Stupid Stupid Stupid (long)

mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
I can't believe I screwed up this bad.

I did the dumpest thing you can do. I got my husband to hook up out water filter for our house so I wouldn't have to buy water. My reqular levels:amm., NO3, NO4, Ph all checked out ok. The stupid part
I did not check other stuff(don't get lazy like I did), I have done top off's every day on my 55g reef and last couple of weeks a 10% water change with this water. I decided to clean one of my powerheads and after that it kept falling in the sand. While I wasn't home I had a mager sand storm and everything was covered with sand and water all white. I cleaned off everything and started water working for change and bought amm-loc. All livestock very unhappy. Next day added amm. loc to keep control. Later checked water levels and everything was good, except PHOS which I haven't been checking
.
Salinity 1.026
amm-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-0
PH-8.0
PHOS-2+

No wonder everything looks so bad. Checked filtered water between 2.0-5.0, checked tap water 10.0

Run to LFS and get phos busted and PHOS ban. Add that to tank. (Never add chemicals to my tank
) Have to buy saltwater from store.
Did water change night before last. Checked water this am.
Amm-1.0

Notrites trac?
Nitrates-0
Phos- barely trac.
Have more water mixing and added the ammloc. All my corals of course are dieing. My serpent star is not moving and who knows what else could be dieing. Fish are acting ok, but know they can't be. I can't put these fish in with my sea horses and no other tanks are running. How often can I add this amm loc stuff. Did I mention I never add chemicals to my tank

Yes, I am stupid, stupid stupid. I just hope I don't have a total crash. My hairy mushrooms are coming off their rocks and hydropornia is starting to sluff at the edge.
Everything else is closed up tight except my toadstool.
 
autofreak44

autofreak44

Active Member
clean all your filters, do a 30% water change, try to pick up some phosphate stuff at the LFS and the only thing you can do for the ammonia right now is just keep up with water changes and cut back feeding to once every 3 days
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Thanks for your replies. I finally have the Phos under control I think, but it's the amm. right now.
I'm doing another wter change this afternoon. Keep fingers crossed that I don't kill everything.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
I hope things get better for you. Just keep a positive mind, learn from your mistakes, and do the best you can do. We all made and make mistakes. As long as we learn from them and do things better, we are on the right path.
 
reefmate75

reefmate75

Member
i dont understand whats wrong...power head came off and was blowing sand every where? ive done that befor but my system didnt suffer as bad as you make it out to be, i took the same power head that fell off blew every thing off and the next morning all was clear corals where fine, fish fine, amm. was up alittle nothing to worry about... 1ppm, phosphates though are more or less alge food...yeah you get to much and your tank turns green dont want to much phosphates but your always or should always have them, but nothing to worry about enless they are like 5ppm, you should have .5 - 1.5 ppm phos..and .5 is kinda low
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Originally Posted by ladylinn
So why is it that readings go up if the sand is blown around?????

This wasn't just blown around, but the whole sand bed turned upsidedown and dumped on every thing. This is a bed 2" and over a year. All that stuff that settles deep in your bed gets mixed in the water. And any dead spots can put toxins in your water.
I think on my 240g, I'm going aonly 1" bed.
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Originally Posted by reefmate75
i dont understand whats wrong...power head came off and was blowing sand every where? ive done that befor but my system didnt suffer as bad as you make it out to be, i took the same power head that fell off blew every thing off and the next morning all was clear corals where fine, fish fine, amm. was up alittle nothing to worry about... 1ppm, phosphates though are more or less alge food...yeah you get to much and your tank turns green dont want to much phosphates but your always or should always have them, but nothing to worry about enless they are like 5ppm, you should have .5 - 1.5 ppm phos..and .5 is kinda low
I usually work hard to keep all my bad things at 0. The live stock I have aren't use to any nitrates, amm. or phos. That maybe the difference. All my corals are in shock right now.
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Beasty the serpent star has passed.
This was just too much for him I guess. Just finished another water change 30min ago. Some of my surooms are half open. All 4 of my hairys have come off their rock. I put them in a basket in the tank so I'll know if they melt. All fish accounted for so far and acting normal. I post para in a.m.
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
This morning is no better. I can't find either of my shrimp and I don't see all of my snails. All fish are accounted for so far. I did feed them a little. Want to keep them as healthy as possible. Corals are doing terrible.
SG- 1.027
PH-7.8
amm-2.0-4-0

Nitrite-trac
nitrate-trac
pohos-0.5
I added the AMMO LOCK as directed, again. Don't know how often it is ok to add. It has been couple od days and 2w/c's. I think I'm going to dip my corals and put them in my seahorse tank. I'm afraid of them dieing in there though. Don't have anyone around here with a tank.
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Originally Posted by KrazeKajin
I would run a lot of carbon right now as well.
I am going to pick up some more today. What I have in there has been in a week.
Does anyone think it will help or hurt to add some of that bacteria stuff that you can but in the refridgerated section, to the tank. I think I may try that today.
My amm. is at the top of the chart still, after daily water changes. I'm not sure how correct it is because I added the ammo lock. My nitrites are 0.

Phospates are finally at 0. This ammo. is going to wipe out my tank if I can't get some kind of control. What a time to do this. Right after Chrismas when I'm so broke.

Hyropornia has recieded about 1/4 in. around the edges. Don't know if it can be saved if even I correct this. Maybe if it doesn't get brown jelly or something. It is encrusted over like 3 large lr's so can't remove it.
 
vampofvegas

vampofvegas

Member
Have you checked all the water parameters on the new water for s & giggles (not straight from the tap.. but in a bucket that is made ready to pour into the tank).
What kind of testing kit are you using?
Doesnt ammo lock sometimes make readings goofy? I'm not sure but you should check on that.
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Finally my para. are getting back to normal.
amm-0
nitrite-0
nitrates->10
PH-7.8 Just turned lights on
Phos- are at 1.0 again
I am so glad I finally got rid of the amm. and nitrites. All fish still alive, but I do have ich showing. I'm cycling my HT. They are still acting normal and eating so will not bother switching them until tank is fully cycled and I'm trying to give them plenty of fresh garlic and vit.
Tank looks terrible. Bad cycno outbreak, but will deal with it slowly. Lost most corals and inverts. Still have:
1-pep. shrimp
1-pistal shrimp
2-blue leg hermits
2-turbo snails
My condy anenome
(so far)
these corals still alive but look bad:
elegance
toadstool
green mushrooms
purple mushrooms
green and neon star polyps matt still there, not open?
I do still see a few small baby snails. Lots did die.

I'm just so afraid to mess with anything at this monent. What should I address first. Haven't feed elegance, have lots of cyno, Ph is low, fish have ich, phosphates are up?

I'm going to try to let everything settle for a week unless something gets worse. I have been doing daily or everyother day w/c's since this started. want everything to have a chance to settle.
 
keith burn

keith burn

Active Member
OMG I hope all will go well for you from this point on sorry you had all this crap go on with your tank.
goo luck
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Originally Posted by keith burn
OMG I hope all will go well for you from this point on sorry you had all this crap go on with your tank.
goo luck

Thanks. Some of the corals are trying to open.
Fish are still eatin'. all positives.
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Originally Posted by mcbdz
http:///forum/post/2435789
This wasn't just blown around, but the whole sand bed turned upsidedown and dumped on every thing. This is a bed 2" and over a year. All that stuff that settles deep in your bed gets mixed in the water. And any dead spots can put toxins in your water.
I think on my 240g, I'm going aonly 1" bed.
That's true IF the sand bed is not healthy. A two inch sand bed is kind of in that intermediate danger zone.
A healthy DSB should not have dead zones.
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
I have read somewhere on one of the forums, maybe here or 3 reefs or RS aboiut someone using Amolock and had the same thing happen. Sorry about your trouble. A friends 240gl crashed last night. I have all her corals in my tnaks and saved the fish. She was crying. Don't know what happened to cause it. I know it must be terrible. Can you buy water from somewhere and stop using the Amolock and do some water changes, maybe save some?
Maybe move into smaller tanks till you can get the water problem under control?
 
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