I also am positive that the state of microbiological science in reefing is partly to blame for thousands of tank losses. I killed my first pico reef being hands off...my tank would be twenty now were it not for reef advisors who never told me in 2000 that you can simply kill algae outside the tank and not have to jack with water until corals starve and die. Everybody told me that big changes harm bacteria, cause mini cycles, so they froze us out of action with mis truths.
The hands on method is born solely of the refusal to lose another reef tank, ever.
These retailers, speakers, sages, are constantly telling us made up limitations for filter bacteria (guess what they sell)
you kept old water, and didn’t rinse rocks understandably because our hobby is built on a $ false science that bac are harmed by flushing events (which are free other than cost of new water)
the truth is, filter bacteria boon in the harsh times, the upwelling storm events. The hands off time period is counterproductive to filtration because by necessity, hands off means accumulation. Reef rocks by rule pump out detritus from living organisms by the minute, put some in a white bucket of saltwater and wait two hours-proof. Algae coating the rocks stops expression, eutrophication begins specifically in the rock * which is your only surface area* in a tank with no sand. You must restore its efficiency by force, by storm.
Accumulation by rule reduces surface area in a reef tank, we thrive on clear surface area that exposes water waste to hungry bacteria. Accumulation reduces surface area for good bac, provides substrate for bacteria and pathogens that specifically put tanks in a eutrophic state which this tank is in. With a sandbed it would already be dead, having no sandbed is why it won’t be that hard to save.
consider the process zoos and professional large aquariums use to maintain their filters. search out on professional zoo exhibit articles the sixty year science called “backflushing” for massive aquarium filters.
Why do zoos and million dollar public aquariums backflush? What happens if they stop? What is the compounding material requiring a backflush?
what Jon did is a backflush. His tank is the filter, so we back flushed it.
even though UV can zap your water clear, or carbon filtration, that doesn’t remove compounds associated with bacterial rot nor do those methods backflush, so they won’t really work they’ll be treating only a symptom.
that above is the ecological analysis for your system along with the fix. It is not too late. if you are willing to clean this aquarium it can be saved.
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