Tank Is Devastated??

AlexReeferArm · May 2, 2018

So I just built a 50 gallon salt water tank and I had accidentally used two brands of silicone that had mold resistance additives. So I stripped the inside seal and replaced it with GE silicone 1. I let all of this cure for about a month. I bought all the necessary equipment, all of my perameters are perfect, tank is fully cycled. But everything that I put in there, is dying.. I don't understand. Is it the silicone? Is my tank just completely toast? Please help.

sbash · May 2, 2018

Hmm... This is a dilly of a pickle...

Let's start with your perfect parameters, can you post up the results of every test you have run please?

What have you put in the tank, and how long did it take for that livestock to die?

How much liverock is in the tank, and how did you execute your initial cycle?

*Edit*
Are you mixing your salt with RO/DI water?

AlexReeferArm · May 2, 2018

Salinity is at 1.024
Alkalinity is at 10
Calcium 450
Amonia slightly higher than 0
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Phospate 0
Temp 78

I put a snail and a hermit crab, who both died in about 2 to 3 hours after being introduced. I also added two red cap mushrooms whom are not dead but do not look the greatest. And a montipora cap who has bleached in a day, placed in high lighting and strong flow.

I have three pieces of live rock and 6 pieces of dry rock. I cycled the tank by adding in live sand and bacteria booster. (Along with the three live rock pieces) the tank sat with this for about a week.

I have a bulk reef supply RODI system that I used for the saltwater mix.

AlexReeferArm · May 2, 2018

sbash said:
Hmm... This is a dilly of a pickle...

Let's start with your perfect parameters, can you post up the results of every test you have run please?

What have you put in the tank, and how long did it take for that livestock to die?

How much liverock is in the tank, and how did you execute your initial cycle?

*Edit*
Are you mixing your salt with RO/DI water?

Salinity is at 1.024
Alkalinity is at 10
Calcium 450
Amonia slightly higher than 0
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Phospate 0
Temp 78

I put a snail and a hermit crab, who both died in about 2 to 3 hours after being introduced. I also added two red cap mushrooms whom are not dead but do not look the greatest. And a montipora cap who has bleached in a day, placed in high lighting and strong flow.

I have three pieces of live rock and 6 pieces of dry rock. I cycled the tank by adding in live sand and bacteria booster. (Along with the three live rock pieces) the tank sat with this for about a week.

I have a bulk reef supply RODI system that I used for the saltwater mix.

Chad3407 · May 2, 2018

Have you checked for stray voltage in the tank.

AlexReeferArm · May 2, 2018

Chad3407 said:
Have you checked for stray voltage in the tank.

Good thought, I don't see there being any though. I only have a wavemaker and a heater running electrically in my tank. And both are working without any shorting out.

HB AL · May 2, 2018

So the tank has only been running for a week? That wouldn't help the cause but the snail and hermit dying in a couple hours and a cap bleaching over night sure points to something really toxic to livestock in the water.

AlexReeferArm · May 2, 2018

HB AL said:
So the tank has only been running for a week? That wouldn't help the cause but the snail and hermit dying in a couple hours and a cap bleaching over night sure points to something really toxic to livestock in the water.

That is what I'm afraid of...

Chad3407 · May 3, 2018

If you have a volt meter put one end in the tank and the other in the ground side of a outlet. You can have some voltage and it won’t short anything out. But it will kill livestock.

Blastonator · May 3, 2018

I see no mention of adding ammonia to your tank to start your cycle. I would expect some nitrates in your tank after it's cycled. If you add no ammonia; dead shrimp, ghost feed fish food, damsel, you aren't cycling no matter how many heaters, power heads or rocks you add. Do you have any algae growing? It's my assumption you don't have the biological filtration to handle life in the tank and that's why simple things are dying. Go to the seafood department, get a shrimp or two and add it to the tank. Then wait another month, testing intermittently for the ammonia spike to dicipate. Also return the corals because they will die during the cycle.

Edit: There may be multiple issues here because your death rates are quick but I'd wager the tank is also not cycled. Here's a good video on cycling a tank

HB AL · May 3, 2018

What's the water temp maybe the heater is cooking the water?

Sierra_Bravo · May 3, 2018

If you have a one week old tank showing ammonia and no nitrite or nitrate indicating it's being broken down, your tank isn't cycled. Just how much over zero was your ammonia reading?

AlexReeferArm · May 3, 2018

Blastonator said:
I see no mention of adding ammonia to your tank to start your cycle. I would expect some nitrates in your tank after it's cycled. If you add no ammonia; dead shrimp, ghost feed fish food, damsel, you aren't cycling no matter how many heaters, power heads or rocks you add. Do you have any algae growing? It's my assumption you don't have the biological filtration to handle life in the tank and that's why simple things are dying. Go to the seafood department, get a shrimp or two and add it to the tank. Then wait another month, testing intermittently for the ammonia spike to dicipate. Also return the corals because they will die during the cycle.

Edit: There may be multiple issues here because your death rates are quick but I'd wager the tank is also not cycled. Here's a good video on cycling a tank

Thank you very much for your input, and looking back on it I fully agree. There is no algae growing currently. I do understand that I need to give it more time to flesh out the cycle and physically add ammonia to help kickstart.

AlexReeferArm · May 3, 2018

HB AL said:
What's the water temp maybe the heater is cooking the water?

78 degrees

AlexReeferArm · May 3, 2018

Sierra_Bravo said:
If you have a one week old tank showing ammonia and no nitrite or nitrate indicating it's being broken down, your tank isn't cycled. Just how much over zero was your ammonia reading?

It was close to unreadable

HB AL · May 3, 2018

Well you haven't even really started the cycle, but a hermit and snail I don't believe should have died that quick, maybe even the coral dying overnight, without some other issue unless your ammonia level is actually much higher. I know most won't agree but get a damsel in there and if it's dies you have something else going on than just no patience to let the tank cycle properly.

RickG · May 3, 2018

I had a 90 gal that I added GE silicone 2 which has the mold resistance and my snails would die. My tank was cycled, no copper, parameters were in check and it drove me crazy. I ended up tearing down the tank lol. I couldnt pin point the cause with certainty, but I believe it was the use of the wrong silicone. Might have the same case as me or the tank isnt cycled as others have said.

Pivitol · May 3, 2018

How are you acclimating? Drip, floating and gradually adding tank water, or pour and pray? What test kit are you using? How are you testing salinity hydrometer, refractometer? Something is defiantly off in your water, I've killed my fair share of things but it took time. I cycled my dry rock for months in a brute can, added to my tank and cycled that for 6mos ghost feeding before adding a cuc and finally fish at the 8mo mark. I have 4 freshwater tanks and thought salt would be similar, I learned quick it's a whole other monster practically needing a PhD in science and another in patience. My advice would be don't add anymore livestock, do a large water change, test again and again. Unfortunately reefing does not usually have instant gratification everything takes time.

AlexReeferArm · May 3, 2018

Pivitol said:
How are you acclimating? Drip, floating and gradually adding tank water, or pour and pray? What test kit are you using? How are you testing salinity hydrometer, refractometer? Something is defiantly off in your water, I've killed my fair share of things but it took time. I cycled my dry rock for months in a brute can, added to my tank and cycled that for 6mos ghost feeding before adding a cuc and finally fish at the 8mo mark. I have 4 freshwater tanks and thought salt would be similar, I learned quick it's a whole other monster practically needing a PhD in science and another in patience. My advice would be don't add anymore livestock, do a large water change, test again and again. Unfortunately reefing does not usually have instant gratification everything takes time.

I usually float the bags and gradually add tank water when acclimating. And I use the same hydrometer that I use with my other saltwater reef tank, which is a 10 gal and if something was wrong with it I would know really fast. That's a good thought though, I think I'm going to wait on it. Atleast until algae grows and the tank has cycled.

AlexReeferArm · May 3, 2018

RickG said:
I had a 90 gal that I added GE silicone 2 which has the mold resistance and my snails would die. My tank was cycled, no copper, parameters were in check and it drove me crazy. I ended up tearing down the tank lol. I couldnt pin point the cause with certainty, but I believe it was the use of the wrong silicone. Might have the same case as me or the tank isnt cycled as others have said.

Yea definitely, but I stripped the inside seal of GE silicone 2 and replaced it with GE silicone 1, so the water is actually just in contact with GE Silicone 1. But the problem I could foresee is that there is some small place where the water is actually touching GE silicone 2 residue. But would that be enough to completely fail a tank?