TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE!!!!!!!!!!!

[VNVixen]

I need some real help. I started a reef tank in November, 20H, JBJ PC lights,instant ocean salt. After cycling the water for a week, I added 15lbs of Fiji and lets the tank cycle for the whole month of December. Everything was looking beautiful and the rock started to turn purple. All was well and good. On 1/11/03, I brought home my first group of snails/hermit crabs/green star polyps/calerpa/mushrooms/and something that looks like a leather. $200 worth of start up! Everything was great for a week. After that, I have been on a down hill crash course. The polyps peeled up and off in places, and haven't come out completely. The calerpa was officially pronounced dead today. The leather looking thing detached last week and hasn't opened. I have lost 3 hermit crabs. The Fiji has turned white in places, and seemed to be crumbling for a while.
MY WATER PARAMETERS ARE PERFECT!!!!!!!! I have tested my water every day for 2 weeks, and I rarely varies a fraction! To make sure my test kit was ok, I went to 2 different LFS. They both said the same thing, my water is fine. The owner at one store suggested that maybe my powerhead was craked and volting the water. I replaced it just to be safe, and put the old one into the plastic container that holds my water change water. I will post my water readings as of today. I need advice. I have not seen any worms or anything in the tank that I have not put in it myself. PLEASE!!! Any advice would be great.
temp=80
salinity=1.022
alk= 3.2
pH=8.2
KH=12
nh3/nh4/no2/no3/cl=0
Ca=400
PO4=1
O2=10
i'm only feeding brine shrimp every 3 days, so the hermit crabs have something to eat.
aim or email if anyone thinks it is an emergency

[Fiji Live Rock]

I am at a loss for words...I really can't think of anything right now. As soon as I do however, I will edit this post and let you know! :?

[VNVixen]

Fiji, you on AIM? I am banefull00 if you have a minute

[phistio]

this is a temple scratcher!!! everything seems to be in check!??!!

something caustic has to be in your tank...something leaching in...from the silicone or something...

i don't really know what to tell you...



:? :cry:

[reefrunner]

PO4=1

Is this a correct figure? As in 1.0? OR did you mean .1 or .01? That high a level of PO4 would do it, although I'd think you'd have quite the algae bloom. I suspect you meant .1.

Is this your 18g tank?

What kind of water are you using for top off? What kind of water did you fill th tank with?

What is the scale on the O2, I'm not sure if that's good or bad...I don't test for dissolved O2.

You say the caulerpa has been dieing for some time? Has it gone sexual in places? Turned white?

Everything was great for a week. After that, I have been on a down hill crash course.

What happened at the end of that first week? Did you do a water change? Spray for bugs? Paint the house? Etc...anything out of the ordinary happen? Any visitors (especially small children) than may have dropped something in the tank?

There is an answer to this, and you have the answer...we just6 have to ask the right questions for you to give us the answer.

[Fugly]

Did your tank have anything in it prior to setting it up for reef use??
As mentioned earlier it may be something contaminating the silicone.

[Pineapple House]

Hmm...
How long did you aclamate all this? If they're dying off, it's from stress reasons. Quick aclamations can do just that for a coral, and usually shows signs after a week or so. This could have caused some of the strangs actions in the corals. As for the rocks- any fast changes in temperature, salinity, pH, or calcium lately? Please answer as many questions in this thread as posible, thanks.

PH =)

[Pineapple House]

January 23rd, 2003:
ph 8.6

I know that's quite high, which may have cause some of this, if not most of it. Even though this is high, you should lower it slowely. How fast did you lower it?

PH =)

[phistio]

also...this might be a strange question, but do you smoke?

[VNVixen]

:lol: I will try to answer everyones questions, in hopes that we can get to the bottom of this. Thank you for all your replies!!!

I guess i will go bottom to top.

I do not smoke.

my ph was 8.6 once, but it is now at a stable 8.2.

When I acclimated over the corals, i took about 3 hours. I put them in a rubbermaid tub w/ the fish stores water. I ran some air hose tubing from the tank to the tub and driped in water from my tank. after about 45 minutes, I had doubled the amount of water by adding mine to the fish store's. I then emptyed half of the water and started again. I did this 3 times total. The lights were off when I added everything, and nothing was out of water longer than it took to move it from the bucket to the tank. My lights are on a timer, so that has not changed. Temp is a constant 80. Ph went up a little, bit, but it went back down and has been at 8.2 for 3 days now.

My tank prior to this was a breeding tank for my freshwater angelfish. In a chat some mentioned coppper, however, the water for my angelfish is RO water, that is strained and filtered over peat prior to going into the tank. This is called black water, it takes the pH down to 6.6, which is breeding condition. Because of 2 weekly water changes, no chemicals were ever added. I dont think I have had a fish sickness in almost 8 years, so no meds like coper or anything else were in that tank.


Po4 is 0.1. I believe it is this high because everything is dying. normal range is >0.05. Although I DON'T have any algea. I might, but the snails take care of that. (on a side note, do snailed eat the coraline algea? or is that all just dying off too?)

One thing my bf pointed out, the shells from the 2 dead hermit crabs are missing. I looked in the tank today, and sure enough, could not find one single extra shell. I know I removed 2 dead different bodies, so I should at least have 2 empty shells, right? Just another mystery.

I did my water tests again this morning and everything was the same as my first post from yesterday.

lemme know if you have anymore questions or comments or opinions.

ttyl

[anemoneman]

One thing my bf pointed out, the shells from the 2 dead hermit crabs are missing. I looked in the tank today, and sure enough, could not find one single extra shell. I know I removed 2 dead different bodies, so I should at least have 2 empty shells, right? Just another mystery.
Can't help with the crash but as far as the hermits go, I'm 90% sure you found the crab's exoskeleton left behind after molting. Crabs will molt after high stress which is not unusual in your case. You probably have the same number fo crabs you started with.

[reefrunner]

What kind of water are you using for top off? What kind of water did you fill th tank with?

What is the scale on the O2, I'm not sure if that's good or bad...I don't test for dissolved O2.

You say the caulerpa has been dieing for some time? Has it gone sexual in places? Turned white?

Everything was great for a week. After that, I have been on a down hill crash course.

What happened at the end of that first week? Did you do a water change? Spray for bugs? Paint the house? Etc...anything out of the ordinary happen? Any visitors (especially small children) than may have dropped something in the tank?


Please answer these questions.

JBJ PC lights

What is the wattage? What are the bulb spectrums?

[VNVixen]

i use plain h20 for top offs, and premixed water for water changes/and for the orig. fill up. I pre mix my water 1 week in advance in a rubbermaid tub, instant ocean for salt and RO water. I have an extra bathroom that is for all my different aquariums water and hospital tanks, etc. :lol: (my water closet) I use RO water only. My tap water sux.
the o2 range depends on your temp. and your elevation from sea level. mine is within range, right at 10, and the range for me is 8-12.
the caulerpa was fine for the first week like everything else, and yes, some of the tips were whiteish. However, it all wilted and turned a shriveled dark green, so I trimmed it back a lot to about an inch.
reefrunner wrote:
What happened at the end of that first week? Did you do a water change? Spray for bugs? Paint the house? Etc...anything out of the ordinary happen? Any visitors (especially small children) than may have dropped something in the tank?
Nothing like that happened, I did not do a water change, because I have a protien skimmer and didn't have to do one after only a week. I did one about 1 week and 3 days after initial set up on the advice of the lfs after everything started to go down hill. I keep gecko's for pest control, no bug spray allowed! No visitor, ESP small children. I live in the upper level apartment. I don't think that the complex sprayed for bugs downstairs, and no one has come into the apartment. I am a full time college student and I work full time. I am on a tight schedule, so anything that can be automated is; food, lights. Nothing in my schedule changed. All ordinary.
Thanks for all your help!!!

Fot lights, I have 36w 50/50 straight 10000k power compacts. I just today bought an additional 37w 10000k power compact so I can later on keep SPS coral. That gives me a total of 73w on an 18 high, about 4 watts per gallon. The bulbs are 6500K daylight and blue actinic lamp built side-by-side. Since I am new, I kinda came up with this on my own, so lemme know if this is not enough. Here is a link to the set, but I bought them on ebay for $40. http://www.jbjlighting.com/sys_clamp_on.html

[Fiji Live Rock]

No. - Snails won't eat your Coraline Algae. :wink:

Also...I still haven't thought of anything sence our chat on AOL IM. :?

[RazerCorals]

Is it possible that the corals are too close together and creating a chemical war? Because if they are all releasing toxins into the tank this could kill your inverts. Also you added all of these at once, correct? Then they would show the signs of deteration after one week.

Another scenario is that one started deterating first and is polluting the whole tank, causing a downspiral.

[phistio]

while i might agree with you watchman, i find it hard to believe that green star polyps, a mushroom, and a leather would all "fight" each other...

but you bring up a good point...at this point, i'm concerned that the leather might possibly be the problem...anyone elses' thoughts on this?

[RazerCorals]

Yea even though these are all softies, and its mainly LPS ans SPS you have to worry about. I could happen. 3 corals in an 18 gallon. Doesn't take that much time for bad water quality to occur.

Bad water meant by chemically polluted.

[Chryocon]

I know I am probably wrong, but is it possible a sea cucumber hitch hikes into your tank on your live rock. I think they can be about as devastating as what you are describing.....

[reefrunner]

I know I am probably wrong, but is it possible a sea cucumber hitch hikes into your tank on your live rock. I think they can be about as devastating as what you are describing.....

This is a good possibility, although I think something traumatic would have happened to the tank to cause the cuke to nuke.

In relation to your photoperiod, what time are you testing your ph?
What part of the photoperiod do you check your temp?
What is your photoperiod?
You may have too little light. 36W on a 20H tank isn't that much, I realize you just added another 36W, how is it doing with the new light?