AchillesHeel Posted September 22, 2003 Share Posted September 22, 2003 i setup up my tank on saturday(20g) and on sunday the smell was quite bad so i bought some active carbon and put it in the tank (in a net so it couldnt disperse) Now this afternoon, monday, there is some kind of slime layer over the tank, like when you heat milk and get that skin, it is similar accept stronger and sticky. I dont know wtf to do. Any help:S Link to comment
AchillesHeel Posted September 22, 2003 Author Share Posted September 22, 2003 btw, the sg was a little high, 1.027 , so i am fixing that right now Link to comment
AchillesHeel Posted September 22, 2003 Author Share Posted September 22, 2003 my salinity is now 1.025 my ammonia is insanely high (darker than the test card goes)1.0 + Nitrate is 10ppm my calcium is 450-465 mg/L my Nitrite is o ppm Link to comment
unsped Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 how long has the tank been cycling, if it looks like a white skin, kinda like thick cobwebs, its die off from the live rock most likely. youll want to use a turkey baster to blast and suck off the dead material. if its really bad, take the live rock out and scrub the dead stuff with a toothbrush. Link to comment
AchillesHeel Posted September 23, 2003 Author Share Posted September 23, 2003 i did take the stuff out but it was just like a layer on the surface not on the lr, and now my tank has a rotten egg smell:S Link to comment
Orange Crush Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 do you have circulation in your tank? The surface of the water should be moving which will keep that film from building Link to comment
seabass Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Orange Crush, that's what I was thinking too. AchillesHeel, get a power HOB filter. Start off by using the media (sponges and carbon) that came with the filter; however, after a few days, take it out (you don’t want a biological filter to become established in your HOB filter). Afterward, put your carbon in a media bag. I like to use SeaGel which is a mixture of carbon and phosphate remover. You should have random flow, so a couple of powerheads would be called for. I’d shoot for at least 500gph total flow for your 20-gallan tank. Link to comment
AchillesHeel Posted September 23, 2003 Author Share Posted September 23, 2003 i do have a powerhead (maxi jet 600) but i bought a maxi jet 1200 today, not for that reason but just help in general, i think the film i had built up was a precipitate of calcium because when i tested everyhting that was the only thing that was a little high. apparently when there is too much calcium in the water it does preciptate so thats my best guess. Link to comment
seabass Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Do yourself and your tank a favor and get one of these: You can even buy a surface skimmer attachment for this HOB filter that helps remove the organic film that accumulates on the water's surface (improves gas exchange). Link to comment
Acoustic Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 I had the same thing. The layer on the surface of the water is actually cyanobacteria. The smell is the cyanobacteria. It will get much worse. Just ride it out and everything will go back to normal. Link to comment
dharned Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 It's hard to troubleshoot without knowing your tank specs. It sounds like your liverock is having die off from your description (which is normal in anew tank.) Was your live rock cured or uncured? If you arent sure, do some searches on here. Uncured live rock ---> STINKS You get more goodies in the long run. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.