Big Problem Today

[captainron]

72 Gallon saltwater tank with coral/sand bottom (no corals)
About 2 weeks ago I noticed the bulb on my UV Sterilizer had burned out. I ordered a new one and it came in yesterday and I replaced it last night.
This morning I left for work early so did not turn the light on in the tank. My wife called me as she was leaving for work and informed me that when she turned the light on she noticed a reddish tint in the water and 2 of our fish were dead (damsels)
What worries me the most is that the damsels always seemed to be the hardiest fish in the tank and easiest to keep so i am concerned that when I get home from work the rest of the community may be gone...... I also have a red squirrel, a snowflake eel and a yellow tang.
Any idea what might have caused this? I assume it has something to do with re-introducing the UV sterilizer after being off for a while.

 

[saxman]

What additives are you using in your tank, if any? UV often affects meds and other additives. Also, when you replaced the lamp, were the seals intact?

 

[captainron]

No additives..... as far as I know....all was well with the seals on the UV Sterilizer.... Think there could of been a leak or something?

 

[saxman]

It seems odd that the trouble happened right after you did the maintenence, is all. Could be coincidence tho.

 

[captainron]

I am wondering if it is possible that the UV sterilizer (since it was off for 2 weeks) suddenly changed the water quality by destroying some bacteria that was beneficial to the tank. The red tint to the water is what drives me nuts especially since i could not be home to see it but instead have to take my wife's word on the "tint"

 

[saxman]

Nope...the beneficial bacteria you speak of is not found in the water column...they're benthic/demersal, and colonize the surfaces of your LR and/or other bio-filter media.
To be honest, I stopped using UV units ages ago, as there wasn't much point in my systems. Folks who raise fry (such as SH fry) have been using UV's a lot lately to cut down on protozoan infestations, which increases yield.
If nothing else, you should run some extra carbon in the tank.

 

[captainron]

So I am still stuck at work but my wife just called with an update when she got home - tank is still red but remaining fish are still alive.
She sent me a pic (attached) and told me it is far worse that what the picture shows because of the flash

 

[siptang]

WOW... something definitely is wrong. Soon as you get home, I suggest a HUGE water change, changes of carbon and pads and let it run and replace carbon in 24-48 hours.
UV shouldn't have that kind of effect. Must be something in the water to cause this... sorry for your troubles..

 

[flower]

I read that UV sterilzers kill spores from algae. JUST GUESSING HERE....maybe because the unit was off the algae bloomed wildly with nothing to keep it in check for 2 weeks. It's the red tint that makes me scratch my head. Do you have any red macroalgae in the tank or sump?
The only other red I know of is cyanobacteria. I have never used a UV sterilizer so I have no idea if that has anything to do with it.

 

[siptang]

Something besides UV is causing this in my honest opinion.
I have had uv for years without this type of issue. Something was over looked, measured incorrectly or something just fell in the tank.
I'm very interested if its UV, only thing that I can possibly think is that it's burning everything in there and that you can find out by sticking a finger in the water to see if you feel the zap of static electricity running through the water.
One time my friend's heater went nuts and burnt his sump and his dt had whole lot of crap everywhere for a while...

 

[smallreef]

have you added any rock recently?? makes me wonder if something is leaching??? (if its not electrical that is)

 

[captainron]

Added nothing new. Went to fish store yesterday and they were baffled also
Someone did tell me that the UV Light could of killed off phytoplankton in the water column. the UV was killing it off, but there was not a way to collect the dead phytoplankton, so the tank was full of brown dead phytoplankton. That sort of makes sense since my UVS was off for 2 weeks waiting for new bulb to come in and not sure how long it was out of service before I noticed the bulbs was burned out. Did not notice any excessive amount of macroalgae in the tank or sump but been cleaning out my sponge in my skimmer box as it and my filter pad have been getting dirty real quick
Did a water test last night and every single level was off the charts (ammonia, PH, Phosphates, nitrites, nitrates) ...All high
Put some carbon in the tank last night and did a 10 gallon water change. Color started looking better this morning but lost another fish last night.
The one thing that baffled me was the fact that the first 2 fish I lost were damsels that I have had in the tank for about 8 years.....they are always the most hardy but someone had a idea on why they died first...Damsels are very aggressive, very active fish. With the sudden input of a lot of dead material into the display, it likely caused a bacterial bloom, which requires O2. Damsels being very active require more O2 than many other fish
Last night my Red Squirrel fish died but this morning my Yellow Tang, Snowflake Eel and Tomato Clown all looked well and active. All snails int eh tank appear to be ok too and not dropping off the glass.

 

[flower]

Ah so the tint was brown not red...

 

[captainron]

Well it looked red in the tank but when I put some water in clear tubes for water test it did look to be a bit on the brown side

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by captainron http:///t/392646/big-problem-today#post_3488246
Well it looked red in the tank but when I put some water in clear tubes for water test it did look to be a bit on the brown side
Do you have a hospital tank or tub you can use to put your fish in? If so, I would do a 90% water change and re-set the tank. Leave the rock and sand in place and just remove as much water as you possibly can and yet give a place for the inverts to survive until your done. Since the good bacteria is on the rocks and sand you won't have a spike or start a cycle. Keep running the carbon, and get rid of the UV sterilizer...invest in some macroalgae. Run a skimmer as well if you don't already.

 

[siptang]

You must have had TONS of phyto for the water to turn into that color and it doesn't really make sense to me still because I use natural sea water and I run UV on it before it's put into my tank...

 

[saxman]

Just a thought...could anyone have either overfed the tank either on purpose or accidentally? I know some peeps keep their flake food on top of their tanks or near it...