HIGH AMMONIA all corals dead...advice needed

[milomlo]

Ok all - I went out of town for 4 days and when I came back my ammonia was through the roof.
My Xenia is gone, my mushrooms are melting, my leather is mush and all my zoas are closed up. I have lost 3 chromis, 1 bangii cardinal, and possibly a firefish.
I took all the fish I could catch (firefish is still in the tank) and put them in a rubbermaid container. I also took what corals I had left - my closed zoas, shrooms, frogspawn, and sun coral and put them in the same rubbermaid container. The only fish I have left out of my entire tank are 2 clowns and I have a tail spot blenny who is in a very small QT that I am treating w/ Melafix cause his fins are all tattered. I figure because of the bad water.
Anyhow any suggestions on this tank now? It is 100 gallons w/ a 45 gallon sump. I have done 2 water changes. I can only do 12 gallons at a time cause all my other containers are full and being used for fish and such. Anyhow I figure it is going to take forever only be able to change 12 gallons at a time.
I am concerned that all my bacteria and worms and snails and such are going to die. I did put some Stability (to add more bacteria) in the tank. I don't know what else to do. I am so discouraged.
I had upgraded my 29 gallon to this 100 gallon and I was so looking forward to making this tank great. Seems as though I have screwed up somewhere. I think I messed up when I added Prime to my tank. I had been using AmQuel every so often and I couldn't find it so I bought Prime as it said it reduced ammonia and such. I used this stuff between water changes. Anyhow I was talking to WAX and he said he thought Prime was to start a cylce. :scared: Apparently that is what I did. I have killed my tank.
No flaming please I feel bad enough.

 

[hagfish]

You just need to do lots of water changes. Even if it's only 12 gallons at a time. Or, better yet go get another container to store your water for changes. You can get about a 35-50 gallon trash can (I think brutes are OK) for like $30-$40 I think.
Why did you move everything to the rubbermaid? That won't help if it's in the same bad water. Why not put them back in the main tank and use the rubbermaid for changes?
I suggest in the future you don't bother using any treatments to remove ammonia. It is totally unnecessary and really just a waste of money. Your biological filtration will remove the ammonia. Then you remove the nitrates through water changes or some other export.
Do you still have the 29? It could be used for changes too.

 

[milomlo]

Originally Posted by hagfish
Why did you move everything to the rubbermaid? That won't help if it's in the same bad water. Why not put them back in the main tank and use the rubbermaid for changes?
Um to get them out of the ammonia tank. NO it is not the same bad water what would be the point of moving them if I did that? :notsure:

 

[skirrby]

i think hes trying to point out that you put the dying corals in the same rubermaid as the fish,, which would result in the amonia in the rubermaid going real high. sorry this happened to you, and i hope it all pans out good

 

[milomlo]

Originally Posted by skirrby
i think hes trying to point out that you put the dying corals in the same rubermaid as the fish,, which would result in the amonia in the rubermaid going real high. sorry this happened to you, and i hope it all pans out good

Well I can understand that.

However the ammonia is going to be much less in this rubbermaid than in the 100 gallon tank. I can keep up the small water changes in this rubbermaid and I can keep it at 0 or almost there. Where as in the MT ammonia is 8.0 and my trites are 0.50

 

[mrdc]

I would wonder also what went wrong to cause something to die in the first place which jacked up your ammonia. Probably would be impossible to figure out. Four days isn't very long to be away so something must have went wrong right after you left. IF a store is close by, I would think about running out to get a bigger container unless you don't mind the small water changes. Sorry to hear things are going bad. Stick with it and things will improve.

 

[hagfish]

How big is the rubbermaid (in gallons approx.)? I assume you are using brand new water for it. If so, you will be having the same problem in it, but with less water volume to dilute it (I assume less water volume) and less bacteria than what is in your main tank to consume it.

 

[milomlo]

The rubbermaid says it is approx 18 gallons but it has approx 12 gallons it in. I have a filter set up on it w/ a heater. Yes I am using fresh water and I do have some LR in the rubbermaid that was taken out of the MT.
My ammonia on the MT is 8.0 where are the small rubbermaid is 0 so I think that is better. Yes I know that the bacteria will eventually take care of the ammonia however are you suggesting I that I let my last 2 fish suffer through the apparent cylce?

 

[hagfish]

I am only suggesting that the ammonia in your rubbermaid is going to be really high soon too.
I'd get a big container of some kind to do close to a 50% water change all at once in the main tank. The container isn't a waste because you can still use it for water changes in the future. I think you need to get a large amount of that bad water out in a hurry before your rubbermaid cycle gets out of control (it's only going to be a couple days).

 

[milomlo]

I see what you are saying. Thank you for the suggestion. I have two other rubbermaid containers 1 I am using for water changes, and the other for storage. Guess it is time to bring the other one out of storage and use it for water changes as well.
I just figured doing water changes on the rubbermaid w/ the fish would be easier than doing a big crazy change on the MT and just let it finish its cycle.

 

[milomlo]

Question - since this tank is obviously cycling again is it going to hurt to do the changes everyday?
I have been doing 20 gallon changes everyday and my ammonia is still 8.0 :scream
I have done I guess about 3 or 4 already. Would it be better for me to wait a day or so in between or keep going like I am?

 

[dragonboy]

Something happen to my tank this weekend as well but it was because of light the damn thing fell into my water which shocked all my corals. Luckly most of corals are still alive the only thing that is dying would be xenia's. My leather's is trying to recover but I think my xenia's can come back even though its pretty much shriveled up. Just run a lot of carbon and do a couple of water changes it should get back to normal a in a few days.