Desperately need some help

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Hey gang, my new tank has gone south in a hard way. In the last 2 weeks I lost about $800 in sps and just lost two more fish while trying to be responsible.

I think I should say that I'm not a complete idiot nor have I been ignoring testing, maintenance or just giving it a half hearted go. At this point, I'm ready to douse everything with gas and watch it burn. But for better or worse I never have been a good quitter.

So my setup..
65 gallon frag tank and about 25 gallons in sump with a fuge and chaeto. Been up and running for 4 months. Normal cycle. I have all the typical stuff. Curve 5 skimmer, wave makers, temp controller, ato, doser for alk and calcium.

So about 2 months in I had a wrasse, pair of clowns and flame angel. Numbers nice and constant but I started to get brown hair algae bloom. Decided after reading a million posts to run some GFO and carbon to reduce phos.

Sps polyp extension was reduced. started to see colors fading. Tested zero nitrate and zero phos. Took the gfo offline and started to feed heavily. Purchased a foxface for more inputs and algae control.

Did a 25% water change. Woke up 2 days later and EVERY coral is white or off white. what the heck?.. discovered my DI cartridge was exhausted.. so tons of ammonia input from the water change.. (chloraminated city water).

Did another big water change with clean water and about half of my frags are coming back. Still no nitrogen or phos on test kits.

I decide to not run the fuge chaeto light for awhile. Still feeding heavy, still lots of algae growth.

If that is not enough for someone. Flash forward two weeks. Cleaning lady accidentally shuts off my powerstrip with heater. I come home from work..tank is at 72 degrees.. fish freaking out. Turn the heaters on and like clockwork, the next day the fish are covered in ich.

I setup a freshly washed, bleached and rinsed 20 gallon QT. Heater, HOB, and plastic rocks to hide. Scoop all the fish up and put them in. Late that night I have them intro dose of cooper.
This morning.. dead foxface and flame Angel

Sighhh.
So now I have a fallow tank except with no nitrogen or phos and three fish in qt that don't look happy.

Should I be adding nitrogen and phos to the tank? Pull out the chateo for awhile? Shut my skimmer off?

I'm really struggling here. It's embarrassing but at this point I feel like throwing my hands up and asking for advice is all I can do.

Thanks

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Dang. Sorry that's a whole lot to swallow there.

Well. Myself I'd not shut off the skimmer. Just go dry at you can. Shorten the fuge time not kill it.


Yea it sounds like you need water changes but maybe go slower at this point. Several smaller ones rather than large ones.

If your running a higher alk maybe let it drop a bit. And go into an acclimation mode on your lights.

Personally I couldn't say if you need to dose n/p. I gauge mine by eye a bit even at zeros. I've seen Too many tanks reading zeros that are fine.
My .02s.


Let's get some more help for you too.

#reefsquad.

 

[Bj’s Reef]

I agree, take it slow first with a new tank you are going to have algae problems. Every tank goes thru a ugly stage. Start by doing small water changes. Perhaps three gallons every two or three days. You will be amazed at how much that will help you. Also don't make a bunch of changes all at once. Do you have a tank controller. If not get one. You have been hit hard, a tank controller will help avoid that in the future. With a controller, you would have gotten several alerts before things got out of hand. We all have too much invested in our tanks not to have one. Finally don't give up things happen just saddle up and try again. You will be glad you did. It will get better.

 

[ndrwater]

Step back from the ledge.. it'll be okay, I promise..

Now that said, follow Salty and Tiger's advice above, and know that you have learned a very valuable lesson. Unfortunately, the hard way. There is a very old saying in this hobby, "Nothing good happens fast".
You my friend, tried too much too soon. let that sink in a second...
No, I am not picking on you at all, it's just that what you described is a story I have heard or read at LEAST 1000 times.
So... what to do now... Again as Salty stated above, water changes. Regularly. they can be small, but I would suggest about 5 gallons twice a week for probably a month. Test for Ammonia as often as you are doing water changes. If Ammonia is at, and STAYS zero, then consider moving forward. Moving forward means CONSIDERING new fish and corals, or adding back the remaining fish from QT.
Now... lets look at the big picture.. You state your tank is 4 months old and you lost a ton of corals/fish. Been there, and I feel your pain, but the real problem is your tank is WAAAY to new for those kinds of additions. Your tank was probably cycled to handle whatever was the original addition, but adding $800 worth of coral was an disaster waiting to happen, and unfortunately did..
Just go slow this time.. Like really slow. I promise you will have much better luck..

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Totally a lot to swallow. I came home today and looked at the tank. I would quote what I said bit I wouldn't want to get kicked off the forum.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Been there.

 

[ndrwater]

Hang in there...
Advice that will save you a LOT of $$$ is free. We are here to help...

 

[Tautog]

Do you have an R/O for making water , it could be that simple.
Slow down on buying.
Coraline algae growing? If not , wait for it to get established before buying any more corals.

 

[jsker]

As above, I would suggest to run everything as normal. I would add a cleaning crew, and threat the system as a restart as it follows. I would also suggest looking at doing either a 2 part or a balling method dosing to steady out your elements.

As far as nutrients the cleaning crew and corals will have to be feed and this were this can get balanced out with your phosphates and nitrates. When the system is done following, add one fish, wait a week to let the bio load adjust, then add another. Fish get ich because of stress, and you fish have been through a lot.

 

[Brew12]

Sorry you are having so many problems!

I would point out that if you have hair algae growing in your DT, your tank isn't nutrient starved. The goal of your fuge is for the algae in it to out compete the algae in your DT. In order to do that you need a high quality light fixture. Not sure what you are running over your fuge but think about this. The algae in your DT have high dollar, specialized grow lights above them. Do you have the same in your fuge? If not, how can the algae out compete in the fuge compete?

Run your fuge light to try and shift algae growth there. Get a bigger CuC to handle the algae that does grow in your DT.

I find GFO dangerous to run if you aren't very careful. It has a place in the hobby but if overused can quickly kill SPS. (Guess how I figured that out?) If you run carbon, make sure you rinse it well and pack it tightly so it can't rub against itself and generate dust.

Most importantly, make all your changes slowly. If you want to run GFO, add a little every week and track the results.

Hang in there, you will be fine. If you want help with the Ich, I recommend posting in the fish disease section.

 

[Mal11224]

That is horrible and we all feel your pain. It's tough to see people go through this. There's a possibility that you introduced too much gfo to the tank and then it seems as if an unfortunate series of events occurred.
My advice would be to not quit and take your time this go around. Let the tank run for a while while you get your numbers where they need to be and start adding livestock slowly. Also, may need to invest in a controller. You have a fuge and running gfo with carbon seems to have stripped the nutrients from your tank, which is not good for any corals.
Don't give up. I think every reefer finds themselves in a similar situation of panic and all you need to do is bounce back. It is the mistakes we make that make us better reefers.
Good luck!

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Thanks for all the encouragement, it really helps allot. I swear this tank is cursed.

I had one fish left in the tank, a ruby red dragonet named Fred. Fred has always been happy and healthy but he is really good at escaping capture.

At any rate, came home, decided I would watch fred wiggle around in the rocks. He always looks happy. Where is he? Where is he hiding? Look under this little cave... he is in the claws of my coral banded shrimp, half eaten.

I tell you, this sure is a great hobby. Maybe I'll take up walking on broken glass or pushing toothpicks under my fingernails.

I feel like I'm in an abusive relationship.

 

[ndrwater]

Ouch...

Coral Banded shrimps have been known to capture and eat fish...

I have a question... Do you shop at the same LFS all the time? Are some of your additions their suggestions? Reason I ask is there are good LFS, and BAD ones... Too often the bad ones are looking at their bottom line as opposed to your tank's (and your wallets) long term success.
Take it from me, a cabinet maker, splinters under the fingernails hurt...
Reef tanks are just frustrating sometimes..

 

[Damien Buckley]

Thanks for all the encouragement, it really helps allot. I swear this tank is cursed.

I had one fish left in the tank, a ruby red dragonet named Fred. Fred has always been happy and healthy but he is really good at escaping capture.

At any rate, came home, decided I would watch fred wiggle around in the rocks. He always looks happy. Where is he? Where is he hiding? Look under this little cave... he is in the claws of my coral banded shrimp, half eaten.

I tell you, this sure is a great hobby. Maybe I'll take up walking on broken glass or pushing toothpicks under my fingernails.

I feel like I'm in an abusive relationship.

Sorry to hear you're having such a nightmare. If you want to share the pain, head over to my tank thread - Im having similar problems and have commented more than a few times that I think my current tank is cursed. It's been one long comedy of errors, from repeated equipment failures & malfunctions made worse by some atrocious service from the manufacturers to obvious rookie errors, own-goals and just plain old bad luck.

I've gone through a similar period of horrors as you although with a 2yo tank - high phosphate, a GHA outbreak and in attempting to deal with it, I've now ended up with an ich outbreak too…

I reckon your fish must have been on the way out. I have a banded shrimp too and he'll occasionally chase fish but has never succeeded in catching anything - I think most healthy fish are simply too fast.

I've been questioning why I bother a lot lately too but will stick with things for now out of pure stubbornness.

Hope you get your tank sorted. See you in the other side…

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Damien you and I should form a team. I even had t shirts made for us...

 

[ndrwater]

Now that's funny!!!

 

[Damien Buckley]

Damien you and I should form a team. I even had t shirts made for us...

Hahaha, sign me up.

Seriously though I was just telling my Mrs this morning that my Tapatalk circle has been Armageddon this week. In addition to my farce, a guy in the US' skimmer blew a hose, melted down his power board and flooded his room. A woman in the U.K. just suddenly lost 3-4 fish inexplicably and has had red bugs resurface on her SPS, then there was you.

You have to laugh or you'd cry

 

[Damien Buckley]

Damien you and I should form a team. I even had t shirts made for us...

Here, share my horror lol

Damien's Reefer 250

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...t/forums/showthread.php?t=798696&share_type=t

 

[Damien Buckley]

Other than some shared misery, I do have a couple suggestions to get you over this hump- if you're concerned about nutrient levels while your tank is fallow, you could feed Reef Energy and perhaps Reef Roids. I feed Reef Energy daily and Reef Roids a couple times per week. This should keep your coral happy and the Roids will keep some nutrients in the system though use it sparingly- the manufacturers dose is a bit excessive in my experience and will kick up your phosphate.

Other than that, at this stage go slow as others have suggested until the tank settles. Use the fallow period to quarantine some replacement fish.

 

[victorcan]

in 25 years of saltwater tanks and reef keeping Ive come to the conclusion that SPS require a tank a year old or older to thrive.. I wish I knew why but it has always been the case.. 2 years ago I upgraded my home tank from a 150 to a 220.. everything from the 150 (SPS & LPS) went into the new 220.. I am a very active reefer, weekly water changes daily testing etc etc... about 5 months after the switch all the SPS crashed.. I waited about 6 months , or should depression of the loss lasted about 6 months before I attempted to add another piece of sps and since have added about $4k more and over the last year have thrived and spread like weeds. This is like the 4th time Ive gone through this (you'd think Id learn) I always think because Im moving stuff from a fully established tank into a bigger tank everything will be smooth and I have had some limited success in the past but I always loose and always the most beautiful sps pieces in my reef wait a few months and the tank will be ready for SPS again softies and LPS are hardier.. I wish I knew what it is in a new tank? silicone ? glass ? Donno.. but my heart feels bad for your loss none the less..