Very confused...

[mtsuguy]

So my 55 has been setting up for 4 weeks now and as of about 7 days ago the ammonia was at 0 along with trite and the trate was at 5. I added some freeze dried algae sheets and 10 blue leg hermits and drove to my parents house. Went back today and all the hermits were dead and the ammonia is 8 or higher probably and the trite and trate levels are at 0. I got all the crabs out I could find which leaves 2 or 3 somewhere under the LR. What do I do?

 

[m0nk]

How long of an amount of time was it since you added the nori and the hermits until you checked back? And any particular reason you added the nori? The hermits wouldn't have needed it if you had live rock in the tank, as they would go after diatoms and organic matter on the rocks. If you added too much food (the nori) without watching your levels (considering it was right after a cycle) or anything consuming it within a few hours, it could have sparked a new, mini- cycle.... ammonia and nitrites killed the hermits, creating really high ammonia levels.

 

[snaredrum]

I was wondering why the algae sheets were added? I let my tank cycle with just the live rock and sand. Then I added the cleanup crew but no food. I was told that the die off from the Live rock and sand would keep the hermits busy. Maybe someone can fill us in. Good Luck.

 

[tarball]

Are you sure the hermits were dead. Did you turn lights off when you left for parents house. When lights go out hermits can become very docile even to the point of appearing dead. Most of the time when i turn the lights on in my aquarium in the morning the hermits are turned upside down looking dead.
5 or 10 minutes after lights are on they wake up & hit the road again.....

 

[t316]

I'm confused on the time frame too. Did you go to your parent's house, and didn't return for 7 days?

 

[mtsuguy]

Originally Posted by m0nk
How long of an amount of time was it since you added the nori and the hermits until you checked back? And any particular reason you added the nori? The hermits wouldn't have needed it if you had live rock in the tank, as they would go after diatoms and organic matter on the rocks. If you added too much food (the nori) without watching your levels (considering it was right after a cycle) or anything consuming it within a few hours, it could have sparked a new, mini- cycle.... ammonia and nitrites killed the hermits, creating really high ammonia levels.
The guys at my lfs told me that since the tank was new that I needed to add a sheet of the freeze dried algae because there would be nothing for the hermits to eat. I left them for 7 days before checking back, the guys at the fs said that would be fine as long as I put that sheet in there. guess not...

 

[mtsuguy]

Originally Posted by T316
I'm confused on the time frame too. Did you go to your parent's house, and didn't return for 7 days?
Christmas, New years. My parents live about 3 hours away and they set up a room for me so I just stayed here instead of driving back. I only see them on breaks from school.

 

[mtsuguy]

Originally Posted by Tarball
Are you sure the hermits were dead. Did you turn lights off when you left for parents house. When lights go out hermits can become very docile even to the point of appearing dead. Most of the time when i turn the lights on in my aquarium in the morning the hermits are turned upside down looking dead.
5 or 10 minutes after lights are on they wake up & hit the road again.....

They had crawled out of their shells and were laying on the sand.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by mtsuguy
The guys at my lfs told me that since the tank was new that I needed to add a sheet of the freeze dried algae because there would be nothing for the hermits to eat. I left them for 7 days before checking back, the guys at the fs said that would be fine as long as I put that sheet in there. guess not...
I guess this comes down to "don't trust the LFS". They sold you the algae, the hermits, and will be there to replace your hermits when you want more. We, on the other hand, don't have a bottom line of profit, so our answers will likely be more "effective".

At this point, do you have live rock in the tank? If so, how much? Obviously your tank is going through another cycle and your ammonia is very high. Change some water, and if you have live rock in there, change 25% every 3 days until your ammonia goes away, so that not too much dies in the rock (LR hitchhiker critters are the best reason to get LR). Ghost feed a tiny bit while all this is going on, it will help ensure the tank's stability. Test every day and when your ammonia and nitrite are back to 0 and nitrate is back down below 20, you can add a clean-up crew again. Don't put any algae sheets in there, just let them eat the diatoms and stuff on the rock, and the minute amounts of food that drop when you ghost feed.
There are many different ways to get through a cycle, so someone else might say something different, but the point generally is that we all have experience with the LFS way of doing things; their way usually costs more money.

 

[mtsuguy]

Originally Posted by m0nk
I guess this comes down to "don't trust the LFS". They sold you the algae, the hermits, and will be there to replace your hermits when you want more. We, on the other hand, don't have a bottom line of profit, so our answers will likely be more "effective".

At this point, do you have live rock in the tank? If so, how much? Obviously your tank is going through another cycle and your ammonia is very high. Change some water, and if you have live rock in there, change 25% every 3 days until your ammonia goes away, so that not too much dies in the rock (LR hitchhiker critters are the best reason to get LR). Ghost feed a tiny bit while all this is going on, it will help ensure the tank's stability. Test every day and when your ammonia and nitrite are back to 0 and nitrate is back down below 20, you can add a clean-up crew again. Don't put any algae sheets in there, just let them eat the diatoms and stuff on the rock, and the minute amounts of food that drop when you ghost feed.
There are many different ways to get through a cycle, so someone else might say something different, but the point generally is that we all have experience with the LFS way of doing things; their way usually costs more money.

I am starting to notice that more and more

.

 

[swalchemist]

It's better to say "Don't trust that particular LFS." Find another one they are not all the same. You should not have added any live animals until the ammonia and nitrite levels were at 0. You should also have not added the algae as the whole purpose of adding the cleaners was to ensure a natural balance in other words they would eat the algae that spring up at the end of the cycle. Also don't waste your test kit testing nitrates if you are still reading any positive Nitrite you will get an inaccurate false reading on the nitrate.

 

[mtsuguy]

I guess my main concern about this is that the trite had already went down to zero and the trate was at 5 and now there is none of either just ammonia. I would have been expecting to see a high trite as well as ammonia. Its almost like there is no bacteria in my tank.

 

[mtsuguy]

Should I take the LR out and scrub them again? They seem to be covered in this slime...

 

[skipperdz]

you can, that wont hurt your rocks, you should do a water change as well, like 20%. then wait about 2 weeks, check your readings and then try again. just remember to take your time and youll do fine...this is a patient hobby, also dont forget to ask any questions you have here first before you go to the lfs, we arent out ot make a buck like some stores. but remember not all lfs are like that there are some that actually look out for you so they can actually get repeat business

 

[swalchemist]

If you scrub the rocks you are going to interupt your cycle. The tank is not in 100% cycle yet anything you do to it will affect the balance of your system. Dont put anything else in there and do very small water changes, 5 gallons will do, every other day. Wait till the Amonia, nitrite are at 0 before adding any other animals.