Neptune Aquatics

Shit - tank crashing

borker

borker

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Most of my stuff bleached from what I thought was a standard water change.


Must have stirred up some bacteria or Dino. Don’t have good tests but salt and temp are fine. Noticed a bit last night but this AM it’s real bad.

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Can anyone ID and give me remediation?

I can give cell if texting helps. Think I’d have to fix today otherwise tank looks like it’s toast. Fish seem fine.

All out of water too (RO/DI pumping but won’t happen in time.)

Ryan


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A couple extra things - if people want to pick up and try to save the unbleached coral today that would be great. You can see what’s in the picture.

Also what may have caused it was skimmer broke a month ago. I removed it last night and there was some water and other sediment at the bottom that I’m sure was a breeding ground.

Unfortunate no way to remove it without spilling but wish now I had understood that it might cause this outbreak.


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Hard to give remedies without understanding the system and some data about the issue.
Why do not you start by describing the system: equipment, method, bio and mechanical filtration, system age, inhabitants? Pictures will help here

The paramaters: whatever u know, dosing what changed before the issue

husbandry regimen: water change, salt, feeding, cleaing..etc
 
Sure - have a tank journal but it’s not frequently updated.

It’s 90G lots of live rock mixed reef about a 30G sump.

Has an aqua excel skimmer, 4 hydor pumps, 2 timed kessils a380s, and probably 100# of live rock.

Husbandry used RO/DI 30 gallon water changes Biweekly but has stopped during COVID due to job changes and childcare. Had done my last water change 1 month ago (reef crystals) - and did a big one last night. 40 Gallons.

Had been adding minimally. Occasionally microbacter and Restor and B-Ionic but again very rarely.

No other additives.

Had de nitrate and Purigen in sump but again a couple Months ago took them out.

Water temp 78, salt is around 1.025

Have very old test kits but can share other water Params from last time if I can find it.


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ahhhh bummer...hopefully that was the murderous culprit and nothing else

borker said:
A couple extra things - if people want to pick up and try to save the unbleached coral today that would be great. You can see what’s in the picture.

Also what may have caused it was skimmer broke a month ago. I removed it last night and there was some water and other sediment at the bottom that I’m sure was a breeding ground.

Unfortunate no way to remove it without spilling but wish now I had understood that it might cause this outbreak.


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Click to expand...
 
Params from 1 year ago unfortunately.
ca 400
alk 8.6 dkh
mg 1200
ph 8.3
nitrate 60 (High)
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
As of last night:
Salinity: 1.023 -> now 1.025
Temp: 79 F -> now 78


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You need to check some things (obviously).
I would start with alk. I can give you water this evening if you want at my cost and test alk and phosphate for you.
Since you haven’t been dosing or doing water changes I would guess you had very low alk, and the biggish water change with a high alk salt raised it a lot too quickly.
 
Last edited:
I do not know how anyone can give meaningful advice without knowing the current parameters unfortunately. Other than blindly do aggressive water change, I fear you need to learn a bit more to understand the issue. Is it nutrients, is it contaminate, or mini cycle..
Any chance u can send an icp or borrow some test kit and test major like po4, no3, alk and salinity?
Mean while water change will not hurt. Maybe 20% water change every 2 days for at least 3 to 5 times. These kind of problems I fear will not be simply fixed by water change without knowing what's the issue and making sure your salt mix is on point..
 
So the anemone is balled up and there is definitely stringy slime I can pull off with a siphon.

I don’t think it’s alk but testing now.

At this rate everything will be bleached / dead in 2 days unfortunately. So if anyone is in SF and wants to try to save some corals I’m WFH today.

Have a day job so unfortunately can’t spend the day tending to it here.

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Coral reefer said:
You need to check some things (obviously).
I would start with alk. I can give you water this evening if you want at my cost and test alk and phosphate for you.
Since you haven’t been dosing or doi water changes I would guess you had very low alk, and the biggish water change with a high alk salt raised it a lot too quickly.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was gonna say. If you’re not adjusting Alk except with the reef crystals, and you skipped your usual water changes, it’s very likely you simply spiked your alk when you finally did a water change. Alk spikes are a possible explanation when SPS bleach all at once. Reef crystals seems to have a really high alk according to the table I found.

So more water changes with reef crystals would just finish everything off. Go get an alk kit and buy some water from Neptune or get a salt mix with low alk to even things out...
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OK yeah at least according to my old Salifert my alk is > 15.7 (ie I put the entire amount of water in and it didn’t change color)

I’ve got no remediation I can do.

So looks like this tank at least for corals is toast.

Thanks for the all the quick help!!!


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If you’re all out of water and desperate I would remove water and add fresh back it to lower be salinity within the safe salinity range, that will cut your Alk down until you can get a new salt mix or buy some reasonable-Alk SW.
 
Chromis said:
If you’re all out of water and desperate I would remove water and add fresh back it to lower be salinity within the safe salinity range, that will cut your Alk down until you can get a new salt mix or buy some reasonable-Alk SW.
Click to expand...

Salinity is fine. It’s alk that’s high.

I’m calling it—offer open to anyone who wants to try to Salvage any of the corals before they bleach.


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borker said:
Salinity is fine. It’s alk that’s high.

I’m calling it—offer open to anyone who wants to try to Salvage any of the corals before they bleach.


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Click to expand...
Liz's point is that you better deal with low salinity than such high killer alk. Coral can tolerate low salinity, but such high alk will melt the coral..sort of speak.
 
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