tank crash...

[JTrigger]

After my tank crashed (after letting a friend watch it one week)about a week or so ago when my heater broke and my nudi died and most of the livestock did too.. I was till left with a perc, cleaner shrimp, yellow-headed sleeper goby... and I've been doing 25%+ water changes on a regular basis trying to get the ammonia and such to get back down to normal... I just feel bad for my fish because I don't have a quarantine tank setup... would it be better for me to setup a new tank with fresh saltwater and such and let it start cycling... just comparing the alternatives it seems better for them to be shocked from new water and a lack of beneficial bacteria than for them to be swimming around in practical maneur... any thoughts?

[Raise]

Hmm, I recently took the opportunity to re-do my 55 after it crashed. Im really glad I did. Could you take the fish to the LFS and have them hold them while you let the new setup cycle>? If so, id just re-do'er.

[tinyreef]

balancing the stress of one situation versus another.

 

i would setup a quarantine tank if you can afford it. having a backup system helps for emergency situations. slap a bio-wheel hob on that and instant fish system as a backup.

 

but as long as the fish are keeling over and gasp on the sandbed you can do the constant wc's. if they start reeling then it's showing you can't keep up with the cycle.

[BlkGto]

How did you redo your tank? I'm currently in the process too. After 3 good years, my tank crashed when the PH stopped working and I didn't notice for a day and a half... . Now I have algae all over the place and everything is looking aweful. I was going to take this chance to drill a hole in the 15G so I can connect it to a 20G sump.

 

When you redid your tank, did you wash out the live sand, therefore killing it? How about the live rock? I'm thinking of going that far so that I can be sure I've gotten rid of all the cyano.