Tank crash.... Is there hope?

[Dlc27]

About two weeks ago ALL my corals started shrinking. Zoas, palys, mushrooms, ric, duncan, 2 acans, and two micromussa. Two things happened just before that I thought could be the problem.

One, I shifted a rock significantly while trying to catch my emerald crab to move into another tank. The rock had a zoa colony that was also growing up the back wall, and the shift fragged a few areas of the colony. They immediately closed up and stayed unhappy. A rock with a colony of red mushrooms also moved a little, and I noticed they drew up too, and stayed unhappy into the next day.

Two, I must have bumped the powerhead enough that two days later it pulled off of its magnet holder during the night sometime, and blew a massive sandstorm all over the corals. It also caused a huge change in the deep sand bed topography. Found it next morning, repositioned the powerhead, and blew off all the corals and rocks. After work I did a 50% water change.

When all the other corals started closing up and then shrinking I thought maybe the stressed out zoas were chemically pissing off the rest of them so I started doing small water changes daily. I also looked for pests every day, but never saw anything.

Corals continued to shrink, and then the acans and micros slowly started receding. I kept doing water changes, and yesterday when I saw that my micromussas were starting to turn brown, I started googling. I stumbled across stray current issues, and recalled that the pump had been acting funny for a few weeks too. Not starting sometimes when I plug it in, and causing the light to flicker when plugging in too.... So yesterday I changed out the pump with a new one.

Not until tonight did I read about disturbing a dsb causing recycling. It never occurred to me to test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in an 18 month old tank. I need new tests since mine are so old, but even if that is the issue all I can do is continue daily water changes. I'm already running ChemiPure and Purigen. Maybe I could run some phosban too...? I don't want to put them into my other tank just in case there a disease or pest.

Can they be saved? Is it too late?

[reefernanoman]

About two weeks ago ALL my corals started shrinking. Zoas, palys, mushrooms, ric, duncan, 2 acans, and two micromussa. Two things happened just before that I thought could be the problem.

One, I shifted a rock significantly while trying to catch my emerald crab to move into another tank. The rock had a zoa colony that was also growing up the back wall, and the shift fragged a few areas of the colony. They immediately closed up and stayed unhappy. A rock with a colony of red mushrooms also moved a little, and I noticed they drew up too, and stayed unhappy into the next day.

Two, I must have bumped the powerhead enough that two days later it pulled off of its magnet holder during the night sometime, and blew a massive sandstorm all over the corals. It also caused a huge change in the deep sand bed topography. Found it next morning, repositioned the powerhead, and blew off all the corals and rocks. After work I did a 50% water change.

When all the other corals started closing up and then shrinking I thought maybe the stressed out zoas were chemically pissing off the rest of them so I started doing small water changes daily. I also looked for pests every day, but never saw anything.

Corals continued to shrink, and then the acans and micros slowly started receding. I kept doing water changes, and yesterday when I saw that my micromussas were starting to turn brown, I started googling. I stumbled across stray current issues, and recalled that the pump had been acting funny for a few weeks too. Not starting sometimes when I plug it in, and causing the light to flicker when plugging in too.... So yesterday I changed out the pump with a new one.

Not until tonight did I read about disturbing a dsb causing recycling. It never occurred to me to test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in an 18 month old tank. I need new tests since mine are so old, but even if that is the issue all I can do is continue daily water changes. I'm already running ChemiPure and Purigen. Maybe I could run some phosban too...? I don't want to put them into my other tank just in case there a disease or pest.

Can they be saved? Is it too late?

The first thing that people are going to ask is what are your parameters. So post that first, then work from there. Disturbing such a DSB would definitely wreak havoc on an established tank for sure.

[aviator300]

Agree totally with en28so. Test everything NOW!! If Ammonia's high treat the tank as a "soft cycle". A 100% water change may be needed depending on your test results. Dose Seachem Prime and MB7 and then maybe move livestock to another tank temporarily. You can probably save the tank if you can quickly reverse whatever is going wrong.

[ajmckay]

Oh man that sucks...

 

So I don't think that moving the zoa rock would have caused any issues, or the mushrooms. They probably would be affected for a day or so but be fine after that.

 

The stray current thing I can't say for sure. Sometimes pumps don't start up right and there's nothing wrong with them you just unplug/replug and they work again. I'm sure it could be an issue, but if it were significant other inhabitants would be suffering as well. You don't make mention of other inhabitants like fish or inverts, what else is in the tank?

 

People are going to blame the DSB, but before that can be considered - how deep is the "dsb" also how much of it was disturbed, and how long has the tank been set up (wait I see 18 months...)?

 

As I understand it, a DSB is like 4"+ of sand in a small tank... If you have 1-2" you might be able to form some anaerobic zones, but I think that for the that to be the cause it needs to also be pretty mature and have crappy flow and an ineffective CUC. Also as I understand it, the issue isn't always re-cycling either... true if your sand bed isn't very well maintained by the flow/fauna/infauna it can become laden with organics and release a buildup of nitrates into the tank (which would certainly piss off corals, but probably other inverts and such as well). Sometimes the issue is the release of hydrogen sulfide, a toxin formed in areas of the sand bed where there is no oxygen available for some time. This can cause some pretty bad effects in the tank - does the water have any sort of sulfur smell?

 

I suppose if you had the corals in the tank and they didn't have any specific issues you can rule out pests (unless you just added corals or something). If that's the case I wouldn't hesitate to move them to a more stable system if you have access to one... Do be careful with the LPS and the brown - make sure it's not brown jelly syndrome as that stuff is a beech to deal with and can infect an otherwise healthy coral once it's been compromised in some way.

 

If I were in this situation I would dip all affected corals in coral revive / coral rx and then move them to a stable system for observation. If you don't want to do that then possibly set up a temporary hospital tank? Something where you know you can give the best water quality possible.

 

Good luck.

[braaap]

Sounds like your pump may have been shorting into the tank. I'd also be worried about the DSB being disturbed and causing a mini cycle again. Although your water changes should have limited that effect. Did you change the light at all? Like height or photoperiod?

[markalot]

Most likely you had a rapid release of phosphates into the water column from the disturbance of the DSB. If you have a good phosphate kit (salifert, hanna) then test and see what you get. Regardless numerous water changes should help get the nutrients down.

 

Once you're stable again review the pro's and con's to a DSB. Accidents happen, you want the odds to be in your favor, not against.

[CJJon]

You would be amazed at the crap a sandbed will hold after 18 months. My bet is the sand bed disturbing that did them in. Did you disturb any dark grey or black areas? Those colors are typical of a hydrogen sulfide buildup. Did you smell any rotten egg smell at all? Even if no hydrogen sulfide, plenty of other nasty things in a sand bed that can quickly pollute a tank. I doubt it was a shorted pump.

 

Massive water changes and fresh carbon, purigen, what have you.

[Dlc27]

Thank you for all the tips. As of this morning one of my micros looks puffier, and I can see mouths on my Duncan as opposed to completly closed globes. I don't want to get happy too fast, but it's good.

Ok I'll try to address questions. As far as testing I don't trust any of the second hand old tests I currently have, and no saltwater friendly LFS near me. I've got to order online today. I know... It's shameful, but I've never been a big fan of testing... Probably because I've never had issues before.

As far as other livestock I've moved it to my newer tank over the last few months. There isn't anything left except for a two inch hitchhiker bivalve that hasn't moved or changed since he first found his new spot when I set up the tank. He's still alive and doing what he does. Several little feather duster type worms in the rocks (bright red, and a few brown patterned ones) seem unaffected. Maybe one or two nassarius snails left over, some dwarf cerith, and bristlworms. The bug activity has spiked a bit since no one is eating them anymore. The only hitchhiker native that seems affected is a majano type anemone. He's a pretty big guy now, and never reproduced so I never bothered him. He's stretched way out (more than an inch) in a tube form since this started with his tentacles retracted like a little flower bud. He won't eat either.

The dsb is at least 3 inches, and 18 months old. The only activity in it, after my pistol disappeared about a year ago, and his goby roomie committed suicide through a gap in the lid a month or so later, has been nassarius snails.

Nothing new has been introduced into the tank in over a year so I really don't think it's a pest.

No changes to the lighting whatsoever.

I do think there may have been some grey areas in the sandbed that were stirred up, but I didn't notice any sulfur smells.... And I DID sniff around a lot think maybe the bivalve had died. Lol

From the advice you guys gave it seems like I have two options. Keep doing what I'm doing AND GET SOME NEW TESTS or transfer everyone into my other tank. So that means I only have one feasible option. My other tank is under five months old, and I'm still thinking of moving the rockscape around, getting over a GHA outbreak, and....... I discovered flatworms on the glass a few weeks ago. I added a sixline wrasse day before yesterday hoping he and my siphon can combat them effectively.

So last night I ordered Phosban, more ChemiPure, fresh Purigen, and new filters for my parents RODI that I use. Im looking for some test kits today. I really hope I can save everyone! I don't want to start coral collecting all over again! Neither does my hubby. LOL. Ah well. I went a whole peaceful 18 months without ever experiencing any of the problems or horror stories I've read about reef keeping. I guess I'm due for a little hard work investment into the hobby.

I'm still open to advice if anything new stands out with this post. Plus open to suggestions on minimum I can get away with on test kits, and brand you guys suggest. I'm leaning toward Salifert so if I couldn't afford them all at once, which ones are crucial for this situation?

[Nano sapiens]

You'll hear and read comments both pro and con for a DSB, but it is a known fact that they carry an inherent risk. Whenever they are massively distrubed (such as in your case) issues can arise ranging from pissed off corals to complete meltdown. They are particularly tricky in a nano tank since the ratio of sand bed to water volume is typically much smaller, so it takes less disturbance to cause issues.

 

If you are determined to keep a DSB, having one 'remote' (not in the display tank) is a bit safer. IMO, a shallow sand bed in a nano (especially) is a better option as long as it is maintained via periodic removal of detritus (vacuuming, stirring, etc.).

 

GAC and GFO are tools that can be used to rectify certain issues, but like any tool they should be used appropriately. It's very easy in a small tank to strip out too many nutrients and your corals can turn pale due to starvation..

 

I use mostly Salifert kits and they are fine. If you don't have many (or any) stony corals, then regular water changes can keep calcium, alkalinity and magnesium at acceptable levels. Nitrate and a phosphate kit might be helpful for you to detect excess nutrients in your system.

[Dlc27]

Agreeing with you on the dsb after this. If I continue to spot feed every other day while I'm running the extra media and doing water changes the corals should be ok with lowered nutrients, right?

Nitrate and Phosphate kit it is. That should always be in reserve anyway I guess.

[Nano sapiens]

Agreeing with you on the dsb after this. If I continue to spot feed every other day while I'm running the extra media and doing water changes the corals should be ok with lowered nutrients, right?

Nitrate and Phosphate kit it is. That should always be in reserve anyway I guess.

 

They should be fine running media as long as you don't use too much of it. GFO tends to exhaust quite rapidly if phosphatte is high in the system and GAC will turn into a biological filter over the course of a few weeks to months (depending on nutrient load in the tank).

 

Corals store reserves of energy that can help them in lean times, but they do need to at least meet their daily metabolic needs to stay healthy over the long term.