Old Tank Syndrome

geoj

Active Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scopus Tang http:///forum/thread/380319/old-tank-syndrome/20#post_3310115
 
 
GeoJ, just an FYI Flower stated earlier in the thread that she was getting zero on her ammonia tests.
 
No need to bow or apologize to me - you and GeoJ have accurately contributed just as much as I have - thank you all for a interesting and lively discussion.
 
That is a good thing and all we would need to hear now is what the nitrite has been. What made me nerves is Flower stated daily water changes for a month.
 

scopus tang

Active Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoJ http:///forum/thread/380319/old-tank-syndrome/40#post_3310125
 
That is a good thing and all we would need to hear now is what the nitrite has been. What made me nerves is Flower stated daily water changes for a month.

True enough, but she also stated that her nitrates had finally dropped to 10 today, which means that the daily water changes have cut nitrate levels in half. However, as you point out, she has stated nothing on nitrite levels.
 

meowzer

Moderator
I believe she posted elsewhere that her other levels were 0....it seems that when she does the w/c's the level drops, and quickly goes back up
....she tried vodka, but had an issue (can't remember right now)...she also added a hob refugium recently
 

geoj

Active Member
I know it may sound like I thought that it was OTS, I cant say if it is or not.
I would first determine if it was just over stocked or over feed by not over stocking or over feeding.
 

flower

Well-Known Member

 
Scopus Tang NOT Bang Guy...SO SORRY..
 
I have been reading through all the posts...I think I found my mystery reason for nitrates...
 
There is a factor everyone including myself forgot…I had all of my CUC die because of my heater breaking in two and electrocuting the tank. I have no bristle worms, or any of those little critters left in the sand or otherwise. All I have are the hermit crabs, snails and serpent stars I introduced after.
 
Do I have to get more rock and replace the sand? I dread getting rock because you never know what’s in and on them. However I really do need to replace the little critters is there any other way to get bristle worms and the like besides from live rock?
 
There is nobody I can swap sand with by me either. Please advise.
 

spanko

Active Member
Look up Indo Pacific Sea Farms. They are out of Hawaii. Have used them before with great results.
 

scopus tang

Active Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/380319/old-tank-syndrome/40#post_3310166

 
Scopus Tang NOT Bang Guy...SO SORRY..
 
I have been reading through all the posts...I think I found my mystery reason for nitrates...
 
There is a factor everyone including myself forgot…I had all of my CUC die because of my heater breaking in two and electrocuting the tank. I have no bristle worms, or any of those little critters left in the sand or otherwise. All I have are the hermit crabs, snails and serpent stars I introduced after.
 
Do I have to get more rock and replace the sand? I dread getting rock because you never know what’s in and on them. However I really do need to replace the little critters is there any other way to get bristle worms and the like besides from live rock?
 
There is nobody I can swap sand with by me either. Please advise.
No problem, just wasn't sure if there was a side conversation going on some where that I was unaware of. Is there a LFS in your area that has nice, mature tanks? If so, you can often talk them into selling you a cup or two of the sand from their aquarium at a pretty reasonable price.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51
http:///forum/thread/380319/old-tank-syndrome/40#post_3310186
Henry posted a very good source. Yes your sand bed needs reseeded.
+1
 
 

flower

Well-Known Member
 
Alright, I’m so happy to have all you guys brainstorming to help me. I do see some amphipods in my little refugium other I don't know what bugs too. I also put a little Fiji mud in that and it has been sitting in the tank with some macroalgae for over a month.
 
Can I dump that into my sand and seed it ..or …add more sand to it and reseed some sand that way, then add it to my tank?
 
I looked at the indo Pacific sea farms, I will order some mini sea stars (because they sound cool ..$24.95) and The Reef tank Tune up for $99.95. On the first of the month when my money comes in. I will continue my daily water changes of 3g to 5g a day until I get the tank back up to snuff. For the record I have always checked for ammonia and got a 0 reading. I check occasionally for nitrites and get 0 as well. meowzer is right, I get a 0 reading on nitrates and they climb right back up the very next day.
 
I can do one of two things besides the little refugium idea if it can be done…I can purchase some live sand, or a bucket of that Fiji mud that is supposed to reseed the sand bed of bacteria. The “live” sand is actually the same thing, live bacteria is all that is in it. What is in the LFS around here I don't want in my tank. I won't buy coral from them either.
 
Should I get rid of my sand sifting goby? Here is my stock list please advise if I have it over stocked for a 90g tank.
 
Fish Approximate size in inches

  • Hippo Tang 5.5

  • Blue spotted kole tang 4

  • Golden headed sand sifting goby 4.5

  • Orchid Fridmani Dottyback 3

  • Lawnmower blenny 4

  • 2 Percula clowns 2.5 and 2
    Lemonpeel dwarf angel 2.5
     
    I do have some corals surviving all of this..My hammer frag and cloves are showing stress but still has life (almost closed up) the rest looks good.
    GSP
    2 kinds of Zoa
    A colt coral
    2 Kenya tree frags (looking better)
    Bubble coral frag
 
 
 
 

scopus tang

Active Member
Flower, the problem that I see with reseeding your sandbed with the goby present, is that as soon as you add some active sand to the sandbed - the goby is going to swoop in and immediately begin sifting that sand looking for the microfauna that it naturally subsists on. So unless you are going to add a very large volume of LS to the aquarium at the same time, I don't know that seeding without removing the goby will be successful. You might try removing the goby for a period of time and then reseed, than at a later date after the sandbed reestablishes try adding the goby back in. However, if it then strips your sandbed again, you are right back to square one.
 
On a happy side note, if you decide to remove the goby, it should be realitively easy to trap and remove - use a simple bottle trap and place a few spoonfuls of LS from your fuge to the ******** of the bottle and within a realitively short time, the goby will be trapped in the bottle trap happily consuming the LS.
 
Once you get your sandbed restablished, so long as you are not overfeeding, you should be ok in the short term. I'm not much of a fish person, so can't help you much with the stocking - for what its worth, here's my thoughts on the others; In the long term, the hippo will probably have to go, and they get quite large. I don't anything about the kole tang. The dottyback should be fine, but watch the blenny, I've had them start to starve once the algae ran out (they don't convert well to feedings). The clowns are fin as is the lemonpeel, but watch the lemonpeel as I've seen them eat zoanthids.
 
Don't know how much that helps you, but hopefully some.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scopus Tang http:///forum/thread/380319/old-tank-syndrome/40#post_3310319
Flower, the problem that I see with reseeding your sandbed with the goby present, is that as soon as you add some active sand to the sandbed - the goby is going to swoop in and immediately begin sifting that sand looking for the microfauna that it naturally subsists on. So unless you are going to add a very large volume of LS to the aquarium at the same time, I don't know that seeding without removing the goby will be successful. You might try removing the goby for a period of time and then reseed, than at a later date after the sandbed reestablishes try adding the goby back in. However, if it then strips your sandbed again, you are right back to square one.
 
On a happy side note, if you decide to remove the goby, it should be realitively easy to trap and remove - use a simple bottle trap and place a few spoonfuls of LS from your fuge to the ******** of the bottle and within a realitively short time, the goby will be trapped in the bottle trap happily consuming the LS.
 
Once you get your sandbed restablished, so long as you are not overfeeding, you should be ok in the short term. I'm not much of a fish person, so can't help you much with the stocking - for what its worth, here's my thoughts on the others; In the long term, the hippo will probably have to go, and they get quite large. I don't anything about the kole tang. The dottyback should be fine, but watch the blenny, I've had them start to starve once the algae ran out (they don't convert well to feedings). The clowns are fin as is the lemonpeel, but watch the lemonpeel as I've seen them eat zoanthids.
 
Don't know how much that helps you, but hopefully some.

 
As always your a great help, I figured the goby had to go. Still my question on the sand inside the little refugium being useful as a seed method goes unanswered, I really need advice on that.
 
I can remove the goby and the Hippo tang, its a sad day...my Hippo I have had for a very long time, since it was very teeny tiny in the 55g and the goby is a favorite.. Life goes on.
 
Again..Thank you so much for your help. I love this site...all the good folks here to help is priceless
 

ladyreefseeker

Administrator
Staff member
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scopus tang

Active Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/380319/old-tank-syndrome/40#post_3310326
 

 
As always your a great help, I figured the goby had to go. Still my question on the sand inside the little refugium being useful as a seed method goes unanswered, I really need advice on that.
 
I can remove the goby and the Hippo tang, its a sad day...my Hippo I have had for a very long time, since it was very teeny tiny in the 55g and the goby is a favorite.. Life goes on.
 
Again..Thank you so much for your help. I love this site...all the good folks here to help is priceless

You are more than welcome. It is always hard to part with old friends isn't it? As to the the reseeding question, I myself am not real sure, and mud and sand are two different mediums and I have never tried the mud. If your mud is like some I've seen, more sand than mud, than my answer would be that it should be a good start. May I suggest that a quick PM to floridajoe may be in order to better answer that question? I know that Joe was considering running mud in his refugium at one time and did considerable research into the topic - I believe he finally ended up with sand, but he is no doubt better qualified to answer this question than I.
 

bang guy

Moderator
My suggestion is that everyone that has a DSB trade a pound of sand with each other every year. We used to organize that here but I haven't seen a call for a sand swap in a while. Now might be a good time before it gets too cold up north.
 

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///forum/thread/380319/old-tank-syndrome/40#post_3310596
My suggestion is that everyone that has a DSB trade a pound of sand with each other every year. We used to organize that here but I haven't seen a call for a sand swap in a while. Now might be a good time before it gets too cold up north.
I swap sand between some of my tanks every once in a while, is that just as good?
 

flower

Well-Known Member

 
I contacted Florida Joe, my sand and mud mixture in my little refugium will work for seeding. I can order more Fiji mud booster. There isn’t anyone I can swap live sand with, the tanks at the LFS around here look toxic. I am going to find a home for my sand sifting goby and (SNIFF) Hippo Tang He is getting too big. I’m going to redo the tank, I have to remove it all to get to the tang anyway. First I will put down some egg crate and reset my rock, then add the sand mixture with more booster…when that settles put my fish back in and remaining corals.
 
I’m debating on getting a new wet/dry Pro rapid filter…Its sort of a wet/dry with a canister and skimmer. I plan to run my other skimmer too.
 
Everything is on hold until the 1[sup]st[/sup]..that’s just a week away..I will continue with my daily water change till everything is up and going again like it should be.
 
I have a new weird problem…I have several places where I have put GSP coral. Actually 5 different spots and it’s growing well…Then yesterday I noticed a patch of it that never even opened, all the other areas are open and happy except that one rock. What makes GSP close up. I know critters crawling or fish brushing it can do it, but it usually comes right back out, any ideas? It’s near the top of the tank but another patch is just as close to the top on the other side.
 
 
 

geoj

Active Member
When you move the sand, smell it for the egg sewer smell. I would siphon the sand as I took the water out just to clean it some.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoJ http:///forum/thread/380319/old-tank-syndrome/40#post_3310663
When you move the sand, smell it for the egg sewer smell. I would siphon the sand as I took the water out just to clean it some.

 
 
LOL..I will do that and give it a good sniff...but I'm pretty sure my sand is as clean as a hounds tooth. I have allot of water movement, and the goby has kept it moved around plenty so nothing stagnant could be there.
When I re-do the sand and rock.. I'm also going to put in an order for a Reef Tune up from Indo Pacific Seafarms..oh and some little mini stars, that should get everything kicking again.

I have to be thankful, I may have been battling nitrates but I didn't have a tank crash. If I had not kept up on maintenance and water tests it might have been different outcome.
 
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