System shot!

[kiefers]

So, last weekend this guy, me, finally had some time to do a whole system clean up on his fish cage. Started out by cleaning off the glass the vacuuming up some of the substrate. Went and got some RO/DI water the a couple of days prior, dumped into the bin, and bought it to temperature. I later added the salt and allowed it to stir for 24 + hours, cleared up rather quickly but thought the tank waited this long it could wait one day.
The day came in the morning and i finished with the water change. Took out some pieces of live rock and scrubbed them down with a firm brush, rinsed them with the old water and replaced them into their spots. Everything was good in aquaria once again.
Before adding the new H2O, I checked the pH, nitrates and phosphates, which all checked out. I added the water and BOOM cloudy.After the water was finished I changes out the filter media and cleaned the other equipment like the skimmer and PH's. I even added one for the back of the tank to keep the back clean.
By nights end, keep in mind that all this was done by fiveish.... the corals were still closed, which was odd because they typically love the water changes.
Next morning, my Royal Gramma was dead, Multi colored Angel looked as if she had been scalped and one eye was getting ready to fall out, eventually did, and ALL my corals had this thick slime coat covering them. the sun coral were all about dead already, all but a small few. The leather was all winkled up and pissed to all hell, the Xenia gone, which I was not heart broken over that. Monti's dead, and my prized piece, the Aussie elegance looked dead as well. My Scolley looks like a porcupine with half of the tissue gone. Oh man this just pisses me off typing this Lol....
I quickly move my elegance, leather and sun corals to the coral QT. The scolley followed suite shortly after. My tree and neon candy canes which act as if nothing happen at all are still in the 56. The tank stunk of rot so I thought I had better hit another water change and quickly.
Just for the giggles of it all I took a water sample to the lab at work and requested they run a test on it. Sometimes the city will test the water but it takes them lot of time to do this. I went to my fish guy and got some of his water 40 gallons, and quickly did another mix.
I did another water change last night and things looks a heck of alot better. I am using carbon and running my skimmer, which has calmed down after the water change. It was running like there was soap in the water.
Any thoughts on what I should do to save my other corals or Angel fish? I am afraid to take her out and stress her more, but the maderin may starve if I don't so something with him too.
So today I get the results back on the water. The lab tech stated that this was fish water. Lol..... duh, I explained to him later where the water came from. He asked how often Aquarium salt water contained Hydrogen Peroxide? I said "dude in the lab coat say whaaaaat"? He said there were high traces of peroxide in the water. OMG again I nearly lost what is left of my mind!!!
On my lunch today I called our local reef club science guru and he tells me there is a store that has been using peroxide to sanitize their R/O units rather than changing out there filters. Anyone hear of this practice?
any thoughts on this or advice would be greatly appreciated.

On another note I would like to thank sip for listening to my rant and raving over this issue!! (thanks man)

 

[kiefers]

Oh.......... the two true perc's are fine as well as the huma huma trigger. Who knew.

 

[sweatervest13]

Jeepers. That is crazy.
What salt mix are you using??
I am glad you were able to get some of the corals out to your coral QT. Sorry about all the troubles on the tank.

 

[kiefers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by sweatervest13 http:///t/395505/system-shot#post_3521315
Jeepers. That is crazy.
What salt mix are you using??
I am glad you were able to get some of the corals out to your coral QT. Sorry about all the troubles on the tank.
I am using Salinity. I have been using this mix for over a year and so I know it's not the mix. I don't dose anything but Aquavitro Ions and that's only when my Magnesium is low. But this was a new water change so I did not dose with anything.

 

[sweatervest13]

YUP... I don't think its the salt. Super strange. Do you think you could have kicked something up in the sand bed??

 

[kiefers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by sweatervest13 http:///t/395505/system-shot#post_3521327
YUP... I don't think its the salt. Super strange. Do you think you could have kicked something up in the sand bed??
I thought maybe so but I only sucked up some of the cyno patches on the sand bed. When I brushed the rocks off I rinsed it well before I put them back in the tank.

 

[sweatervest13]

I have taken out rocks from my DT before and spot treated with peroxide for GHA. But I just rinsed off the rocks in old water change water real well and I had no problems. During my research for treating with peroxide I read that you can't treat the whole tank (just dump in the peroxide). Have you ever spot treated with peroxide??
Again, this is a strange one.

 

[kiefers]

no, I have never treated with peroxide before. Have read a few folks that have. Never got down to the fundimentals how just how to do so. I did rinse with the old tank water. Just a brush and elbow grease.
This is an odd situation. I have a pool and sanitize it every year when I open it and mid summer with baquacil, it's almost 100% peroxide.. The water clouds up alot for the first day. That what my tank did, but stayed cloudy until I did the big water change.

 

[kiefers]

I just thought of something, actually, my wife did. If I killed off alot of my bacteria in the system, I might be cycling all over again. I better onitor the aamonia in the system. Any thoughts on this?

 

[kiefers]

I just checked the ammonia...... 0.25. big sigh

 

[siptang]

Hey sorry to be late in the threads.
Peroxide in the water... it's really irresponsible for your fish guy to use that method if he doesn't know how to properly flush it out lf the system prior to selling it to you... I hope he will ay least compensate you for some of the loss... I feel your pain brother... Iit was only a year and couple od months since some turds sold me bad batch of water... rodi unit was purchased not long afterwards and I haven't looked back since.try ammonia pellets as well as water changes To combat aammonia issue..
I will follow along friend.

 

[kiefers]

this guy was not my normal guy. this place is a well known spot for liers who sell you a tank and fish the same day. I thought how can one mess up water? I mean really?

Right now I am monitoring the ammonia and treating with some Prime, so we will see. The encrusting monti really took a huge loss so..... ya.
That one will piss me off because I have not seen this type of monti sold anywhere! BWAHA, makes me so mad!

 

[siptang]

Which type of encrusting monti did you lose? Maybe next time you visit, I can give you a piece or two or three lol.
That's what I was thinking when I was buying water.. I was wrong.
Prime can only take out so much so quick. I think it would be in your best interest to prepare more water.

 

[kiefers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///t/395505/system-shot#post_3521419
Which type of encrusting monti did you lose? Maybe next time you visit, I can give you a piece or two or three lol.
That's what I was thinking when I was buying water.. I was wrong.
Prime can only take out so much so quick. I think it would be in your best interest to prepare more water.
I really do not know the "real" name of the monti. I was told by an advanced aquarist that it is called a jedi mind trick encrusting monti. I have NEVER seen one like it anywhere and niether has anyone else around here. But I got it as a hitchhiicker on a piece of live rock. I will try and find a god pic for ya. Our camera got put in the hands of a kid and now we can't find the cable or the camera. Who knows. The purple rimmed is dead, as is the purple turbieara. Those went quickly!
Prime really doesn't take out anything. It mereley detoxifies the ammonia and Nitrite and makes it less harmful on the fish. I do have some water made up for a change, but that two won't fix much. I just have to ride it out again and allow nature to do it's thing. i can however make my critters more confortable.
The Scolley looks 50% better than it did. Earlier this week it looked like a porcupine and now it's getting it's colors back. The Leather htleast is opening but still looks shrivled up and stressed. The sun corals have some what improved but I took a huge hit in the black and yellow ones. The elegance is the mirical, it made a full recovery (knock on wood) and looks better in the Coral QT than it did in my tank. It is open and eating like a trooper. I was going to start dipping them soon but now it looks as if they are on the rebound and I don't want to push it.

 

[siptang]

I actually have a small piece of it. It's growing and it's purple rim is looking very very attractive. I will try to grow it out as much as I can to share with you.
Glad to hear that alot of the corals are making a comeback!

 

[kiefers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///t/395505/system-shot#post_3521453
I actually have a small piece of it. It's growing and it's purple rim is looking very very attractive. I will try to grow it out as much as I can to share with you.
Glad to hear that alot of the corals are making a comeback!
Thanks buddy. I have some erythomyosin and crushed it up into a fine fine poweder. Disolved it into some tank water and dipped a few last night, well early this a.m.
My Manderin was eating frozed mysis and fish eggs this morning so there may be hope for him after all.
All of the coral line algae is now gone. all my, once called live rock, is now all white and covered with dead matter. I'm affraid to low it off right now. Will do something when I get home from work.
Tested the ammonia and it's sitting at zero right now. Don't know if it's from the Prime or not. will test trates when I get home.
Looking at new corals today. any thoughts on buying corals on the E- site?

 

[siptang]

ammonia, trites, trates then p04. vicious cycle :/
like you said, keep your eyes on the ammonia and be ready to do some more quick water change(s) if need be. Looks like it's coming around for you and I'm glad.
Keith, I will PM you few information.

 

[kiefers]

Trates are 0. How can this be? The trigger is now picking on the Angel fish. Not a good sign at all in my opinion.... may have to move senior Titan to the 125.
going to bed now. Very tired.

 

[siptang]

Trigger may feel very stressed and I taking it out on the angel. He will come around... hang in there buddy. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///t/395505/system-shot#post_3521335
I just thought of something, actually, my wife did. If I killed off alot of my bacteria in the system, I might be cycling all over again. I better onitor the aamonia in the system. Any thoughts on this?
Hi,
What a sad thing to have happen. I agree with your wife, you over cleaned your tank. I started to say that exact same thing when I first read your post, but got distracted. You disrupted the balance when you vacuumed the sand, cleaned the rocks, and changed all the media at once. I know we all love a clean looking tank, but as you have found out, it really isn't good to do everything all at once.
0.25 however is not enough to kill a tank...That low of an ammonia reading isn't much more then a warning sign. So possibly you did stir something up in the sand that was under the rock undisturbed until you moved the rock to clean and rinse it.