At a loss - where to go now

[mr_noodles]

Livestock death sucks. It's even worse when your ENTIRE tank dies.

Hi, I'm Alan. I've been a FOWLR tank owner for about a year now. I started with just a single clownfish in my 45gal tank. It was amazing - everything popped and fish were slowly introduced until I hit my limit at about month 6. Around month 9, I had a tank crisis and lost a couple of fish. The water was cloudy and the fish were gasping for air. I posted in the Emergency topic group and got quick help, saving what I still had. Yesterday, I had the same occurrence but with dozens of bristleworms that I never knew I had just died off collectively. Additionally, this long, slimy white goop draped off of everything - powerheards, waterfalls, live rock, etc. I immediately did a 40% water change and everything was back to normal with the exception of the protein skimmer, pumping out fist-sized amount of bubbles every 10 minutes. I left for the store a few hours ago and returned to everything close to dead - swimming upside down, darting into walls and rocks. Looking at it, there was no way I could safely save everything in the tank. In a matter of 20 minutes, everything was deceased - fish, hermits, snails..

I'm posting this today to get recommendations from where to go from here. What can I salvage from the tank, what should I toss, and what should I do to prevent such an issue. Additionally, any ideas on how to restart would be appreciated.

My current setup:
45gal tank
Canister filter w/ 2 media trays (from top to bottom: coarse filter, carbon filter, floss filter, ammonia/nitrate sponge)
Protein Skimmer
Powerhead
2" sandbed
5 liverocks (medium to large size)

Thank you!

::EDIT:: My target here is to see what I can save now before I start ripping things apart. I'll definitely be investing more time into correcting my mistakes, doing more research, and rebuilding later down the road.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

#reedsquad

 

[Flippers4pups]

Sorry this happened. Does on the surface sound like contamination. Airborne, water or electrical failure. Especially with how quickly everything died.

"White stringy" sounds like bacteria from die off.

 

[mr_noodles]

Sorry this happened. Does on the surface sound like contamination. Airborne, water or electrical failure. Especially with how quickly everything died.

"White stringy" sounds like bacteria from die off.

I'm assuming this came from the extreme amounts of bristleworms that crawled out of the live rock to die off. I've never seen them before, so they must have been hiding for quite some time.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I'm assuming this came from the extreme amounts of bristleworms that crawled out of the live rock to die off. I've never seen them before, so they must have been hiding for quite some time.

Even with a lot of bristle worms, something caused everything to die off quickly. Bristle worms wouldn't all of a sudden just all die.

Do you use RO/DI water? Have you done anything differently lately with the tank?

 

[mr_noodles]

Even with a lot of bristle worms, something caused everything to die off quickly. Bristle worms wouldn't all of a sudden just all die.

Do you use RO/DI water? Have you done anything differently lately with the tank?

I live in a pretty rural area and the closest thing to RO/DI water is distilled gallon jugs I buy from the supermarket. I've been using that water for a while now and have never had a problem. Maybe a bad batch?

 

[Albertan22]

Any stray electrical current in the water? I unknowingly cracked a heater many years ago while moving a skimmer and had a similar rapid die off event. Check your equipment and also if their is any tingly sensation when you put your hands in the water.

 

[MichaelReefer]

How often were you cleaning the Canister filter? From what I've always heard, they aren't really ideal for Salt Water because they are bacteria factories and need to be cleaned just as often as one would replace filter socks.

 

[mr_noodles]

How often were you cleaning the Canister filter? From what I've always heard, they aren't really ideal for Salt Water because they are bacteria factories and need to be cleaned just as often as one would replace filter socks.

I do a rinse once a month and change floss every other cleaning. I know the stories of canisters but I've never had a problem with them as long as they're maintained well and have the proper media. I've went through the whole debate forums on canister vs sump and of those who had canisters, nobody had really big issues with them. But then again, this all happened so I may not be 100% correct.

 

[MichaelReefer]

I do a rinse once a month and change floss every other cleaning. I know the stories of canisters but I've never had a problem with them as long as they're maintained well and have the proper media. I've went through the whole debate forums on canister vs sump and of those who had canisters, nobody had really big issues with them. But then again, this all happened so I may not be 100% correct.

I mean, I'm no expert, I've only been doing aquariums for about three years, only about a year and a half of which was Saltwater. I'm just going off of what I have heard. It seems like it was an extremely rapid die off though, which is somewhat weird.

 

[Cory]

Sorry for your loss.

What i would have done was mix up a batch of salt water with a power drill and paint mixer (to aerate it quickly), net the fish and throw them in immediately until i get the tank under control. Then id take em to a lfs until tanks figured out and normal. This way some would possibly be saved.

 

[Terri Caton]

I live in a pretty rural area and the closest thing to RO/DI water is distilled gallon jugs I buy from the supermarket. I've been using that water for a while now and have never had a problem. Maybe a bad batch?

FYI. I read a study that CVS is the best brand of distilled water for a tank.

 

[Cory]

FYI. I read a study that CVS is the best brand of distilled water for a tank.

Any distilled water is good provided it isnt distilled with copper pipes.

 

[mr_noodles]

Any distilled water is good provided it isnt distilled with copper pipes.

Not sure Walmart's distilling process. I switched to Food Lion (grocery store) - my friend uses their water and has never had an issue.

 

[Cory]

Not sure Walmart's distilling process. I switched to Food Lion (grocery store) - my friend uses their water and has never had an issue.

You would need to get ahold of the manufacturer to find out.

 

[tripdad]

I used a canister filter back in the 80's for several years on a fowler with no crashes. I would clean it at least bi -weekly. Your discription is very much bacteria bloom like. Moving forward keep an eye on water clarity. Watch for any cloudiness at all and run carbon, lightly, in a bag if possible. Send a sample of your source water out for testing. If you have an extension office near you they will sometimes offer it for free. If not try ATI's service as they test both source and tank. Also keep your tank temp on the lower side, bacteria blooms love heat. Sorry for your losses, wishing you better results going forward.

 

[mr_noodles]

I used a canister filter back in the 80's for several years on a fowler with no crashes. I would clean it at least bi -weekly. Your discription is very much bacteria bloom like. Moving forward keep an eye on water clarity. Watch for any cloudiness at all and run carbon, lightly, in a bag if possible. Send a sample of your source water out for testing. If you have an extension office near you they will sometimes offer it for free. If not try ATI's service as they test both source and tank. Also keep your tank temp on the lower side, bacteria blooms love heat. Sorry for your losses, wishing you better results going forward.

thank you. currently have the aquarium broken down and soaked my live rock in a bleach/water blend to kill everything. currently soaking in distilled water, then letting dry for a few days before I start the cycling process all over.