![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
|
3 Fish Dead and bleached corals
so, in the last 3 days I've lost 3 Fishes and yesterday all my corals went form color to completely bleached, closed polyps and were spreading mucus.
100 gal with 40 gal sump ph 8.3 Nitrite 0.007 ppm Phosphate 0.00 Calcium 567 ppm Never been able to lower it Alkalinity 10.5 dkh Magnesium 1600 ppm salinity 1.026 I recently upgraded from a 50 gal to a 100 gal, about two months ago. i used the same live rock and most of the water from the old one. Can the tank still go thru a mini cycle? i did an ammonia reading using an API test kit and its about 0.25-0.50. can that be the reason? i have been doing weekly 15% water changes using rodi water. any help would be most appreciated. as i still have some livestock in tank. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Posts: 526
|
I'm not an expert, but it seems unlikely to me that a cycle due to a tank move would kill fish two months later. If you had a cycle, you would have seen problems in days, not months.
Seems like the ammonia is a result of the deaths or some other reason. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 |
Premium Member
![]() Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 371
|
Is it possible that some chemical got into the tank? Something maybe airborne like a cleaning liquid (windex), or could there have been residual stuff on your hands? Or, tobacco smoke or tobacco juice, something like that.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
|
Hmm. Not sure about the cleaning chemical, but I don't smoke and no one here does. The reason that I believe the ammonia is to blame is cause of the sudden death of the fish and how they acted before passing, sitting still at the bottom of the tank gasping for air. But how if I'm doing weekly water changes and it wasn't a cycle how would the ammonia get so high?
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 47
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 | |
Premium Member
![]() Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 371
|
Quote:
What other testing have you done and what are the readings? |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
|
My snails look fine, and the rest of the fish as well, hippo tang, red flame angel, lemon peel angel, domino damsel and my black and white clown are all active and eating well. Is just my corals that look sad no extension and no color on my montipora.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#8 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
|
I haven't tested for anything else. A few day ago I cleaned my reactor canisters for gfo and carbon I use vinegar and rodi water. As far as for the rest of my fish they all seem fine very active and eating well. Corals look bad no polyp extension and no color on my montipora. I haven't had any other chemicals near the the tank.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#9 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Virginia
Posts: 4,971
|
Do you have small kids that could access the tank? Just a question, I have seen this happen to kids wants to feed the fish and puts stuff in the tank.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#10 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: OC California
Posts: 522
|
Checked your carbon filters lately on the RO/DI unit.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#11 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 319
|
I've experienced similar symptomology from a couple of different sources...one occurrence was very quick and pervasive, which was a transformer plug for some LEDs that came apart and was dangling in the water...so, electricity.
The second occurrence wasn't as acute or pervasive, and mainly effected corals. That was from a magnet that developed a compromised seal and was rusting in the tank... |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#12 |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,985
|
What was the temperature? Could you have seen a spike above 88° 24-72 hours prior to the bleaching event?
__________________
"Our crystal clear aquaria come nowhere close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs" Charles Delbeek |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#13 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Posts: 1,430
|
Quote:
This ^^ My house doesn't have AC and if I'm not watching, the tank temp can easily go over 85. I'm guessing this is the culprit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
__________________
75 gal, 20 L using as sump, MP40Qd , Eheim 1260 Return,Royal Exclusiv Bubble King Mini 160,Kamoer FX-STP Calcium Reactor Setup, ATI Sunpower 6x54W |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#14 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Iowa
Posts: 426
|
do you carbon dose by chance?
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#15 |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 2,032
|
I'd maybe try a different ammonia test to see where you're really at. Did you examine your 3 dead fish at all? If the fish have any red bruise like marks on their body, it can be a sign of ammonia poisoning.
__________________
Brian Current Tank Info: 110 gallon |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#16 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
|
My carbon filters on my rodi unit are fine my tds is around 8 before going to the final stage. I don't carbon dose just alkalinity and calcium. The temp on my tank is between 75-80 my chiller and heater are working fine. The one thing I did was right after my first loss (magnificent foxface) I did maintanance on my pumps and reactors, I also cleaned my uv sterilizer and re-plumbed it differently when I put it back, after moving it I realize that the lamp would go on and off, so I replaced it. After several hours it would go off again, so I decided to take it out. A while after was when everything went bad for me. Wondering if there was stray voltage going to the tank? I looked at my fish and the domino damsel looked grayish not its usual black, the yellow tang was perfect I tried placing it in a bucket with freshly made water and it would stay upright and was gasping for air. Now after removing the uv sterilizer my tank looks cloudy.
Not sure why. Thanks for trying to help. Much appreciated |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#17 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NOVA
Posts: 406
|
I would make sure you are not getting stray voltage.
It also wouldn't hurt to double check to make sure your thermometer and whatever you use to measure salinity are accurate. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#18 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: OC California
Posts: 522
|
My carbon filters on my rodi unit are fine my tds is around 8 before going to the final stage.
Have you ever tested the product water of the RO/DI for traces of Ammonia, Chloramine, Chlorine? If you never have then you might learn something about TDS meters and carbon filters. I'm just throwing it out there. It's a lesson that I learned the hard way. It's an issue not often discussed. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#19 |
RC Mod
![]() |
stray voltage, heat spike, or poisoning are my guesses. Carpet freshener, dryer sheets, scented candles, bug spray, or a sponge or gloves labeled antimicrobial....
__________________
Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
|