Update on our busted tank and disaster

jrbates08 · May 4, 2014

Ok so most know, our tank busted a seam and leaked all the water and not sand out. Well when I went to our ONLY lfs and was buying some stuff, the owner felt so bad for me that he did what one could only dream of. He gave me a 75 gallon tank and 70 gallons of his own water from his very own already established tanks for $100!!!!! He said the amount of sand I had left in the busted tank would be fine and that some people even do bare bottom tanks (?) Anyhow, he said I could go home set it all up and put whatever I wanted straight into the tank. I asked if my LR will be ok going into his water or if it would cause any changes? He said as long as my tank was cycled then nothing to worry about. So I came home, we set everything up, got everything running and it's beautiful. However, what I didn't think about because I was so wrapped up in the moment is that before the tank busted, we had a slight cyano outbreak due to lack of flow from our powerheads breaking (replaced now. There is still a bit in there but it's all MIXED UP in the sand bed now instead of just surface layering. I have over 200 nassarius and cerith snails showing up in the morning, will those take care of the cyano? And here are the params. Please tell me if I'm reading this right because I am just in awwwwwww..... can't test phosphates tho

I have
pH-8.4
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-10

Does this look, sound, and is safe for added inverts and a goby fish?

jrbates08 · May 4, 2014

At certain angles the nitrates are 10 or maybe 15-20 and from the other angle pH is 8.2

NanaReefer · May 4, 2014

Personally I wouldn't add a fish just yet. I'd wait a week to give things a chance to settle down. Inverts should be fine. As for them eating the cyano, no they wont. It's actually a bacteria and not an algae.

jrbates08 · May 4, 2014

Ok so once I get my powerheads set back up and get the flow going, that should take care of it right? Or do I need to do anything in addition?

Reefing Madness · May 5, 2014

Nass and Cerith snails aren't known for eating Cyano. Might want to think about Astraea Turbo or Banded Trochus.
You should be fine adding the critters to the tank, your rock is fully cured, it will handle the load.
For Cyano, its part movement problem, you can wave your hand by it and get it away.

jrbates08 · May 5, 2014

Yeah i got the Nass and cerith snails for just algea maintain and to keep the sand bed stirred and cleaned but mostly cuz I got over 200 of them for $20 from a friend of my cousin in North Carolina

but the goby and pistol shrimp is coming from an online site and hope he will be ok with the new tank. But all seems good. Reefing madness, how do those params look? Am I reading them right?

SmoothSmoke · May 5, 2014

The tests levels look good to me. Just curious though, the nitrite level looks low. Not that it's 0. The amount of water used to test, looks much less than the 5ml marker? I know that the markers aren't always accurate though.

Pixburgh · May 5, 2014

Glad your luck is changing!

jrbates08 · May 5, 2014

SmoothSmoke said:
The tests levels look good to me. Just curious though, the nitrite level looks low. Not that it's 0. The amount of water used to test, looks much less than the 5ml marker? I know that the markers aren't always accurate though.

It was full when the test was done..but I noticed that too after the picture and redid them and it was still the same. It was kinda leaking as I was shaking it so that coulda been it

Reefing Madness · May 5, 2014

Look fine from my seat.

NOLA Reefer · May 5, 2014

I would hold off on stocking the tank. More than likely you are going to have to cycle the tank. Due to your previously cycled rock being exposed for an undetermined period of time (overnight???) you are going to have some die off. Maybe a lot of it. If you do have inverts left you may consider setting up a small QT for them just to see what happens.

jrbates08 · May 5, 2014

Everything in the tank is still alive and doing well. I was told that everything is going to be fine for the inverts. The fish is going to a friends house until I can get the bio-spira in there today and let it cycle again if needed. All params are good and my friend said she has no prob adding a fish for a few