Every Seahorse is dead

flower

flower

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure what happened. I got up this morning and turned on the lights..the water is slightly cloudy. I thought the front glass needed cleaning but.... no. Then I saw the first dead horse, then I found the female coverd with CUC and the largest of the males was struggling to upright itself, then he would fall back down. The only water I had was from the 90g so I scooped some of that to put him in...too little too, too late. The third I can't find anywhere but I'm sure he is dead.
The Aquaripure filter had clogged and I released the valve to get it to flow again. The water smelled bad almost like a sewer...it has done that before and it never hurt anything. The skimmer hasn't been skimming right. Either one of them could be to blame. I haven't done any water tests, I'm sure right now the ammonia is high...I can't find the last horse. The snails are fine and all over the place, but looking at the snails I noticed the Hectors goby is gone too..no doubt dead.
I have WC water, but it isn't the right SG yet, I just started mixing it yesterday for a normal change. I have never had a mass death like this....not even when the power went out for 4 days. I'm going to blame the filter that smelled bad, it's the most likely reason. With all the macro algae the skimmer really wasn't needed.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
I haven't cried yet...I'm numb. The peppermint shrimps are alive too...they are so sensitive, i don't understand why the horses all died and the inverts be alright.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
OMG Flower......I am sooooo sorry....I totally understand what you are feeling......
Run some water tests, BUT the bad thing is with horses.....something I know all too well....you may never know
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/390235/every-seahorse-is-dead#post_3454499
OMG Flower......I am sooooo sorry....I totally understand what you are feeling......
Run some water tests, BUT the bad thing is with horses.....something I know all too well....you may never know
Oh I loved those little guys too. They were the best critters I ever had in all the fish years I have lived since I was a young girl. The big male is still alive in the little water I took out of the 90g. he is on his side and I thought he was gone, but when I went to dispose of his body he moved...I know he will die, but I just can't dump him out until I'm sure it's over...NOW I'm crying. I just can't find the last one. Since I removed the dead horses, the water is already clear again.
I'm still trying to drink my morning coffee...I will do water tests when I finish it.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Test results...
Ph...8.0
Ammonia...0
Nitrite...0
Nitrate...0
PO4...0
Alk...2 (very low)
Cal...300 (very low)
Temp... 75
SG...36ppt (refractometer)
...So what killed my horses? The big guy finally gave up and died. There is nothing in the Aquaripure except good bacteria...can that turn to bad bacteria when it clogged????
 
S

saxman

Guest
Did you turn the filter back on after it clogged-up? Were the SH in distress before or after you turned the filter on?
What can happen in those types of filters is that once water flow stops, the bacteria on the filter media can go into O2 deficit and begin to die off (which accounts for the smell o' death). When they stop flowing for any appreciable amount of time, they should be cleaned and the media replaced out before restarting them.
Sorry for the loss.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by saxman http:///t/390235/every-seahorse-is-dead#post_3454524
Did you turn the filter back on after it clogged-up? Were the SH in distress before or after you turned the filter on?
What can happen in those types of filters is that once water flow stops, the bacteria on the filter media can go into O2 deficit and begin to die off (which accounts for the smell o' death). When they stop flowing for any appreciable amount of time, they should be cleaned and the media replaced out before restarting them.
Sorry for the loss.
I flushed the tube like it said to do in the instructions. I agree on the O2 deficit and the smell of death. It was clogged for at least a full day. The one on the 90g did that for almost 3 days before I realized it...it didn't hurt anything to flush the tube, it had that nasty smell too. There is no media to replace, the canister is sealed. According to Aquaripure you just flush the tube and the bacteria inside will be okay...I can e-mail the fellow who makes them to double check that I understood the instructions right.
With a big water change and removing the Aquaripure filter...how long should I wait to replace the horses?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Here is what Aquaripure had to say in the troubleshooting guide. I don't think I need to inject any more nutrient...
My Aquaripure was working great but I think something happened that killed off the bacteria. How do I get it working again?
Occasionally something can disrupt the bacteria in the Aquaripure such as the use of antibiotics in the tank or maybe switching to a different aquarium. If you feel the bacteria in the nitrate filter have been "killed off" or disrupted then don't worry. It will get back to normal but it might take another month or so. To speed up the process you can also inject nutrient every four days for a while. Once it is cycled you can just resume the feeding and adjustments as you normally would. You can also purchase additional bacterial culture in our Other Products page.
The flow rate of my nitrate filter fluctuates excessively and even completely stops at times.
This can actually be a good sign. It generally means that the Aquaripure is beginning to work. Some fluctuation is inevitable and normal. When the Aquaripure is fed it creates a bacterial bloom within the filter. The billions of bacteria create resistance to the water flow but this is also what cleans the water and removes nitrates.
If you are following the directions to adjust the denitrator correctly it should always be able to get a strong flow when the flow valve is wide open. It is important to open the flow valve completely and then immediately decrease the flow to the correct rate each time you adjust it (every 2-3 days.) The bacteria can produce a harmless mucous and it can build up in the narrow tubing. Adjusting the flow rate properly will clear out the tubing and valve of any bacterial build up. It will also let you accurately gauge the flow since when you check the flow rate the end of the outflow tube may be partially empty giving the appearance that the flow rate is less than it actually is. If the outflow has completely stopped even when the flow control valve is wide open then the outflow tubing and flow valve needs to be cleaned. Simply unscrew the outflow tubing and flow control valve and rinse it in hot water and blow on it until it is cleared. You can also take a pipe cleaner or similar instrument and stick it in the outflow elbow an inch or two to clean the outflow elbow.
If you still feel the Aquaripure is slowing excessively you can adjust the flow rate slightly faster when you adjust it but never more than 50%. If this is done you should be careful to monitor it to ensure the denitrator stays cycled and reduce the flow rate if it does not stay cycled.
Also note that the pump provided with the denitrator will not provide enough power to pump water from a sump tank, through the denitrator, and into the main tank. If the pump is placed in the sump then the outflow must be placed in the sump.
It also mentioned the cloudiness......and the smell
After I feed the filter there is a slight cloudiness in my tank.

Occasionally some of the bacteria from the nitrate filter can escape into the tank causing a slight cloudiness. It should disappear on its own in a day or two but if it is severe then a water change is recommended. Reduce the amount of nutrient injected by about 25% and slightly reduce the water flow as needed to eliminate this problem. Once the Aquaripure cycles and nitrates reach zero this effect will be minimized and you can try increasing the flow rate and nutrients. This usually only happens when the Aquaripure is slightly oversized for the aquarium.

The effluent of the filter smells.

This can also sometimes happen with an oversized nitrate filter. It can be normal for a denitrator to have a slight rotten egg smell occasionally but it should only be noticeable if you put your nose right up to the tube. Let me explain what has happened and then I will explain the solution.

When the anaerobic bacteria run out of nitrates they will begin to break down the sulfates in the water. Sulfates don't really harm anything at all so no one is concerned about them very much. When the bacteria break down sulfates it produces Hydrogen Sulfide gas. Hydrogen Sulfide gas is not very soluble in water and so does not build up in the water in an aquarium unless there is no water flow or aeration at all and it will escape into the atmosphere. The human nose is extremely sensitive to hydrogen sulfide which has that distinctive odor. A person can smell it at concentrations as low as 20 parts per billion.
Fortunately there is an easy solution. You should actually increase the flow rate by 25% or more (not decrease), reduce the amount of nutrient injected by 25% and trickle the outflow through carbon. This should eliminate any noticeable hydrogen sulfide smell. Running the effluent through a small bag of carbon will help remove any traces. Also make sure the outflow and the water in your aquarium is being sufficiently aerated.
e="font-family: verdana">
My tank is 56g and the filter is sized for 15g to 60g...so my filter is not too large. I have two air lines running in the tank besides lots of water flow, and the top pf the tank is well agitated. The only thing I didn't do is filter it through carbon. I have my change water all set, but the SG was too high this morning to help the one struggling horse. Oh and no to the question of if the horses were at all stressed.....They were all happy and fine at lights out last night, nothing seemed wrong until this morning. The smell was there all day yesterday and the slight cloudiness was noticed this morning as well..it has since completely cleared on it's own, and there is no more bad smell.
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
WOW Flower I so sorry to here you lost your horses! But we all here have been were you are at now and personal I know it sucks. All you can do is feel bad for now but then you need to get that tank running again and learn from this experience. Keep communication going you have fiends here that will help you through this.
 
al&burke

al&burke

Active Member
Flower have you thought of putting the remaining SH in your 90 just until you get your SH tank sorted out, might be an idea.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Yeah. Bang woke up one day to a crashed lagoon tank and a half rotten raccoon in a filter. He definitely understands.
Ive never had anything that bad happen to me before, but I know how upsetting a crashed tank can be.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator

I'm so sorry to hear this Flower. Unfortunately, I too, know the feeling. It's why I don't have any SHs anymore. It broke my heart. I love your setup and really do hope that you get it all figured out and set it up with them again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top