And we left the sand over night before moving more, so not sure if that helped or not.

A few years back, the one time I did have a problem and lost many sps and clams on a tank move, was an alkalinity issue with then new water. How many of us measure the alk. of the new water? For sure back then I never. Do now though.

Other than that I,m at a loss.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Doug

Sorry to hear about this GSP. Truly unfortunate. I have switched tanks more than most, {but thats another story,}. Seldom any acro or other sps losses. Now that I have said that, my stuff is moving from my 20g to my 30g this weekend, so hope I never jinxed myself.

Cant see salt mix being a problem. Lots of times, I have mixed a major cganhe for only a couple hrs. no problem. Most of my tank changes have been like yours. Part old water and part new water. Have not done sand changes in awile but when we moved Mike,s from his 120 to his 150, we moved most of his sandbed, which he did rinse well prior to putting it in the new tank. And we left the sand over night before moving more, so not sure if that helped or not.

A few years back, the one time I did have a problem and lost many sps and clams on a tank move, was an alkalinity issue with then new water. How many of us measure the alk. of the new water? For sure back then I never. Do now though.

Other than that I,m at a loss.

Thanks Doug.

I thought alk right away too but I did actually test my new water and the old water. The new water was 8 and the old water 7ish, maybe closer to 7.5 (I am using Elos and it started to change colors inbetween drops kind of). So it was a little different but once I mixed the new water in, I tested and got 7.5. A day and a half later and I am still getting 7.5, so alk has stayed steady.

I guess I should mention, I have a lot of sps and even though I lost some of the bigger colonies, its maybe only about 15% loss. The tank doesn't look bare or anything. Infact it looks decent and now has plenty of room to grow. The problem is I lost some of my favorites

[fmelindy]

I have done a few tank transfers in my day (moved a lot), but the only time I ever had anything like this happen (and it was exactly like this) was the only time I reused the sand, so naturally I blame the sand. It was a total and complete tank meltdown within a few days of moving, beginning immediately after setting up the new tank. Sorry to hear about your losses, I feel for you.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by fmelindy

I have done a few tank transfers in my day (moved a lot), but the only time I ever had anything like this happen (and it was exactly like this) was the only time I reused the sand, so naturally I blame the sand. It was a total and complete tank meltdown within a few days of moving, beginning immediately after setting up the new tank. Sorry to hear about your losses, I feel for you.

Thanks. Well I hope this doesn't continue and become a total meltdown. Next time I think I would just skip using the old sand all together.

EDIT: Actually the latest acro that I thought was receding from a few tips was one that had fallen into another acro yesterday, so I think its fine and just damaged from that.

The lights are on now and all the remaining corals look really great actually. No signs of any new stress. The birdsnest has not receded anymore but I think I will frag it tonight to make sure it doesn't spread.

[mark]

No ideas but hope things come back