Disaster, send advice !

[Hodg3zs]

So, to get some sort of a background I’ve had some sort of a possible bloom or imbalance that has the resemblance of stripping all the oxygen out of the tank, this is not my first instance and as you can see in the pictures it’s just happened to my smallest tank, I’ve logged as much details as possible and I have taken samples of both before and after the tanks failure and had them tested at my local fish shop both showing up with no parameter swings or any readings concerning.
So a month back my largest tank the 123Lflex began almost before my eyes to cloud white and caused my fish to react as if they had been starved of oxygen lucky for me I was present when this happened and I moved my
Fish into a smaller tank and thankfully saved them all but one poor little wrasse.
within ahour or so the tank begun to clear and carnage was over.
I left it a few days and moved the wave maker to break the surface of the water to promote oxygen and gradually over the course added fish back in 2 at a time after retesting all the water parameters.
all corals survived and most of the clean up crew also made it.
With no out of the ordinary signs it was pinned down to a freak occurrence and put to the back of my mind.

That leads me to this morning waking up to my smaller tank.
Fluval Evo 52l:
Over night the evo has done the very same thing
But this time I wasn’t fortunate enough to be around to save my beautiful fish.
Water tested fine nothing stands out and I’m left worried my 123 flex tank will suffer again leaving me clutching at straws and hoping some one here may be able to help me,

Tanks are both established and have been running for A lengthy period of time nothing has been added recently or in bulk
I always ask my LFS before buying or altering my tank in any way
The only thing I have changed is I’ve added live phyto and copepods into both tanks in a slightly lower dosage then recommended and I’ve been told it’s unlikely that’s the issue but for the sake of not missing a beat I want you guys to have all the information.

I will post both tanks test history when my partner is home as she keeps extensive records of all tests and changes via spreadsheets and various other applications!

thank you for your time reading this and anything I’ve missed i will be happy to answer !

 

[blaxsun]

Phytoplankton and copepods wouldn't cause this. I gather these are the images of the 32.5 Flex?

Aside from the parameters, are you running anything different than the stock tank in terms of filtration? Do you have a protein skimmer or UV running? What if anything (aside from phyto and pods) do you dose or supplement? Any other tank upgrades or changes from stock?

How many fish and cleanup crew did you have in the 32.5?

I see you have a powerhead in the 32.5 - I assume you have one (or more) also in the larger Fluval as well?

 

[Dburr1014]

Phytoplankton and copepods wouldn't cause this. I gather these are the images of the 32.5 Flex?

Aside from the parameters, are you running anything different than the stock tank in terms of filtration? Do you have a protein skimmer or UV running? What if anything (aside from phyto and pods) do you dose or supplement? Any other tank upgrades or changes from stock?

How many fish and cleanup crew did you have in the 32.5?

I see you have a powerhead in the 32.5 - I assume you have one (or more) also in the larger Fluval as well?

Agreed.

 

[Chrisv.]

Are you using the stock lid on the flex? Unless you are running a skimmer or an air stone, that tank (I own one too) is already sealed up enough to cause a major oxygen deficit. That isn't likely the cause of the issue, but it was no doubt a factor if your fish died from lack of oxygen.

 

[Hodg3zs]

Phytoplankton and copepods wouldn't cause this. I gather these are the images of the 32.5 Flex?

Aside from the parameters, are you running anything different than the stock tank in terms of filtration? Do you have a protein skimmer or UV running? What if anything (aside from phyto and pods) do you dose or supplement? Any other tank upgrades or changes from stock?

How many fish and cleanup crew did you have in the 32.5?

I see you have a powerhead in the 32.5 - I assume you have one (or more) also in the larger Fluval as well?

123l flex in picture the other picture is the 52l fluval evo,
The flex has standard lights, a better pump as advised by the lfs, the protein skimmer is one sold to me by the lfs when I purchased the entire setup, it’s a fluval sea protein skimmer,
Other then that it’s the standard fluval flex 123l
Wave maker also was a purchase from shop
Clean up crews are a turbos, Nassarius snails, some hermits nothing too exotic or unsual

the evo 52l : it was a second hand purchase but it’s pretty much stock but had a wave maker added,
The evo had similar stock clean up wise 1 hermit a few of each snail and nothing unsual.
Both tanks have power heads standard 2 in the flex and 1 in the evo
Thank you for your time It can’t be a coincidence I’ve had it happen twice now, I’ll have access to more information later when my partner is home that may help !
Edit: sorry I forgot to mention the fish stock I. The evo 52l, prior to mass fish extermination it was 2 darts a wrasse and a goby,

 

[Hodg3zs]

Are you using the stock lid on the flex? Unless you are running a skimmer or an air stone, that tank (I own one too) is already sealed up enough to cause a major oxygen deficit. That isn't likely the cause of the issue, but it was no doubt a factor if your fish died from lack of oxygen.

I do have stock lids of both flex and the evo, I have wavemakers and power heads breaching the surface to allow better air integration but I’ve never had an issue before, I would consider an aftermarket lid but my partner has cats and the hair gets everywhere!
thank you for the input I’ll look about for another way to introduce more air flow !

 

[Chrisv.]

123l flex in picture the other picture is the 52l fluval evo,
The flex has standard lights, a better pump as advised by the lfs, the protein skimmer is one sold to me by the lfs when I purchased the entire setup, it’s a fluval sea protein skimmer,
Other then that it’s the standard fluval flex 123l
Wave maker also was a purchase from shop
Clean up crews are a turbos, Nassarius snails, some hermits nothing too exotic or unsual

the evo 52l : it was a second hand purchase but it’s pretty much stock but had a wave maker added,
The evo had similar stock clean up wise 1 hermit a few of each snail and nothing unsual.
Both tanks have power heads standard 2 in the flex and 1 in the evo
Thank you for your time It can’t be a coincidence I’ve had it happen twice now, I’ll have access to more information later when my partner is home that may help !

As long as you have a protein skimmer, you will have oxygen introduced. I don't run skimmers on tanks this small and when I added an air stone to the back chamber, my fish suddenly became more active. Lol.

 

[Hodg3zs]

Phytoplankton and copepods wouldn't cause this. I gather these are the images of the 32.5 Flex?

Aside from the parameters, are you running anything different than the stock tank in terms of filtration? Do you have a protein skimmer or UV running? What if anything (aside from phyto and pods) do you dose or supplement? Any other tank upgrades or changes from stock?

How many fish and cleanup crew did you have in the 32.5?

I see you have a powerhead in the 32.5 - I assume you have one (or more) also in the larger Fluval as well?

As long as you have a protein skimmer, you will have oxygen introduced. I don't run skimmers on tanks this small and when I added an air stone to the back chamber, my fish suddenly became more active. Lol.

Maybe an air stone is a nice additive then?

 

[Chrisv.]

Yeah I have cats too. I modified the stock lid to take a kessil a360we and did away with the stock lights (which didn't meet my needs).

I don't think gas exchange is your problem if you have a skimmer. Did you notice a change in skimmer output when the bacteria bloom happened?

I run a uv sterilizer on mine and I really like what it's done for the tank. Worth considering.

 

[Chrisv.]

Maybe an air stone is a nice additive then?

Honestly I wouldn't bother adding an air stone if you have the skimmer going. I needed one because I don't have a skimmer.

 

[salty joe]

Cloudy water says bacterial bloom to me and that would strip O2.

 

[Hodg3zs]

Cloudy water says bacterial bloom to me and that would strip O2.

That’s what I came to the conclusion of with my lfs but both tank a month apart can’t be a coincidence for that surely?

 

[Hodg3zs]

Yeah I have cats too. I modified the stock lid to take a kessil a360we and did away with the stock lights (which didn't meet my needs).

I don't think gas exchange is your problem if you have a skimmer. Did you notice a change in skimmer output when the bacteria bloom happened?

I run a uv sterilizer on mine and I really like what it's done for the tank. Worth considering.

The skimmer seems normal, and we had it happen on our second tank, it’s something we must be doing or adding, or I’ve been super unlucky twice … not a bad idea modifying the lid ! Any pictures ? Worth a look into

 

[Chrisv.]

The skimmer seems normal, and we had it happen on our second tank, it’s something we must be doing or adding, or I’ve been super unlucky twice … not a bad idea modifying the lid ! Any pictures ? Worth a look into

I shared the details in a series of replies on my local club's forum. Mine is the medium sized tank, so you would need two for the longer tank, or you could do a similar mod with a longer light. Here is the thread: https://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/index.php?threads/biocube-32-kessil-canopy.176331/

 

[Hodg3zs]

I shared the details in a series of replies on my local club's forum. Mine is the medium sized tank, so you would need two for the longer tank, or you could do a similar mod with a longer light. Here is the thread: https://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/index.php?threads/biocube-32-kessil-canopy.176331/

Great write up thank you !

 

[Chrisv.]

Great write up thank you !

You're welcome! The big downside to using a kessil this close to the water is that I do get a pretty severe flashlight cone of light coming out of it, and some par hotspots. But it works: it grows coral, it keeps the Bengal cat out, and keep my toddler from staring directly into the kessil.

 

[Chrisv.]

WRT your actual thread though, the bacteria bloom will end pretty quickly with a uv sterilizer. I run one and it works well for me.

 

[Hodg3zs]

You're welcome! The big downside to using a kessil this close to the water is that I do get a pretty severe flashlight cone of light coming out of it, and some par hotspots. But it works: it grows coral, it keeps the Bengal cat out, and keep my toddler from staring directly into the kessil.

Small victories Chris ! The cat seems to be a win but the child may need glasses when they are older, acceptable losses !

 

[Hodg3zs]

WRT your actual thread though, the bacteria bloom will end pretty quickly with a uv sterilizer. I run one and it works well for me.

I’ll buy anything at this point I’m petrified I’m going to lose the rest of my poor fish if it happens again.

 

[blaxsun]

I don't know if it would help, but a popular upgrade for the Flex 32.5 is the InTank media basket.