What killed your reef?

JasPR · Dec 23, 2017

Good thread. This applies to a fish only marine system. I have a typical two overflow column/box design feeding sumps below. I treated with 1/2 recommended cupermine dose and also used some clarifiers in SG1016 water ( for an ich outbreak), the treatment was very successful in that I lost two fish out of 28 total and all came around to normal over a two week period. BUT when I did a water change, one of the returns inside the overflow changer popped off at the base and caused the content in the overflow to back flush into the aquarium. within moments the sumps were sudsy and the water in the aquarium was cloudy and foaming. I did a 50% water change but overnight I lost 16 fish!! Listen learned! I now, as a monthly routine, vacuum out the overflows and have designed in a small powerhead in each overflow base so that no heavy water or chemicals settle out in the base of the 30 inch tall overflows. A challenging hobby!

nhlives · Dec 23, 2017

First time it was a deep sandbed back when that was the craze. Then for the next tank I tried biopellets. The pellets "clumped" together and created a hydrogen sulfide area. I was doing alot if travel for both of these attempts.

Now for the third try I have a shallow sand bed and use carbon dosing. I vacuum the sandbed each time I do a water change which is weekly or sometimes two weeks if I'm traveling. I have passed the dreaded one year anniversary and still going strong.

AwildcatsZ · Dec 23, 2017

This is a great thread, and because of it I may have figured out what is/was killing my reef.

Over the last few months I have seen my reef slowly fade, even lost half of my corals. I have started to see it turn around and things are looking better.

My sand bed had never been cleaned in the year and a half my tank has been set up. Recently I’ve been siphoning the sand bed and doing weekly water changes. This seems to be helping it.

I sent my water to Triton and everything came back in check besides my phosphorous and phosphates...they were sky high! I have them on the upper end of in Check, or lower end of high.

Thanks again R2R!

Sealion · Dec 23, 2017

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Sealion · Dec 23, 2017

So here are 2 pictures of an area that really hasn’t gotten bigger for some time, I have sand sifting snails and I stir the sand when I clean the micro algae and water change every 2 weeks. The tank is doing very good right now, pH could stand to be a bit higher (7.9) ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are either 0 or less than 5 ppm.

Cory · Dec 23, 2017

JasPR said:
Good thread. This applies to a fish only marine system. I have a typical two overflow column/box design feeding sumps below. I treated with 1/2 recommended cupermine dose and also used some clarifiers in SG1016 water ( for an ich outbreak), the treatment was very successful in that I lost two fish out of 28 total and all came around to normal over a two week period. BUT when I did a water change, one of the returns inside the overflow changer popped off at the base and caused the content in the overflow to back flush into the aquarium. within moments the sumps were sudsy and the water in the aquarium was cloudy and foaming. I did a 50% water change but overnight I lost 16 fish!! Listen learned! I now, as a monthly routine, vacuum out the overflows and have designed in a small powerhead in each overflow base so that no heavy water or chemicals settle out in the base of the 30 inch tall overflows. A challenging hobby!

Possibly oxygen deprivation? Or h2s?

rstrann · Dec 23, 2017

Brother watched the house while I was gone, and accidentally flipped a switch that was connected to the main pump. In 3 days everything dead, even the bristle worms. Thankfully it was just a 30 gallon aquarium, but it was about 5 years old and sponge/ tunicate/ gorgonian heavy

rstrann · Dec 23, 2017

Brother watched the house while I was gone, and accidentally flipped a switch that was connected to the main pump. In 3 days everything dead, even the bristle worms. Thankfully it was just a 30 gallon aquarium, but it was about 5 years old and sponge/ tunicate/ gorgonian heavy

jason.kennedy.98478 · Dec 23, 2017

About 2 months with of nopox dosed to the tank info 3 days while I was away for greenbelt training. Killed all my fish, shrimp and sticks. Zoas and lps made it through fine

Mikemccafe · Dec 24, 2017

I had a fire at my restaurant and much to my surprise I saved everything , moved the whole tank and reef, but in the process of placing the tank back at the restaurant I had put all the livestock in a tub with heater and power heads. The power heads magnet dislodged from the tub and lost all the circulation and lost everything except a chunk of frogspawn heartbreaking after all it went through