My tank crashed im lost

[Ara29998]

Hi, I built a sump for my 30GL tank. I used to use canister. I bought a 20 Gl tank from petco and used GE 2 to silicon the baffles. To make hole in the tank I had to remove all my corals and fish in 3 buckets, the fish bucket was with wave make and heater for 24 hours. I put them all back when I washed my tank and pour new salt water immediately. In 2 days all my fish and corals and snails even Bristol worms died. Since then I change 5GL of the water with new water. Still water is messed up and still I find more dead worms. I need to start over. What should I do? I have big rock of Xoas left that I think they are still alive. My sump works but I turned off the Skimmer and add some bacteria. Help me im lost.

 

[fishguy242]

hi,sorry to hear ,first thought here ,turn skimmer back on,check params often,sounds like nitrate spike vs. ammonia spike,poss both,assuming you have live rock,would restart skimmer asap,best wishes

 

[robdareefer]

Dude that sucks, you should never mix water and use it right away. Also I would have let the sump sit at least a couple days so the fresh silicone could gas off. It also could have been changing from water to water to fast and temps and chemistry not being the same. Either way sorry it happened. I would give Zoas away and start new. Again sorry man.

 

[robdareefer]

Also did you remove the canister filter right away?

 

[fishguy242]

how long did canister sit not running??

 

[Ara29998]

Also did you remove the canister filter right away?

Yes unfortunately.

 

[Ara29998]

how long did canister sit not running??

I did not used the canister I used the sump but with canister media after I cleaned them.

 

[fishguy242]

most likely killed off media if freshwater rinse,move forward,get skimmer started ,let sit for day or two then test see where your at,would use zoas as an indicator of water improvement ,would not hurt to put some ,chemipure or new carbon in sump for a few days,keep us posted

 

[robdareefer]

I did not used the canister I used the sump but with canister media after I cleaned them.

If you used your media then I don’t think it was ammonia or NH3 so I think it was the chemistry being different from tank to bucket or bucket to tank or it was the silicone leaching something into the water. If it was me I would just start over. Sounds like there’s a lot of dead things in you tank and you probably will end up having more problems in the long run.

 

[DonTavo27]

Agree with all of the post above, start over, and take it slow, any fast changes are a Recipe for disaster. Would probably help to get some Dr. Tim’s live bacteria.

 

[laverda]

My guess is the silicone was not fully cured. How long did you let it cure before using it? I would have waited a week myself. If not I would drain it and let it air cure.

 

[Tamberav]

+1 above. How long did you let the silicone dry for?

If it is not fully cured, it is very toxic.

Why were your fish and corals in a bucket for 24 hours? It should only take a few hours to drill and plumb a tank. Something isn't making sense to me.

 

[OrangeCountyReefer]

I’m not buying the ammonia/nitrate spike killing all inhabitants including the Bristol worms? Something else happened here. I’d say the silicone.

 

[Cell]

If I remember correctly Type II needs to cure longer than Type I, which I'd why Type I is preferred. Also check for mold inhibitors.

 

[diverpat]

If I’m not mistaken , GE 2 silicon has mold inhibitors.

 

[Ta2oodfreak]

GE 2 has mold inhibitors after a quick look. I'm going to guess that was the culprit here.

 

[Ara29998]

My guess is the silicone was not fully cured. How long did you let it cure before using it? I would have waited a week myself. If not I would drain it and let it air cure.

Only 24 hours

 

[Ara29998]

+1 above. How long did you let the silicone dry for?

If it is not fully cured, it is very toxic.

Why were your fish and corals in a bucket for 24 hours? It should only take a few hours to drill and plumb a tank. Something isn't making sense to me.

After drilling to put the overflow box i also used silicon around it to make sure I will never have leak from there so I had to wait 24 hours as it was stated on the silicon box.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Only GE1 can be used as GE2 has mold inhibitors and has been known to nuke tanks. The tank should be taken down and all old silicone removed and redone. You cannot carbon your way out of eliminating mold inhibitors.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Also silicone needs 24 hours to cure at the bead thickness on the packaging... You will likely need about 48 hours to let it cure if it is any thicker.