Tank crashing?

[Kevin Gautrey]

Setup: 55g tank with a deep sand bed and lots of live rock. Couple of SPS, LPS, and mushrooms. Coral beauty, orchid dottyback, ocellaris clown pair, green chromis, and two cleaner shrimp + cleanup crew. About 2000GPH in circulation and I run the lights from 7am to 8pm including ramp up / down. Moonlight till 10pm. Tank is about a year old and most corals have been in for 6 months.

Back story...
Noticed some unusual algae growth the day I was leaving town for 5 days... came back to found all my live rock covered is what I believe is GHA. Turbina, birdsnest, and mushroom polyps closed and haven't opened since I got back. Tested the water and PH was 8.0 Ammonia / Nitrate / Nitrite all showed 0. Wednesday I scrubbed the rocks with a brush and did a 20% water change. The following day added 10 hermit crabs, 2 turbo snails, and 5 margarita snails. Yesterday most of the algae was back but I didn't think much of it.

The problem...
Last night I noticed my watchman goby swimming erratically, gasping, and getting blown around the tank by the circulation pumps. I turned down the circulation pumps and added some airstones in the tank. He disappeared into the rocks and was dead this morning. This morning my other fish are all hiding in the rocks which is unusual. Now I notice the chromis and clowns also gasping.

I just did another water test and ph seems to be 7.8, ammonia 0.25, nitrate and nitrite 0. Does anyone have an idea what is happening? My thought is that algae is depleting O2 and causing the ammonia spike. I added a HOB filter with carbon and some more air stones. I'm preparing water for another water change. What else can I do?

 

[red02]

make the power heads break the water and that will help with o2

 

[brandon429]

you need to remove each rock, kill the algae externally without delay before it compounds worse, and put back clean rocks free of algae and not mess with the water to accomplish this. If you want the custom job send me a message/we're already doing ten just the same as yours. Nothing will beat this method for the ends you want, although messing with the water for the next several mos is an option too.

None of the readings posted require action, and in fact will cause more problems if you continue down the test/react path.

remove all rocks, clean them in a special we do that kills algae, put them back cleaned/done.

It takes some planning to make this work, let me know if you want the fix now vs extended one/possibly never fixed option. Any further delay is unideal, that rock stack is easily lifted out and fixed, one by one.

The sandbed will need full cleaning in a few years, but as of now its ok to proceed without messing with it.

 

[Bill_Moorman]

I don’t think the GHA is depleting the O2 supply. IIRC plants absorb CO2 and release O2. Back in my freshwater days we actually made a CO2 reactor to supplement our plant growth.

I would suggest getting an ammonia badge from seachem (and a better test kit for all your params, API is known for giving false positive readings, but that’s not helpful now) and making sure you are getting surface agitation. You said you added a HOB which will help with that. Also open a window in the room with the tank if possible.

Have you added anything other than the CUC recently?

 

[Kevin Gautrey]

So I still don't really know what is causing the problem then... I have always had two powerheads pointed up for surface agitation and the tank has been stable like this for months. I added three coral frags about 3 weeks ago. Why would the O2 suddenly decrease so much. Are there other conditions that would cause the fish to be gasping?

 

[Hemmdog]

So I still don't really know what is causing the problem then... I have always had two powerheads pointed up for surface agitation and the tank has been stable like this for months. I added three coral frags about 3 weeks ago. Why would the O2 suddenly decrease so much. Are there other conditions that would cause the fish to be gasping?

If the temp is elevated the oxygen concentration becomes less. If your rock solid at 78 year round then it’s something else, if you possibly went up to 80, it’s that.

 

[Kevin Gautrey]

The tank sits near a window and the temp normally fluctuates between 76 and 79. It’s never really been a problem before.

 

[Hemmdog]

The tank sits near a window and the temp normally fluctuates between 76 and 79. It’s never really been a problem before.

Does it get direct sunlight ?

 

[Kevin Gautrey]

a little in the evening

 

[ReeferMadness0347]

I had this exact same issue a few months ago and lost my goby and clowns. I was too late to react. I found the goby dead, the next morning both clowns were dead. I suggest you do something soon or you won’t have anything left. At this point I’d see if you can setup a hospital tank and move them ASAP.

 

[Hemmdog]

a little in the evening

Hmm, not sure then.

 

[Hemmdog]

Your sure it’s GHA and not Dinos? Dinos will use o2.

 

[Kevin Gautrey]

@Hemmdog I think you are right. After reading about identification I think it is a dino outbreak. I ordered some food grade 3% hydrogen peroxide and plan to start dosing the tank when it arrives tomorrow.

 

[laverda]

You can get hydrogen peroxide at any pharmacy, most grocery stores and dollar stores.

 

[Kevin Gautrey]

@laverda Yes, but apparently the brown bottle hydrogen peroxide has additives that can be harmful.

 

[Kevin Gautrey]

So this morning it looks like most of my corals are dying. Montipora looks like it’s outer layer stripped completely away and birds nest seems to be doing the same now. Chalice also looks like it is starting to disintegrate. Clownfish are still stressed and hiding in the rocks. Can all this really be happening just because of dinoflagellates?