Super cleaning cause cycling???

[warhorseart]

I have an Aqueon Evolve 8. Dwarf Seahorses only. Been going stocked for over a month. Levels all perfect. Yesterday tested and ammonia was slightly elevated, lots of un eaten BBS so I thought... well I've never vacuumed to sand so lets do a good vacuuming of the top of the bed and do about a 3 ga WC. I also removed all of the Codium because it was covered in brown algae. Today I go in and have two dead adults, 4 dead babies. What the $"@! I test ammonia high, nitrites elevated, nitrates elevated!!!! I've done a fast WC. All ponies are extremely stress but I haven't lost anymore. I'm now out side breathing deeply. Could my removing all of the macro algae and vacuuming the sand (agitating it) have caused the "cycling"? Help, please
Stephanie


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Stephanie

 

[warhorseart]

Anyone?


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Stephanie

 

[Eric B]

I would says that messing with the sand probably caused your spike.

 

[eliramos]

how deep is your sand bed?

 

[warhorseart]

Do you have advice. Today ammonia at .50/ nitrite 0/ nitrate 0. Did about a gallon and a half wc. Ponies are super stressed. Dropped in some Prime, not sure it will help


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Stephanie

 

[warhorseart]

Only about 2"


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Stephanie

 

[warhorseart]

Here is the tank. All of the codium on the left was removed also 3 pieces of rock ( dead boiled rock)
Thanks guys for the help!


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Stephanie

 

[CoryC]

if you have ammonia. i'd say your tank hasnt finished cycling. how did and how long did you cycle? if it's a new tank, disturbing the sand bed wouldnt do anything but cloud the tank.

 

[eliramos]

tank size! ok how man gallons is that bad bad boy

 

[warhorseart]

Cory cycled for almost 2 mo. Cycling was done in a 3 ga tank and I moved everything to the 8 ga. Cycled for about 2 weeks before I put ponies in. For three weeks prior I would add ammonia and it would be gone the next morning. All has been perfect up until the "super cleaning". So how do I keep the levels down while it "re cycles?" Should I do more than 1-2 ga wc's? I'm nervous to because on my 30 ga FW and 3 ga shrimp tank when I've done BIG wc it screws everything up.
Steph


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Stephanie

 

[CoryC]

you can do a 100% water change and be fine. bacteria dont colonize in the water, but i'd question the ammonia being gone the next day. it's probably been absorbed by a medium and re released because it takes a few days for the ammonia to go away.

 

[glb]

I think stirring up the sand released some bad stuff into the water. I agree that a huge water change is in order. I'd also add some beneficial bacteria to cycle that ammonia quickly. I've used Prime in emergencies too. Good luck!


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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

 

[warhorseart]

I have some Dr Tim's I'll drop in after a wc. I'm going to pick up some seawater at the lfs in awhile. I used the last of my premixed this morning and I don't like mixing and using the same day. I'll do about a 75% wc, add some Dr Tim's and cross my fingers!
Thank you for all of the advice!


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Stephanie

 

[glb]

Good luck!!


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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

 

[Reefing Madness]

It would appear that your Macro Algae was keeping the little bit of ammonia in check. You should not have removed it all at the same time, but instead, just have removed a bit at a time.
I would not do 100% water changes, as this will only make matters worse. Doing 50% water changes several days in a row will knock down the numbers. I hate adding crap to an already cycled tank.
If you could however get the Macro Algae back into the tank, that would help you out considerably, until such time that you can remove it slowly, a bit at a time.

 

[warhorseart]

I knew pulling the macroalgae would bite me in the butt. I think just a mixture of doing a whole lot of messing with the tank did it. I did about a 30% wc. Even though this is a Dwarf Seahorse only tank do you suggest putting the rock I pulled back in. I tossed the Codium in the garden but the rock I put in my 1.5 ga pico sick tank that is empty. Just filled halfway full with rock now ( and some ugly brown algae)
Another off topic question. My rock was dry dead rock. I boiled it to kill off everything but within 3 weeks is got white snot looking blotches here and there. I noticed the rock in the pico has a ton of it now. That tank has just a sponge filter in it going at max capacity


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Stephanie

 

[kateater]

IMO:
Seahorses are nasty little things Messy eaters and produce tons of waste. I think it was rushed and biological a can't keep up. Vacuuming sand didn't help matters.