SPS die-off two years in a row

[finrod2]

Guys,
I've had significant STN (SPS tip first die-off) events in my 375g two years in a row during April/early May. I live in Chicago and it happened just as the weather started to warm up. Are there seasonal issues that happen that cause this problem. PH issue? My KH really didn't have any significant swings. My Monti's went first then acros. I lost over 75% of my corals. Any suggestions?

[LobsterOfJustice]

Sometimes municipal water supplies will run yearly spikes of chloramine, chlorine, or some other chemical to clean out the lines, maybe your town does this in the spring...


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[finrod2]

Those should be blocked by RO/DI though, correct?

[LobsterOfJustice]

Not necessarily... if your city usually uses standard chlorine and spikes with chloramine, and you don’t have a catalytic carbon block in your unit for chloramine removal.


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[finrod2]

I have a 7 stage system water filter
5 micron, 1 micro pre filter
5 micron, 1 micron carbon block
RO
DI 1, DI 1

[tp5056]

Have you checked with any other local reefers in Chicago that may come across the same issue.


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[Skynyrd Fish]

Any pesticides sprayed in the building, or spring cleaning events? Paint fumes?

[acesq]

Iv'e experienced similar issues in the past. Once I determined that my tap water was the culprit -- high chloramine and byproducts -- I beefed up my R/O Di by adding an extra large catalytic carbon bock. I replace it and my RO membranes whenever I notice my montis and SPS losing color. For me that is about one a year to 18 months. I replace the other cartridges (prefilter, two standard carbon blocks and 3 DI cartridges) every six months or so.

There could be many causes, but if your tank is otherwise stable, my guess is the water.

[mike810]

Originally Posted by finrod2

I have a 7 stage system water filter
5 micron, 1 micro pre filter
5 micron, 1 micron carbon block
RO
DI 1, DI 1

Your unit isn't properly equipped to remove chloramines. You need a special carbon block just for the chloramines.

[finrod2]

Why would Chloromines only be an issue 1x a year? I will ask around here is chicago.

Here are the specs for the 5 micron and 1 micron BRS carbon blocks that I use:

1 micron:
Compatible with all BRS systems as well as all competitor systems which use a standard 10” filter.
Specifically formulated for superior Chloramine reduction 1 µm (micron) Nominal Filtration*
Chlorine 35,000 @ 1 GPM**
Chloramines 3,500 @ 0.5 GPM***
High chemical adsorption
30% more carbon than standard blocks****

*Nominal Micron rating for all above - 1 micron
**2ppm free chlorine >90% reduction
***3ppm monochloramine >85% reduction
****Manufacturer's internal test data

5 micron
Chlorine 15,000 @ 1 GPM**
High chemical adsorption*
30% more carbon than standard blocks***
VOC Reduction
Exceptionally low pressure drop

[acesq]

Chloramines eat through carbon blocks very quickly. The BRS blocks are fine, but must be changed regularly -- every three months or so depending on how much water you filter. With your large system, I would add a large carbon block in addition to the small ones and change the large one every year and the small ones every 6 months. That's what I did to solve my SPS issues.

[LobsterOfJustice]

Originally Posted by finrod2

Why would Chloromines only be an issue 1x a year? I will ask around here is chicago.

Some (many?) municipalities run annual spikes of different chemicals at different levels than their standard regime to sanitize/flush the system. I know my town does this every spring.

There are plenty of other things it could be but I just brought it up because it’s something annual that is often overlooked.



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[finrod2]

Thanks guys, I'll get a big one and add to my system.

[finrod2]

Spoke with my village public works today, they don't add chloramines but do add chlorine that does bread down into some of the chloramine components. They also flush the hydrants 2 x per year (in April) when they also double the chlorine they add to the water. This might be the culprit if the chlorine overwhelms the filters that that month, it certainly lines up as far as timing is concerned.

[AddictReef]

Most years during the transition of weather I notice my sps look unhappy for a bit.

It may be as in cooler weather my temp
Stays within 1 degree and during warm it fluctuates 3 degrees...maybe.

Could be the pollen also.


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[ThRoewer]

I had a similar issue twice and one of them was definitely tha RO system gone bad.

I wonder if it would help to add a carbon block after the RO and DI units to eliminate whatever chloramine may have slipped through.

[NeverlosT]

Ive seen this in several big systems in several municipalities. The chlorine/chloramine dose at the town level coinciding with significant SPS loss. It is a real bummer.

Hopefully with a few more specific purpose carbon blocks you can get in front of it.

[Daddi0]

My water company doses heavy with chloramine. As an "insurance policy" I have been adding Alpha for reefs water conditioner to all my R/O (both for top-off and for salt mixing). It says it removes chlorine, chloramine and converts amonia. I have been adding .3ml per 5 gallons for over a year. I dont suppose there is a downside? For less than $20 a 12oz. bottle treats 5,800 gallons.
Cheers? Mark