Had to have a disaster sooner or later!! Help!

[hillbillyreefer]

Tank looked good last night at lights out at 11 pm. Looked good under the moonlights at 3 am. Lights on at 11 am this morning one clown missing one in rough shape. Tank is a JBJ nano cube 24 dx. Running chemi pure, carbon, no balls, sponge cleaned yesterday and removed this morning. Tank is almost ten weeks old, no problems, nice gentle cycle. Animals include 2 clowns, 1 psuedochromis, 2 open brains, 1 green bubble coral, numerous kenya trees, few polyps, 2 unidentified sps's, more GHA than I care to mention, Calupera (sp), other macro algaes. There is also a whelk in one of the back chambers, banished for attacking snails. CUC about 1 dozen various hermits, not sure how many nassariuss snails, 3 peppermint shrimp one molted last night.

Tank Parameters: This morning
Nitrate:less than 5 ppm (api)
Nitrite: less than 0.3 mg/L
Temp: 79.5

Last nights tests:
Nitrate: less than 5 ppm (api)
Nitrite: less than 0.3 mg/L (hagen)
Temp: 80.5 F
pH: 8.2 (electronic, calibrated 3 weeks ago)
Salinity 1.023 hydrometer, 31 refractometer.
kH 7 (low)
Cal 300 (low)
Phos 0 (api)

Tank is fairly stable. I dose with Calxmax 2 times per week and did dose it last night.

Water change was done Thursday. I'm mixing up another batch of salt as I write this, heater in bucket and it's sitting on the warm woodstove so should be ready in about 1 hour. Next problem I don't have enough old salt to finish the batch so will have to mix salts, more stress I know but there is nothing I can do about it.

Only other hint I have is one of the brains was swollen to double it's normal size yesterday, not sure what that means if anything. Looked normal at lights on this morning and still looks normal.

Second clown has died while typing this up.

Any ideas would be helpful.

Thanks
Brad

[michika]

Water change is the right step. The Nitrite worries me but hopefully your water change should help that. How old is your carbon?

[hillbillyreefer]

Carbon was original equipment 10 weeks, I just changed it. Just remembered, I left the ceramic balls in there but removed the bioballs. Should I take them out right now also? Tank crashes suck!!!!!!!! I'm really concerned about the corals, losing a few fish isn't too bad, but bad enough. Kids are gonna be mad that Dad killed Nemo though. The one open brain has swollen up again.

Thanks

Brad

[Slick Fork]

I'll second the call for new carbon and water changes. Also, with the water changes I see that your hydrometer and refractometer are a long ways apart. Don't necessarily take the refractometer as being dead on. Use 1 or the other and match the water change water with the same. So if you use the refractometer to check the tank, don't use the hydrometer to check the new water. Worry about bringing everything down later but for now more and drastic change will not be a good thing.

Pull the sponge and toss it, my immediate hunch is something got onto the sponge if you just cleaned it last night.

[ron101]

Carbon was original equipment 10 weeks, I just changed it. Just remembered, I left the ceramic balls in there but removed the bioballs. Should I take them out right now also? Tank crashes suck!!!!!!!! I'm really concerned about the corals, losing a few fish isn't too bad, but bad enough. Kids are gonna be mad that Dad killed Nemo though. The one open brain has swollen up again.

Thanks

Brad

You removed the carbon filter AND the bioballs? If that is the case Im guessing you just pulled out too much bio filtration and now you are getting a toxic nitrite /ammonia spike.

[Slick Fork]

I think he pulled the bioballs when he set it up.

[hillbillyreefer]

The bioballs haven't been in there since about the end of week one. I left the ceramic balls in there and they remain in there. I just changed the carbon this morning, why do it before you have trouble right?(very sarcastic) Stupid noob.

According to what I've read 31 on the refractometer and 1.023 on the hydrometer are very close together, unless I'm not reading things right in my panic and haste. Gotta check that. I don't trust either one so I use them both at the same time and compare results.

The water change has been done finally, 5 gal. I have another 5 gal on the go. Need opinions on whether to do the change as soon as it's warm or wait till tomorrow. I haven't retested yet but that is next, just taking break. Visually things have improved in the tank, the psuedochromis is out swimming around, the bubble coral has opened back up and looks happy, not sure about the brains but they are nicely colored up, trees are all open and happily waving in the current.

I stuck a new sponge in just to catch the crap I stirred up with the water change I will remove it tonight before lights out and wash it. I don't think I'll use it anymore. Just use it to export crap right after water changes. Need to get some filter pads and just bin them every couple days. Live and learn!! Too bad it's at the expense of livestock.

Thanks for your help everyone

Brad

[untamed]

Detectable Nitrite worries me. To lose two fish that fast requires something pretty toxic. Nitrite is toxic, but ammonia is more toxic.

Get a new Ammonia test kit and check for ammonia. Maybe you've destroyed your bacteria somehow and the tank is cycling. Detectable Nitrite suggests some sort of cycle going on.

[hillbillyreefer]

Thanks Untamed,

No chance of getting an ammonia kit. One of the problems of living in the boonies you never think of it till you need it. 3 hr drive to the closest place I might get one.

Update: Nitrate less than 5
Nitrite 0.3

everything else pretty much constant. Will do another change in a couple hours, things still look happier than a couple hours ago.

Here is a noob question that I think I know the answer too already. I have some fluval zeo carb and fluval ammonia remover. The zeocarb says not to use it in salt. The ammonia remover doesn't can I run either of these as a bandaid for a couple days?

Thanks
Brad

[fkshiu]

Boonies, eh? Have you tried mail order from someplace like J&L?

My guess is ammonia as well. Nitrite and ammonia almost go hand-in-hand. You're probably going through some sort of re-cycle after removing all the bioballs at once.

[Myka]

You've already received great advice, but to prevent this in the future build you tank slower!!! Your tank is very heavily loaded for a 10 week old tank. Your tank isn't old enough to be "stable"...give it at least a year before you start calling it stable. At 10 weeks you have nothing to compare it to. There's an old saying, "Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank." It's very true. When my tank was 10 weeks old it had three LPS corals in it (and a small clean up crew)...that was it. It didn't get the dirty little fish until it was almost 5 months old. That said, my tank is nearing its first birthday (and is now about as stocked as your 10 week old tank is) and looks great. :)

[hillbillyreefer]

Congratulations. Thanks for the advice, things were going so well, pushed it too fast, did a lot wrong now my critters are paying for it. Some call it reeftarded on another site. I agree with them. Hope your 65 is all you hope it to be.

[hillbillyreefer]

Thanks to all the people who gave advice yesterday. As of this morning all water parameters are returning to normal, did a third 5 gal water change and all surviving animals are doing well and looking normal.

When it rains it pours, the stock pump crapped out on me this morning. The impellor was badly worn after only a couple months run time what a disappointment. I ordered two new MJ 1200's and a lockline Y to mod the tank somewhat. As a temporary fix I took apart a Regent powerhead and used the impeller out of it in the stock pump. Works well. Had to change the rubber end bushings then it dropped right in.

Also ordered new test kits. More chemi pure and carbon. I'm running 3 bags of fluval carbon and two bags of chemi pure in the back. The sponge is going to be removed tonight and only put back in on water change days to catch larger chunks. Then it will be removed washed and not put back in until the next water change. What would you guys do with the ceramic media? It's been in since day 1 should I leave it in or remove it at some point? Until I get some input on this one it will remain in the tank.

Again, Thanks everyone!!

Brad

[hillbillyreefer]

Crap now I'm reading about carbon shock!! Just can't win!!

[Slick Fork]

I would pull the ceramic media out slowly to avoid re-cycling the system. Maybe pull a fifth out every few days.