URGENT HELP Needed! :(

[patback]

I hope so! It's a pity we can't tag forum members - Seabass and Patback are more experienced in these kind of things.

 

first I'm glad you're doing okay now.

 

Secondly, in terms of your tank, sometimes when shit hits the fan, everything seems to go horribly wrong and it takes a second to clear your head, realize the problems and fix them one by one. You have a good idea. One thing I may add to your plan of action is to get some large food grade tubs or cheap petland-type tanks. An extra heater for your coral, and one for the sick fish. Your snails and healthy fish will be fine at room temperature for a few days.

 

Separate and organize everything. Your sick fish, put in a bin with some live rock for filtration. Have ammonia nietralizer handy.

 

Coral, put in a bin with the light over it.

 

Healthy fish, throw in with the coral or in another bin.

Extra rock and sand throw in a bin. You can use just air stones for the fish and koralias will prevent the issue with sand getting sucked into pumps.

Now completely empty your tank and sump, have it cleaned well and start setting it up as if you were starting new. I would keep up on water changes for the next few days just as a precaution and also keep the potentially sick inhabitants in the makeshift hospital tank until you feel they are healthy again. Sorry my advice is sort of "duh" and a bit on the expensive side by buying all the tubs and extra heaters, but unfortunately whenever things go bad all at once, this is the only way I can seem to get myself back on track.

[Snow_Phoenix]

first I'm glad you're doing okay now.

 

Secondly, in terms of your tank, sometimes when shit hits the fan, everything seems to go horribly wrong and it takes a second to clear your head, realize the problems and fix them one by one. You have a good idea. One thing I may add to your plan of action is to get some large food grade tubs or cheap petland-type tanks. An extra heater for your coral, and one for the sick fish. Your snails and healthy fish will be fine at room temperature for a few days.

 

Separate and organize everything. Your sick fish, put in a bin with some live rock for filtration. Have ammonia nietralizer handy.

 

Coral, put in a bin with the light over it.

 

Healthy fish, throw in with the coral or in another bin.

Extra rock and sand throw in a bin. You can use just air stones for the fish and koralias will prevent the issue with sand getting sucked into pumps.

Now completely empty your tank and sump, have it cleaned well and start setting it up as if you were starting new. I would keep up on water changes for the next few days just as a precaution and also keep the potentially sick inhabitants in the makeshift hospital tank until you feel they are healthy again. Sorry my advice is sort of "duh" and a bit on the expensive side by buying all the tubs and extra heaters, but unfortunately whenever things go bad all at once, this is the only way I can seem to get myself back on track.

 

I like the idea of separating and organizing everything. But word just went around the neighbourhood that we'll be facing a 24-hour power cut on Saturday, and I do have 3 backup battery powered airstones to supplement this tank and my mantis tank, so any tweaking will have to wait.

 

I think a sump clean-up is in order as you've suggested.

 

And don't worry - as I said, I'm grateful for any advice given. Thank you both for helping.

 

Still here. I'm happy to try to help you out.

 

A larger bucket (or second bucket) might help. Home Depot carries various sizes of Rubbermaid Brute containers that might work better. Keep the powerhead up toward the top and have enough water so that the powerhead isn't right next to the sand. Without a powerhead, an airstone is the next best thing.

 

The ammonia level in the bucket with sand is very high. Normally you would just let it go until it becomes undetectable. However, there is a point where the ammonia level is too high for the beneficial nitrifying bacteria that we want, and it retards its ability to reproduce. Change out the water and watch it some more. If it gets up to 8ppm again, switch out the water again.

 

It's my guess that the powerheads are salvageable. Take them apart and rinse them out. Then soak them in vinegar and brush off the parts with a toothbrush. Rinse them out again, and give them a try.

 

I'd leave the livestock and LR in the display. A bucket is more suitable for curing the sand.

 

A hospital tank isn't a bad idea to treat your fish. If you have a biofilter (like a HOB filter with some old floss), move it over to the hospital tank to help process the ammonia. You might also need a bottle of Seachem Prime to help detoxify any excess ammonia.

 

A True Perc, False Perc, and Damsel are all related and often have compatibility issues in a nano sized tank. If the LFS is willing to take them back, I'd do that. However, it would be nice to tell them that your fish might be fighting an infection so they can treat them without infecting their other fish.

 

All the sand does, is help to stabilize the pH (and it's arguable how much of a buffer it really is). Running without sand isn't causing any of these problems.

 

Is there any detectable ammonia in the tank with your fish and other livestock? Water quality is critical. Make sure that you still do your water changes during this process.

 

Thank you so much for helping me out.

 

I tried taking apart the powerheads and cleaning them as you have mentioned, but it looks like the damage has been done. They're both not working.

 

Alright - I will do a 100% WC in the sand bucket, and hopefully this time the cycle will proceed normally.

 

I might have to remove all my rock anyway to catch my fish (especially the Ambon damsel - he's really smart and quick), and I've decided to return him and the Occy to the store first. I don't think I'll trade in my Perc though because she's mellow and has been with me for 7 months now, and is also hosting my hammer. I'll definitely let the LFS know about the infection though, and in the meantime treat my blenny, goby and allen's damsel with some meds in a hospital tank.

 

I checked using a API test kit and ammonia stayed at zero. Salifert kits for NO2 showed zero, NO3 showed 10ppm and PO4 showed 0ppm. Usually I'll have a bit of PO4 in there, but 2/3 of my sump is a dedicated fuge full of Caulerpa peltata, Chaeto, Galaxaura and LR rubble, so my nutrient export seems normal. Despite the 'normal' levels, the tank itself appears to be slipping downhill though. I think I'll do another major WC (50% or so) and run extra carbon for the time being.

 

Thank you for answering my questions.

[ReefWeeds]

This is great to hear.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Sorry to bump this up again, but just wanted to keep asking some more questions (hope you don't mind, Seabass & Patback) and giving updates:

 

1. I have returned my Occy and Ambon damsel to the store around a week ago. Unfortunately my True Perc jumped out of her holding tank (despite having a lid - she found a gap) and died. I am however, now QTing a pair of baby Barberi clowns (under 1") in a separate tank. How long do you think I should QT this pair for?

 

2. All my remaining fish have recovered pretty quickly from finrot - I was quite amazed at how fast their fins grew back, and they're all healthy. So to cut down space - I have shifted them into my big basin full of LR, inverts and coral. They're feeding and behaving normally.

 

3. The sand has finished cycling! So I have transferred 10kg of sand to my empty display, and placed several pieces of cured LR on top of it. I decided to re-test my cycle however, before transferring my CUC in. So I placed a worm feeder full of Arctic shrimp in the tank. Is this alright? I just want to gage if the sand and rock has enough bacteria to process the ammonia levels.

 

4. How long should I keep my display livestock-less?

 

5. I have pictures for reference:

 

 

 

Any advice is appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

[seabass]

Sorry to bump this up again, but just wanted to keep asking some more questions (hope you don't mind, Seabass & Patback)

No problem. Sometimes it's best to get another opinion.

 

1. I have returned my Occy and Ambon damsel to the store around a week ago. Unfortunately my True Perc jumped out of her holding tank (despite having a lid - she found a gap) and died. I am however, now QTing a pair of baby Barberi clowns (under 1") in a separate tank. How long do you think I should QT this pair for?

This pair might eventually have a problem with your damsel, or vice versa. Which might cause you to have to remove the rocks in order to catch and remove the damsel. You might want to proactively choose one or the other. However, I'm not familiar with the personality of Barberi clownfish, but assume they are similar to other species. I'd probably quarantine them for a couple of weeks (watching for signs of disease and/or pests).

 

2. All my remaining fish have recovered pretty quickly from finrot - I was quite amazed at how fast their fins grew back, and they're all healthy. So to cut down space - I have shifted them into my big basin full of LR, inverts and coral. They're feeding and behaving normally.

That's good news. And more importantly, I'm glad that you are doing well too.

 

3. The sand has finished cycling! So I have transferred 10kg of sand to my empty display, and placed several pieces of cured LR on top of it. I decided to re-test my cycle however, before transferring my CUC in. So I placed a worm feeder full of Arctic shrimp in the tank. Is this alright? I just want to gage if the sand and rock has enough bacteria to process the ammonia levels.

I would remove the shrimp as soon as possible. This isn't a new tank, so you know it has enough bacteria to process your bioload. The problem was an excess of organics (which is what you are trying to recreate). Instead, just wait a week and make sure that the ammonia level is still undetectable.

 

4. How long should I keep my display livestock-less?

If there is no ammonia a week after removing the shrimp, I'd put everything back into the display.

[Snow_Phoenix]

No problem. Sometimes it's best to get another opinion.

 

This pair might eventually have a problem with your damsel, or vice versa. Which might cause you to have to remove the rocks in order to catch and remove the damsel. You might want to proactively choose one or the other. However, I'm not familiar with the personality of Barberi clownfish, but assume they are similar to other species. I'd probably quarantine them for a couple of weeks (watching for signs of disease and/or pests).

 

That's good news. And more importantly, I'm glad that you are doing well too.

 

I would remove the shrimp as soon as possible. This isn't a new tank, so you know it has enough bacteria to process your bioload. The problem was an excess of organics (which is what you are trying to recreate). Instead, just wait a week and make sure that the ammonia level is still undetectable.

 

If there is no ammonia a week after removing the shrimp, I'd put everything back into the display.

 

I admit this is my first time keeping Barberis as well. According to LA, they only max out at 3.5" but are also listed as semi-aggressive. However, their temperament is tamer compared to Tomatos. I'm still unsure if I should take the risk of adding the Allen's damsel now.

 

My initial thought was to add fish in this order: Red TSB>Pink Spotted Watchman Goby>Barberi Clown Pair>Allen's Damsel.

 

I'll definitely do more reading on this. I still have a week or two before I slowly add everyone back in.

 

And yes, I'll QT the clowns for 3 weeks at least.

 

Thank you.

 

And I removed the shrimp within 12 hours - No ammonia detected, but I'll let the tank sit as you've suggested. And okay, I will do that. Thanks for all the advice.