Help or Bragging Forum?

h2oengr

h2oengr

Member
I really hate to place such a negative post, but I've got to . ..
I'm so sick and tired of hearing about whether to use this 20000 watt MH bulb or just stick to the 15000 ones or "look at my ____ (fish, coral, whatever)" pictures.
I CAN'T EVEN GET MY REEF TANK TO FUNCTION!!! Chemicals are all fine! I'm currently watching my snails die, hermits die and the Star Polyp I bought my wife for M's day not even come out any longer. I'm so sick of it and I would like to at least have something live in my tank. I've got every algae you could imagine growing in here and nothing will even live long enough to eat it!!!! AAARRRRGGGHHH!!!! What the f*&% and I doing wrong here!???:confused:
I didn't kill my kid after the soap and I keep thinking back to that. But, how could the ammonia, no2, no3s do their thing and cycle if something bad was still in the LR? :notsure: I'm baffled, and yet, I still come and read (and post) about everyone elses beautiful reef tank.

Sorry - I realize I'm venting, but damn!

Ok, I'm ready for some infinite wisdom now!? Any thoughts?
 
lovethesea

lovethesea

Active Member
Sorry for your frustrations. I remember reading your first post.
How much LR is in there? After all you have been through, can you get rid of the rock for awhile and replace with a few new pieces. Something has to be up with that rock. It seems to possibly absorbed something and is hanging on to it. I don't have any other suggestions for you, I hope I am not grabbing at straws for you.
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
No infinate wisdom here, but I think you will probably need to restart with everything new except the tank (and go ahead and clean it out really well also). I am dealing with an unknown subastance right now also. Rotten RO filters (after 4mo) and everything I test for is perfect but things are going bad in the tank. I think we just cannot test for everything with our home tests and there are things that adversly effect. Who knows everything that was in that soap, you may never know what it is or how it is leeching into the system.
Sorry it really stinks that it happened, but if I were you I would just start over.
 
causeidm

causeidm

Member
Hey man, I know how frustrating it can be, last summer it hit like 112 here, I did everything I could to keep my tank cool, but between work and summer school all of my corals died. I ended up selling all of my fish back to the store and tearing down the tank.
I recently restarted my tank after getting a chiller and making a few more improvements, but sometimes all you can do is start over.
If you had soap in your tank, it's entirely possible there are still small traces left and that its killing everything, even if the LR went through its cycle. It's also possible that its something else, it could be a million things and everyone here could try there best and not be able to figure it out over the board.
The reason people post pics pf their tanks for you is to encourage you, not to brag. It may look bad now, but maybe if you get through it your tank can look that great to, you just have to take everything slow and calm. We are all sorry that your fish and corals and inverts are dying and if any of us knew the answer to stop it we would tell you in a second, but sometimes there is no quick fix and sometimes there is no fix.
I would salvage whats alive, take it to the pet store, then take all your rock and sand and throw it away or stick it in the garden, you could probably sell it back to the pet store, but then someone else is going to go through what your going through, so if you do make sure you tell the owner of the shop whats in it.
After everythings out of the tank, clean it like theres no tomorrow, but DON'T use soap. someone else on this board may have experience with making sure its gone, but I think its pretty much rinse-repeat over and over. Then start completely new.
Other things you might want to think about, is it possible soap is in the filter? do you have a skimmer? if so, rinse-repeat, if not get all new media for what your using and clean everything. Clean your powerheads, disasemble them and make sure no soap is in them, anything and everything.
Corals and fish are much more sensitive then live rock, so even if your LR still went through its cycle, it doesn't mean that a very small amount of soap isn't leaching out.
I am so sorry about your tank and I'm sure no one on this board ment to frustrate or agravate you, they have all given me great advice since I began the hobby.
 
wablondie98664

wablondie98664

Active Member
your live rock and sand probably absorbed a lot of the chemicles from the soap and now are leeching them back into the water. you are probably going to have to ditch the sand and live rock, scrup your tank real well and start over. hth
 
rbmount

rbmount

Active Member
I agree, There's probably soap residue in every little hole in your rock, and in your sand. I think if it was me, I'd scrap all the rock and sand, scrub the tank good, and start over. I know you hate to, but I think that is your only option.
 
h2oengr

h2oengr

Member
Thanks.
I realize everyone is simply proud of their tanks, and I would be too! I enjoy looking at everyone's pix.
I was hoping this was not going to happen - removal of all the LR and sand. Not a pretty or enjoyable picture. But, it may be the best bet. The soap could be in every nook and cranny of the LR.
I'm going on vacation at the end of the month. I think I'll wait until then and see what happens.
I'm still amazed at my chemicals - I just tested them - results:
NH3: < 10
NO2: <0.2
NO3: ~10
Salinity: 35 ppt or about 1.026
Temp: 82
Salinity and temp seem a little high or about right? I turned off the heater - the PCs are probably enough to keep it about 80.
 
h2oengr

h2oengr

Member
I meant to add: 3 Chromis and a damsel are still just fine. :notsure: If there was still soap residue, then they would certainly die.
The algae is having no trouble at all (damn stuff) and some of the crabs and snails are doing alright. This leaves me a little hope that the soap is all gone! I want to get more hermits and snails to clean the algae, but I'm afraid 1/2 of them will die!
Yes, I do have a protein skimmer and empty it daily. My sump is probably 10 gallons and I've got a polyfilter still in there since the soap incident.
 
wablondie98664

wablondie98664

Active Member
hmmmm. if fish are doing fine, there may be no chemicles:confused: have you tried testing for copper? i know that can be deadly for inverts.
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member

Originally posted by H2OENGR
... and I've got a polyfilter still in there since the soap incident.
I'd pull that out PRONTO...probably still has "stuff" from the soap incident...
And change any other filter media you may have 'left over"
 
vibe

vibe

Member
i ahve a funny thing to tell you. i just got done removing something from my .5 gallon nano. and btw everything in it is dead. my little cousin was over before and i guess he decided dropped a sweet tart and a package of smarties into the tank:scared: . the water has a colory glow to it....
anyways, dont worry things will work out. when i first established my tank, nothing would live. i went through fish wipe outs, coral deaths, suicidal fish, everything. and now my tank flourishes with color and life. stick with it and you will get through this dilema. if things start turning bad again,i would just start over. good luck and keep your head up.:happy:
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
This kind of thing (soap, broken heater "boiling" your tank,crazy ex-GF "bleaching" your tank, drunk room mates trying to get your fish "drunk") happens to alot of people...
If you don't get so discouraged you just "quit", you can take this little setback as an opportunity to "reset" your tank...
Change out some things (like the rock/sand) and re-aquascape, maybe go DSB if you were shallow, or shallow if you were DSB...
Maybe set up a little 20 for the chromis, damsels and inverts while the big tank re-cycles...Maybe later you can turn that into a Nano...:thinking:
Not everybody posts "prize winning" pics of there tanks...some of my older ones "aint" all that purdy...
And hey if it makes you feel better...not so long ago I had a jar of "buffer" break so I put the powder in a zip lock bag...(un-marked, my BAD)...a few days later I see the Dog chewing on a bag of white powder...So I grab it and as I'm due to dose buffer and the bag is leaking anyway, I add a couple scoops..stuff doesn't look right but I pour it in the tank anyway...
Later I "find" my bag of buffer and after a quick investigation I realize the Dog got an un-marked bag of powdered sugar (wifes BAD) from the pantry...
Needless to say I had a "Major" bacteria bloom and just about lost the tank...A couple dozen water changes later and I got it under control...no losses....whew...:nervous:
(EDIT): I take that back, my yellow toadstool shrunk up and never recovered..I still have a small frag though that "looks like" it has some life left...but no growth yet...
By the way, FWIW, carbon doesn't seem to remove sugar or the resultant bacteria worth a darn...:nope:
 
diddley

diddley

Member
if you've got ammonia and nitrates, that's what's killing corals and inverts. should be zero. also change out that polyfilter a couple of times before you add anything else. if the polyps are history, only turn the lights on a couple of hours a day for awhile and remove algae manually. just my O.
 
S

spsaddict

Guest
some questions
how long this been set up....
and was it a brand new tank?
if not did you or the person you bought it from ever treat for any fish diseases?
 
h2oengr

h2oengr

Member
I had a standard 55-gallon FOWLR tank for about 2 years and transferred the biowheels into the new filter and system. We purchased the bowfront 54-gallon about 3 months ago, so it's not a completely new system, but 1/2 of it was. Although it had certainly completed its cycle.
Just got back from the LFS - Phosphates are >1. Since I work at an RO Plant, I plan on bringing home some water and doing a 90% water change. The filters and sand should contain the biology needed, right?
I haven't given up quite yet, but I'm getting close! :mad:
 
the croc hunter

the croc hunter

Member
I had a FOWLR 55 tank that got Ick that would NOT go away.. I tried everything for MONTHS.. FInally a 60% water change got it under contol...
a HUGE water change sometimes does the trick... I remember mixing the salt and Water in a large rubbermaid garbage can I bought :)
 
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