we need help with small reef system

rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
I will do as you suggest as nothing else works. I just realized recently that all my pods were gone. I guess that should have been a clue. In one of our QTs , there are tons of pods, so seeding the tanks should be easy. I will wait a few days though. Thank you!!
Also, some white stuff is being expelled from my ugly looking candy cane. Is that poop or is it dying?
 
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tiberius

Guest
It might be finally eating! I don't have any of those.
Let me know how those tests go in a week. But wait a few days before you put pods in there so the food can build up.
 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
Well, the newest change in the tank is that there seems to be brown algae growing on my sand bed. Whether that's because it is re-cycling or because I haven't syphoned, I don't know. There's more green algae growing on my LR. I really hope this tank is salvageable.
 
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tiberius

Guest
Hi there!
I would think it is. If you get red slime again don't use that Chermi-clean!!! Just siphon that up. I used to use a baster to get it off the rocks. I guess my memory isn't that bad after all since that is going back maybe 15 years!!
Just keep feeding the tank. Even if the nitrates start to climb up, the inhabitants can get accustomed to it. It is when you add something new is when they can't and can perish. So if you check it and get 10, I wouldn't even do a change. If you see something in there now getting worse then you will have to.
 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
It doesn't look red yet...boy I hope not. And no more chemi-clean again. I have read here, that many people get that red aglae and don't use anything. And we didn't even overdose. I will post pics of the sand bed. And the candy canes are doing that white stuff again.


 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
Originally Posted by Tiberius
I have seen some beds on here that look a whole lot worse!
So have I! But it's only just begun! I usually hate it when it starts getting brown. Out comes the gravel sucker! But I am trying to contain myself, even though I like nice white beds. I keep telling myself, "Patience!!!!"
My husband isn't sure if there's pods in his QT anymore, but he will look. I wanted to order some from this website, but I would have to order $79. worth of stuff to get them shipped. With the frag swap coming up, I don't think we will have money for the pods. Going to call the lfs's around here (there's not many) and see if they sell any.
 
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tiberius

Guest
You can always buy some small pieces of rubble from the LFS. Ask them to get pieces from the bottom of their tank. They will surely have pods on them. Plus, it would be a good way of kick starting your system again.
 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
Hubby ran tests this morning....
ammonia 025ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate 0ppm
Yesterday, I reversed my powerhead that was in reverse. It took using a hammer to move the lever, but I got it done.
Mt remaining corals look a little poopy this morning. Maybe it's early for them, lights came on less than an hour ago, or the slight ammonia increase. I am not sure. Headed down to a lfs in Wausau, but I don't think I would want to add their rubble to my tank as the tanks do not look too clean to me. But I will check it out. If they look better than usual, I'll ask to buy some.
 
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tiberius

Guest
Well I guess now you know what the problem was. At least you don't have a toxin in the tank. I don't even remember how long it takes a tank to cycle.
I feel the same way about this store near me. I would never buy any of their fish. I think when I have my frag tank set up, I will buy some of their rock. Let it stay in my tank for awhile and then move into the main tank. At least I will have a QT finally. Just been too damn lucky all these years without one. I don't even want to put any new fish in my tank now after reading everyones problems on here.
 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
We have 2 QT's here. But we never used them for new fish before. Our lfs said wasn't really necessary, and normally wasn't for us. Since joining these boards, I said to my husband...start using it! Besides, we will get yelled at here if we don't start quarantining!

My remaining hairy mushroom corals and starburst polyps look pretty bad today. I hope they make it through this. I had always hoped that they would come back for the dead... or should I say the comatose.
So you think the ChemiClean killed off the beneficial bacteria?
 
trippkid

trippkid

Active Member
Unless you didn't follow directions and overdosed the tank, The Chemi-clean did not do this to your tank. That is all I'm going to say here.
 
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tiberius

Guest
Can't you stick those corals in another tank till this one recycles?
 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
Originally Posted by Tiberius
Can't you stick those corals in another tank till this one recycles?
Hubby said I'd contaminate his newest Qt he just set up!
I don't know if it is true. I think he put a couple of opieces of my LR in there a few weeks ago and the chromis is still alive. I'll ask him again when he comes home.
 
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tiberius

Guest
I thought we established that there is no toxin just needs to re-cycle again.
 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
Well, you and I established that....He actually said when he came home that his tank isn't up to where it needs to be in calcium levels. And it has standard lighting...It's only a 10 gallon QT. Would any of this make a difference? Need to hurry...starbust polyps are looking sad as are the hairy shrroms. Candy canes and ricordeas look ok.
 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
Well, now that we are re-cycling the tank, the hubby and I still have questions.
Like, what happened to the tank that we have to re-cycle it? And why did the snails and corals (even if they look like death warmed over), still live, while the damsels go on to a better life? I thought nothing could kill a damsel?!?! What could have happened to the beneficial bacteria that was once there? Could the infection that had spread through the tank have killed the bacteria? For a long time we were still putting liquid food for the corals in the tank. Wouldn't the ammonia have spiked then or wasn't it enough food to cause a spike? Or maybe the carbon neutralized the food?
See? I am still confused as to what happened!
 
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tiberius

Guest
I would think that the Chemi-clean played a huge role here. Maybe that liquid formula isn't enough to sustain copepods. I always loved flake food. The trouble I have with the frozen is if a big piece lands on the bottom and a bristle worm find it first then say 15 minutes later another fish finds it and eats the chunk with the bristle worm, the fish will die. I guess fish can't digest bristle worms. With the flake, the worm eats at the ends of it and if a fish found it the bristle worm falls off or lets go faster and heads back in the bed. Plus, the flake is so much lighter that it gets stirred up when the fish swims over it and that causes the worm to fall off. I really hate those worms! But, they aerate my bed and allow the pods to run through it.
 
rabbit_72

rabbit_72

Member
Originally Posted by Tiberius
I would think that the Chemi-clean played a huge role here. Maybe that liquid formula isn't enough to sustain copepods. I always loved flake food. The trouble I have with the frozen is if a big piece lands on the bottom and a bristle worm find it first then say 15 minutes later another fish finds it and eats the chunk with the bristle worm, the fish will die. I guess fish can't digest bristle worms. With the flake, the worm eats at the ends of it and if a fish found it the bristle worm falls off or lets go faster and heads back in the bed. Plus, the flake is so much lighter that it gets stirred up when the fish swims over it and that causes the worm to fall off. I really hate those worms! But, they aerate my bed and allow the pods to run through it.
If the tank needed to re-cycled, would that account for the fishies rapid breathing?
 
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