Fish dying after chiller installation

[OREGONIC]

Here in Portland Or we just got over terrible smoke from wildfires. I saw a downturn in my tank for a week. PH dropped substantially and several corals didnt really open up like normal. I changed carbon every few days and ran an air purifier inside the house. Smoke has been gone for about 4 day and tank is just now getting back to normal.

 

[kput]

Dose some Seachem Prime, it does a great job taking certain contaminants out of the water that could potentially be harmful. Could help, paired with your water changes.

 

[Eggpaul]

Here in Portland Or we just got over terrible smoke from wildfires. I saw a downturn in my tank for a week. PH dropped substantially and several corals didnt really open up like normal. I changed carbon every few days and ran an air purifier inside the house. Smoke has been gone for about 4 day and tank is just now getting back to normal.

Yes, my home is in the foothills right below the fire line. My tank's PH was low also. Some days air quality was over 500. I saw the same thing with my tank. some montipora and acro were not doing too well. thought it was the temperature, so I bought a chiller to keep it stable. I'm thinking leaving the windows open all night was what really hurt everything (although the smoke has been clearing, it was still pretty bad Sunday morning).

 

[Eggpaul]

All the fish are doing well. I think the water change, carbon, and Prime helped. Must have been the outside Smoke. ICP test was just delivered- question. Should I send in my current water or the water sample I took when the fish were dying?

 

[Pistondog]

If you didn't rinse the chiller, that was the likely cause.
Are there startup instructions for the chiller?
I'd rinse most anything new in dilute vinegar, but don't know if thats OK for the chiller.
I'd rinse it now, or call customer service.

 

[OrionN]

The chemistry of the water changes. There is something in it that increase the surface tension resulting in less bumble. That is the reason why you don’t see as much bubbles in your skimmer. Maybe some oil, lubricant or antifreeze got into your tank from the chiller. I would remove the chiller and do large volume water change. Consider send the water for testing, to use as a case to ask for the chiller manufacturer to reimburse you for the damage.
good luck

 

[Eggpaul]

If you didn't rinse the chiller, that was the likely cause.
Are there startup instructions for the chiller?
I'd rinse most anything new in dilute vinegar, but don't know if thats OK for the chiller.
I'd rinse it now, or call customer service.

Instructions don't say anything about flushing. I contacted JBJ and they said they test every unit with RO water, so that's all that would be in the unit.

 

[Eggpaul]

The chemistry of the water changes. There is something in it that increase the surface tension resulting in less bumble. That is the reason why you don’t see as much bubbles in your skimmer. Maybe some oil, lubricant or antifreeze got into your tank from the chiller. I would remove the chiller and do large volume water change. Consider send the water for testing, to use as a case to ask for the chiller manufacturer to reimburse you for the damage.
good luck

Chillers don't have any antifreeze. I'm thinking the issue was with the fires/smoke that got into the room since I left the windows open.

 

[OrionN]

Chillers don't have any antifreeze. I'm thinking the issue was with the fires/smoke that got into the room since I left the windows open.

I mean the refrigerant of the chiller. In my head I am thinking of coolant or refrigerant but I am not sure why my fingers type antifreeze.
Do you still have the chiller running? If it is still and there is no problem anymore, then there obviously is no leakage of the coolant. If they test and flush each units, then no problem there. I guess the air pollution is the only thing that is still a possibility, probable now.

 

[Lasse]

Should I send in my current water or the water sample I took when the fish were dying?

If you have any earlier test to compare with - I would take the stored sample (however - best to take both). I´m not sure that the test will show anything cause in both scenarios - it is probably an organic substance involved but an ICP test maybe can exclude (or confirm) more classic errors.

Chillers don't have any antifreeze. I'm thinking the issue was with the fires/smoke that got into the room since I left the windows open.

Yes - I tend to agree here. Especially if the fire at your place including residential areas .

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Pistondog]

My LFS had an issue with a chiller leaking either oil or whatever coolant it uses internally. I don’t remember if it killed fish but it took out a bunch of coral. I don’t know if that chemical would show up on an ICP test but I would still recommend that test to see if there’s something else. And I agree with j.falk, a large water change would be a good idea.
[/QUOTE]
The refrigerant would turn to gas and join the other greenhouse gases, but there is usually compressor lubricant, oil, also in the lines, which, as you correctly say, might contaminate water.

 

[BackToTheReef]

Any chance the fires - smoke/particulates and open windows caused a CO2 build up in the tank? Might explain the ph drop.

 

[Pistondog]

Any chance the fires - smoke/particulates and open windows caused a CO2 build up in the tank? Might explain the ph drop.

Old folks remember, not exactly the same but similar?

Acid rain - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Lasse]

Old folks remember, not exactly the same but similar?

Acid rain - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You mean the hoax from the 60- 70s . I live close to the areas there Swedish scientists first discover this phenomenon and linked it to long way air transports of sulphur - I remember it very well. In fact - I can just look out from my window and see the areas there Svante Oden did his first investigations back in the late 60s. First mention back in 67 in an article in a Swedish newspaper. Something that Wikipedia miss

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Eggpaul]

This was my ICP test results. Not sure why it says my water is at 1.029. refractometer says 1.025 (always calibrated).