I have a bad feeling

[h4wk]

I don't know if it's an emergency yet but as I said, I have a bad feeling.

I recently got a firefish, a maxima clam, a pin cushion urchin, a condylactis anemone and a pom pom crab. This might be completely unrelated and it might not be.

The clam and the urchin died within 24 hours. I was extremely surprised, sad but calmly took them out, measured parameters there was a bit of ammonia so I did a water change. That was a week ago.

Around the same time I couldn't find one of the shrimps, and my candy coral started looking not too good. Also brown algea seems to be going out of control so I decided to keep the lights off for 3 days starting now.

I just measured my parameters and they look fine, but my long spinned hasn't moved for at least a day, the coral is probably gone and the anemone feels like it's closing more than it should.

I would prefer if nothing else died for a while but I just don't know what to do.

A few more info, tank is 1y and 5 months old. Around 55gallons or 200 liters. Biweekly water change. Heater and chiller so temperature is 26-27 at all times.

My KH seems to be 5 which has always been weird but also has always been around there and my parameters for the most part never change, at least the ones I test.

Am I missing something huge?

Also, I guess I found what is left of my missing shrimp [emoji17]

 

[Chad Sepulvado]

Salinity? Did the nem die?

 

[starypotter]

I wouldn't worry so much about the shrimp, mine often hide when they molt and that's what the picture above looks like. I'm sorry I can't really say much about the rest. When my candy coral starts to get like that I do a large water change (about 25 on a 80 system) and it perks back up in a few days. I never know the cause because the numbers always check out within appropriate ranges but it seems to help. I'd prepare another water change.

 

[W1ngz]

Your parameters aren't 'fine'.

KH of 5 is catastrophically low. This could be caused by consumption, or low salinity. If you're not maintaining at least 7, there's a problem. With such low KH I'd suspect your calcium and maybe magnesium are also really low. You should be testing those, not nitrite.

What's on the pump looks like a moult, but low KH and calcium could explain a shrimp death if it had a failed moult.

 

[Scurvy]

I would also get readings on Phosphate. Sorry to say that looks like it may be Dinoflagellates which can be toxic to fish and inverts.

Does the brown clear somewhat overnight and then return with the lights each day? Stringy with oxygen bubbles forming on it?

Water changes can feed into Dino so I wouldn't jump to do more until you know what your dealing with.

 

[Crabtastic]

Yeah I was about to say, looks like dinos growing on the overflows.

 

[LesPoissons]

Hi, I'm just going to list off what I'd adjust for my tank. You've been doing this a while and you have some beautiful corals!
1. You need appropriate levels of calcium and magnesium to check you kh/alk. What are those values?
2. 5 for kh is way too low. Check your mag and cal, make sure they are in good ranges, if not bring them up and then retest, then bring up alk.
3. You need some nitrate and some phos to keep corals happy
4. How is your flow and o2 in the tank? Make sure everything is working?
5. That looks like a normal shrimp molt to me
6. You either have cyno and need more flow or possibly dinos, which is a mess. Def get th brown ID asap!
.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Appears to me a Very well stocked NEW tank. How old is your tank?
The shrimp may be a molt, in which they duplicate themselves. I would take a water sample to a trusted Pet Store to have them test and compare readings with yours.
A water change would not hurt.
Moderate water flow, Bring down whites and increase blues as tank looks a little bright and salinity. . .1.025-1.026

 

[ScottB]

I agree with what has been said about testing & raising the Big 3. You have large polyp STONY corals that are consuming the big 3 faster than your WC is replacing. As above, raise Mg and Ca first, then gradually get Alk to 7 dkh over a few days.

As has also been suggested, you may be facing dinoflagellates. Can you get some closeup pics of stringy, light brown snot? Any with air bubbles trapped in it?

If so, start with the beginning of this thread. Once you have identified the species, you can find links to the specific treatment thread.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/