aviator300 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I finally made it to Oregon with my Nuvo 8 and it has been up and running for 2 weeks now until tonight when I had a devastating crash. I did a 25% water change this afternoon using the same salt, distilled water, and procedure that I have been using for over a year now. I want to make it clear that nothing has changed in the way I do this and I'm stunned at what happened next. I went out shopping and returned about 2 hrs later to find most everything in the tank dead or dying. My fish, my Rock flower Anemone, multiple snails, my crab, and almost every coral in the tank were dead or dying. There was really nothing left to salvage but in case some of the livestock were hanging on, I added Carbon to the media basket. I have no other tank to move things to. I tested the water for all the standard stuff and everything showed normal. PH, Salinity, temp, everything was within normal ranges. All the equipment was working properly and the water felt and smelled normal to the touch. There were only 2 things (in retrospect) that I could think of that may have had any significance at all. 1. When the water was mixing in my brand new "sterilite" plastic mixing container, I noticed that it seemed to be creating foam as it was circulating and I noticed some foam had formed around the overflow to the media basket chamber after I discovered the crash. 2. I wonder if the "sterilite" mixing container had some kind of chemical residue on the inside to help it slide out of the mold easier as it was being manufactured. I rinsed out the inside very well with distilled water before I used it though. In closing, I think I've lost most everything by now but really need to find out what caused this to prevent it happening again if/when I set the tank back up. This is very discouraging and almost makes me want to just give up. It just happened so quickly and completely. Has anyone out there had something like this happen to them or have any ideas at all how I can figure out what happened. I wish there was some kind of testing that could be done on the water other than the usual tests? I need help and ideas. Thanks: AVIATOR300 Link to comment
Hig789 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Have no idea but I rinse everything new in vinegar and DI water. Don't know if that would have helped with the container though. That's my guess as to what it was. Sorry for your losses. Link to comment
ndrobey Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 All new plastic containers have mold release on them from the manufacturing process. That explains everything, the foaming and the crash. Link to comment
BJV Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Sorry for your loss aviator300, it there is anything I can do let me know. On a brighter note I going to Eugene in the next day or so to pick up an new sun coral I ordered. Barry Link to comment
Neebles Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Have no idea but I rinse everything new in svinegar and DI water. Don't know if that would have helped with the container though. That's my guess as to what it was. Sorry for your losses. This. The vinegar helps remove any nasties left over from the factory that water alone won't get Link to comment
aviator300 Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 I will rinse the container well and let a vinegar solution sit in it overnight and then mix more saltwater to see if the foaming stops. As far as my tank goes, Some things may still be alive so I will let it run with the carbon in it and see what happens. I will do a complete water change when I have the time, but for now, I'm a little overwhelmed (post move) and drowning in work. Link to comment
ndrobey Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 A lot of mold releases are wax based, and pure ammonia is the best way to wash it off. Of course, you will need to rinse it really, really well before using it for the tank. Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Sorry to hear about this. As mentioned by many, very likely the mold release agent. Chalk it up to experience and don't give up! Link to comment
aviator300 Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Actually, after adding carbon last night, things are perking up a little. My fish and crab are gone as well as a beautiful Ora Green Birdsnest but "Annie" my RFA seems to be recovering and most of the Zoas and Palys. My Torch isn't completely dead yet and has some alive tentacles but has retracted severely. I don't want to do another water change until I have the mixing bucket cleaned out so I was wondering, how frequently should I change the carbon I put in last night since I don't know what to test for to see if the damaging chemical is gone. Link to comment
Newtybar Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I'd do another 25% water change with the old mixing container. Link to comment
FishI Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Wow sorry for your loss. I have just rinsed my mixing containers out before I use them. I'll will definitely be more careful next time I get a new one. I just have two home depot buckets. Link to comment
Hammerstone Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I did the same thing with my Home Depot buckets and Orchards buckets. Just rinsed with wAter and used them. They are marked salt and fresh. Sorry :-( Link to comment
Emerald525 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Good to know. Sorry for your loss. What part of Oregon are u living now? I live in Portland and we have a local club. I'm sure there would be people happy to donate some frags to get you started back up! I don't really have much as I started my tank up 3 months ago. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Good to know. Sorry for your loss. What part of Oregon are u living now? I live in Portland and we have a local club. I'm sure there would be people happy to donate some frags to get you started back up! I don't really have much as I started my tank up 3 months ago. I live in Roseburg (Just moved here from AZ). There are several reefers in the area that I plan on getting with when I'm settled in and situated. Link to comment
Havok_9 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Tough break, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss! At least this serves as a warning for a lot of people who wouldn't think twice about using a brand new container for thair tank. I think almost every single long term reefer can relate to devastating flukes like this... Hope you get your nano up and running back to normal soon, glad that some of your livestock seems to be recovering. Good Luck! Link to comment
Emerald525 Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I live in Roseburg (Just moved here from AZ). There are several reefers in the area that I plan on getting with when I'm settled in and situated.That's great! You're close to TECO too. He's an online seller but has some good stuff. Link to comment
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