Shadow's 16G Disaster. Fumigation Poisoned the Tank and Crashed It.

[Snow_Phoenix]

no doubt, anything in this hobby for $3 is a pretty bangin deal.

 

Id just poke at it for a lack of a better description. take your baster and blast it for a min or two till it closes up completely.

 

Ah, I see. Will definitely try that later and snap a quick pic.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Forgot to mention - my 16G finally finished cycling two days ago - hurray for cured live rock!

 

I also bought three bunches of Chaeto and stuffed them in the fuge. Also placed my red macro in the fuge box since my urchin kept nibbling on it when the macro was in the 8G. As a result, I now have a nice tankful of pods in the 16G and one sulky urchin in the 8G lol.

 

Also, I have a major diatom bloom, so I introduced some Trochus and Astrea snails to munch on film covering the rocks.

 

So far my fish are doing okay, but Uriel hasn't eaten yet. I'll try hatching another batch of brine to see if he's interested - which I hope this time he is. Both dartfish on the other hand are eating prepared and pellets very well.

 

I moved the large LR piece from my 8G to my 16G as well, so the 8G only has all my corals and a handful of inverts. I'll be slowly transferring everyone in the upcoming week(s). The fish will stay in QT a while longer.

 

Currently I have three fish - I'm only planning on adding three more nano ones:

 

YCG

Pictus Blenny/Clown Blenny/TSB

Hi-fin with pistol/Yasha with Pistol

 

Figured the dragonet itself will pack a bioload on its own.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Have some terrible news. The rear left corner of my 8G just developed a huge crack out of nowhere.

 

Next thing I know, water is seeping to the floor and almost fried the circuits leading to the light and filter. I had to transfer all my livestock to the 16G in a single move. Rash, but no other choice. I don't have a tub big enough to hold all my corals and inverts, and my mini pump failed last week and I've been putting off buying a replacement since I was a little low on cash.

 

Talk about a nightmare. 3.5 hours later and my back still hurts from cleaning up and acclimating so many animals. Thank goodness I still have a cheap plastic pet tank to hold my fish.

 

Sigh.

[CronicReefer]

I'm sorry to hear that . It's good news the 16g had finished cycling two days ago though, I hope everything settles in to the new home well.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I'm sorry to hear that . It's good news the 16g had finished cycling two days ago though, I hope everything settles in to the new home well.

 

I know. I wouldn't have realized it had cracked had I not gone down to grab a glass of water and check up on the tank. I usually never peek at the rear of the tank, but I was wondering why the bracing below the tank was dripping. Only then I spotted the crack.

 

Still, putting in that many corals and inverts at once in the 16G is definitely going to bump up nitrate levels. I'm anticipating an algae bloom, but hopefully I'll be able to keep it down with three WCs per week.

[CronicReefer]

 

I know. I wouldn't have realized it had cracked had I not gone down to grab a glass of water and check up on the tank. I usually never peek at the rear of the tank, but I was wondering why the bracing below the tank was dripping. Only then I spotted the crack.

 

Still, putting in that many corals and inverts at once in the 16G is definitely going to bump up nitrate levels. I'm anticipating an algae bloom, but hopefully I'll be able to keep it down with three WCs per week.

Good thing you were there to catch it before the water drained out. I'm always worried I'm going to come home and my dinosaur of a tank will have cracked or a seal will have gone bad(my tank was made in 1999). Hopefully the nitrates won't be too bad like mine are recently, my lobster has been stirring up my sand bed lately and he caused a cyano bloom in my tank after the nitrates went up to over 25ppm.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Good thing you were there to catch it before the water drained out. I'm always worried I'm going to come home and my dinosaur of a tank will have cracked or a seal will have gone bad(my tank was made in 1999). Hopefully the nitrates won't be too bad like mine are recently, my lobster has been stirring up my sand bed lately and he caused a cyano bloom in my tank after the nitrates went up to over 25ppm.

 

Yeah, I dodged a bullet with this one. At least 2/3 of the tank was still full of water. But some of my corals are obviously not happy yet with the transfer - looks like it'll take them some time to get used to the new environment. Yeouch - 25ppm? Couldn't multiple WCs bring it down though?

 

I had a Diamond goby a few weeks back though, and he always sifts the sandbed. But my nitrates somehow - miraculously - never exceeded 10ppm.

[CronicReefer]

 

Yeah, I dodged a bullet with this one. At least 2/3 of the tank was still full of water. But some of my corals are obviously not happy yet with the transfer - looks like it'll take them some time to get used to the new environment. Yeouch - 25ppm? Couldn't multiple WCs bring it down though?

 

I had a Diamond goby a few weeks back though, and he always sifts the sandbed. But my nitrates somehow - miraculously - never exceeded 10ppm.

I've been doing 2-3 water changes a week, unfortunately he's found a new spot to dig a cave so I guess he's making a second home. I'd say it's down to about 15-20 now. I also ordered a bottle of Instant Ocean Nitrate Reducer to help give my biofilter a boost, it should be here tomorrow. I love gobies but I'm afraid to get a bottom sleeper with my lobster roaming about at night.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I've been doing 2-3 water changes a week, unfortunately he's found a new spot to dig a cave so I guess he's making a second home. I'd say it's down to about 15-20 now. I also ordered a bottle of Instant Ocean Nitrate Reducer to help give my biofilter a boost, it should be here tomorrow. I love gobies but I'm afraid to get a bottom sleeper with my lobster roaming about at night.

 

Hopefully that IO NO3 reducer helps! I do however, find fuges more helpful in terms of biological control of PO4 and NO3 levels. If you're not averse to it, you can plant some fancy-looking macros in your display to keep the NO3 levels in check. And yeah, I wouldn't do any bottom dweller with a lobster either.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Btw, here are my precious fishies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just wish Uri would start eating. I worry for him. Sigh.

[CronicReefer]

Btw, here are my precious fishies:

 

I just wish Uri would start eating. I worry for him. Sigh.

Very nice ruby red! Reminds me of the one I had before he jumped out and my cat ate him. Pods are your friend with those guys. Honestly if you can set up a small 2-3 gallon jar with some chaeto/live rock you could get a good farm going for your ruby red. My dottyback just obliterated my entire pod population and he's still trying to find more in the tank. And I had some macro but I got rid of it because I didn't really need it anymore after the ruby died. I'll get the nitrates back to <10 with water changes.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Very nice ruby red! Reminds me of the one I had before he jumped out and my cat ate him. Pods are your friend with those guys. Honestly if you can set up a small 2-3 gallon jar with some chaeto/live rock you could get a good farm going for your ruby red. My dottyback just obliterated my entire pod population and he's still trying to find more in the tank. And I had some macro but I got rid of it because I didn't really need it anymore after the ruby died. I'll get the nitrates back to <10 with water changes.

 

Thank you, and sorry to hear about your Ruby Red.

 

Yeah, I now have a 16G tank full of easily 8kg of LR and corals, a 3G in-tank fuge crammed with Chaeto and two other macros and 2kg of LR rubble. The tank is full of pods, but in order to sustain a dragonet long-term, it's still better to wean them onto frozen. If he still neglects the live BBS, I think I'll scour the local market and see if I can pick up some fish roe for him to eat.

[CronicReefer]

 

Thank you, and sorry to hear about your Ruby Red.

 

Yeah, I now have a 16G tank full of easily 8kg of LR and corals, a 3G in-tank fuge crammed with Chaeto and two other macros and 2kg of LR rubble. The tank is full of pods, but in order to sustain a dragonet long-term, it's still better to wean them onto frozen. If he still neglects the live BBS, I think I'll scour the local market and see if I can pick up some fish roe for him to eat.

I heard shrimp/fish roe is actually a natural food for these guys so maybe you will have better luck with that. How long have you had him btw? He looks healthy to me in that picture. When I first got mine you could see the spine on him but he grew super fat eating pods and I could never get him to eat any kind of frozen. If he his pecking away at the rocks/glass and you see an abundance of pods then I wouldn't really be worried because he is eating. Mine never even came close to depleting the pod population, even with my clowns, and all I had was a few spots of chaeto and some grape caulerpa back then. This dottyback destroyed it in a week I was amazed, I don't see a pod left anywhere.

[Tamberav]

Dang! I feel your pain. My 40 gallon breeder cracked two days ago on the front pane from top to bottom! I was lucky in that water was only slowly seeping out. I had time to drain everything before 40 gallons of water ended up on the floor of a 2nd story apartment.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I heard shrimp/fish roe is actually a natural food for these guys so maybe you will have better luck with that. How long have you had him btw? He looks healthy to me in that picture. When I first got mine you could see the spine on him but he grew super fat eating pods and I could never get him to eat any kind of frozen. If he his pecking away at the rocks/glass and you see an abundance of pods then I wouldn't really be worried because he is eating. Mine never even came close to depleting the pod population, even with my clowns, and all I had was a few spots of chaeto and some grape caulerpa back then. This dottyback destroyed it in a week I was amazed, I don't see a pod left anywhere.

Usually sixlines decimate pod populations. I had no idea dottybacks do the same. I've had Uriel for only few days. Since last Sunday to be precise. He doesn't move around the tank much though.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Dang! I feel your pain. My 40 gallon breeder cracked two days ago on the front pane from top to bottom! I was lucky in that water was only slowly seeping out. I had time to drain everything before 40 gallons of water ended up on the floor of a 2nd story apartment.

Really sorry to hear about your 40B, Tam. I truly feel your pain. And just imagine - your tank is 5x bigger than mine!

[vlangel]

I am sorry that you are dealing with that. Hopefully everything adjusts from the emergency transfer and you can keep the parameters in check with water changes. Yours is the 2nd crack I read about just now...it makes me afraid to look too closely at my 36g and 30g tanks plumbed into the same sump!

[Snow_Phoenix]

I am sorry that you are dealing with that. Hopefully everything adjusts from the emergency transfer and you can keep the parameters in check with water changes. Yours is the 2nd crack I read about just now...it makes me afraid to look too closely at my 36g and 30g tanks plumbed into the same sump!

I know. I was quite shocked that Tam's tank cracked as well. Right now I am just leaving everything to settle. The tank looks packed though.

[Dr.Brain Coral]

Oh no!!!! I am so sorry shadow

[vlangel]

I know. I was quite shocked that Tam's tank cracked as well. Right now I am just leaving everything to settle. The tank looks packed though.

As unsettling and upsetting as that is, at least you caught it before a total catastrophe and you had a place to transfer livestock. It could have been much worse for you and Tam.

[FlowerMama]

hey, so did you have to have surgery at all on your arm? And hate to hear about the premature move but at least it was available.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Oh no!!!! I am so sorry shadow

 

 

As unsettling and upsetting as that is, at least you caught it before a total catastrophe and you had a place to transfer livestock. It could have been much worse for you and Tam.

 

I know. Can you imagine what would have happened if I didn't have a backup tank? I think I'd have keeled over from a heart attack.

 

hey, so did you have to have surgery at all on your arm? And hate to hear about the premature move but at least it was available.

 

I didn't. The general doctor at the clinic detected multiple abscesses under my deep muscle layer. She gave me a prescription for major surgery at the hospital - where the surgeon is supposed to literally scoop out the infected growths, pack it with gauze and leave the wound open. Recovery is estimated to be 6 to 8 weeks. I decided to go with option B, which was switch to an even more powerful antibiotic (a macrolite), and thank God, it's working.

 

My lumps are slowly dwindling but the lymph nodes are affected, so they may come back anytime. Didn't help that apparently I was diagnosed as diabetic few days ago. I'm now on a strict diet, and once I recover from my abscesses (I have others as well), I can finally exercise. Hopefully I'll shed off 30kg and return back to my 41kg slim size. I miss being slim. All the meds over the years has made me gain weight like crazy.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I took a snapshot of the cracked area before my dad tossed the tank out. It's sort of a wavy crack, which is extremely odd.

 

 

 

Also here are a few FTS of the new setup. Mind you, it's packed:

 

 

 

Under 96W of T5HO.

 

 

 

Under 48W of T5HO - 1 Daylight 10K K + 1 Actinic Blue tube

 

 

 

Under 48W of T5HO - 1 Actinic Blue + 1 Purple-Pink (forgot the wavelength).

 

Currently I'm using the second setting from 9am to 12pm, and the 3rd setting from 12pm to 6pm.

[FlowerMama]

Type II diabetic, so you can take care of that easy on your own and be off any meds in a couple mos. I recommend reading It Starts with Food by Hartwig. In 2 mos I lost 20 lbs and my sugar was elevated, it went to normal range, as did bp and cholesterol. It's a strict diet for 30 days, some people stick w/ it for 60-90 and then they mainly go paleo. That weightloss was only w/ like two 30 mins sessions walking on the treadmill so it wasn't exercise that accounted for that initial loss. You can go to the Whole30 website and read the illnesses A-Z that it helps with. My friend is on prednisone, has autoimmune disorders and either lupus or fibromyalgia and the change in food reduces inflammation incredibly, thus removing much pain. In June she had a very difficult time walking from her car to the restaurant doors 10 cars away. 2 mos ago we hiked 4 miles. 9.99 on Kindle.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Type II diabetic, so you can take care of that easy on your own and be off any meds in a couple mos. I recommend reading It Starts with Food by Hartwig. In 2 mos I lost 20 lbs and my sugar was elevated, it went to normal range, as did bp and cholesterol. It's a strict diet for 30 days, some people stick w/ it for 60-90 and then they mainly go paleo. That weightloss was only w/ like two 30 mins sessions walking on the treadmill so it wasn't exercise that accounted for that initial loss. You can go to the Whole30 website and read the illnesses A-Z that it helps with. My friend is on prednisone, has autoimmune disorders and either lupus or fibromyalgia and the change in food reduces inflammation incredibly, thus removing much pain. In June she had a very difficult time walking from her car to the restaurant doors 10 cars away. 2 mos ago we hiked 4 miles. 9.99 on Kindle.

 

Thanks for the recommendation - will definitely check that book out. I used to run a lot couple of years back - at least 2km to 4km per day + walking my therapy dog + hula hooping for 30 minutes straight. And I always went light during dinner - just a small bowl of healthy oat cereal or two slices of bread with milk. But I admit I did develop a sugartooth these past two years.

 

Had a strong addiction to so-called 'sugar-free' juices, which turned out weren't sugar-free. I took another blood test two hours after a meal, and it showed 6.9, which is significantly lower that what was measured at the clinic. My dad recommends exercising everyday though, because my current weight is unhealthy for my size + I might have high cholesterol as well.

 

Gosh, I just wish I hadn't binged on so much junk. Makes me so regretful.