Tank Journal Archive

Andrew B

Member
Mar 14, 2015
618
189
Kangaroo Ground
Issues/restarting The Tank
Well it has been a while since i last put a post up and many things have changed with my tank.
I will do this in order of what happened.
After a few weeks i started noticing my nitrates rising rapidly it peaked at around 120ppm (with api as it went off the carts of red sea)
i just gave up on testing my nitrate a few sps bleached other looked really unhappy
i also stupidly bought a blue tang which brought my tank white spot, GRRRR!!!
it appeared to go away and i didn't think any more about it (wish i did).

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So i continued to monitor my tank and things just got worse, corals looked more and more upset.
It then got to a stage when all my fish suddenly started to die due to a very very aggressive strain of white spot, they were all left for dead with in 2 days, except 3, the 2 chromis and the file fish i was given.
I was very very disappointed.
I gave away them with warning of white spot (of course)
i then found a home for the anemones and the cuc and my precious red line
Thank you Ellen Homes she took the two chromis as well (dont think she is on the reefuge :))
I then find a place to make my 2 old freshwater 2x18s into my new QT/Holding/hospital tank.
I got them made and transferred all my coral skimmer and lights to the tank.
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When my tank was running before i put the coral in the tank i was talking to Lesley i she took a loom at my sump and found 1 of the contributors which was a mix of different media all in a high flow high oxygen part of the sump which was not letting the bacteria that eats nitrates grow. This was due to the previous owner having a issues with nitrates and him putting a mix of media in. I should of picked up on this mistake but we live and learn. I then also decided to see if the sand was the issue and it wasnt the live rock. i emptied the tank leaving a about 2 cm of water and mixed the sand around a bit, basically i stunk the house out just before some guests came over, and the water went a dark brown. I have since come to a conclusion that the sand was the issue, and the media wasn't helping me. I have taken the sound out and thrown in into the gateways of my mums paddocks.IT WILL NOT BE USED AGAIN!!!!!! i also sold half of my rock and kept the stuff i liked from the lot as i had 2 different kinds of live rock. it has been dried out, i am currently looking for a way to return it to a dry rock with nothing on it. i need ideas so please chip in :). I was thinking bleaching it then soaking in ro water. I will be using dry rock and dry sand in my new set up. I also have decided to redesign the hardware of my tank, i have planned for a redesign in the sump (photo to follow), relayed the cables and overall made it look a little neater
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The tanks position changed as it didn't look right in the last place :) and sorry for the ramble :).
 
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RobbieMVFC

Member
Feb 25, 2013
1,232
610
Sorry to tead about your experience. Just a little fyi .
the rock you are keeping. Considering that your nitrates were high i assume that the phosphates were also high?
In this case the now base rock will leach Po4 when placing into your new/restarted tank.
A trick is to put it into a container with water and some GFO. However It will take months to remove the leaching p04 from that rock.
 

Andrew B

Member
Mar 14, 2015
618
189
Kangaroo Ground
Sorry to tead about your experience. Just a little fyi .
the rock you are keeping. Considering that your nitrates were high i assume that the phosphates were also high?
In this case the now base rock will leach Po4 when placing into your new/restarted tank.
A trick is to put it into a container with water and some GFO. However It will take months to remove the leaching p04 from that rock.
OK thank you so you are saying that I should get rid of the rock and just buy new stuff? or should I buy 40 kg (400L tank) and then have the 20 in water with go till there are no phosphates leaking then add the 20 to have 60
 

Buddy

Member
Mar 13, 2012
3,142
1,526
@IJG3145 if you are wondering why the tank crashed, it was because of a bacterial bloom which consumed all of the oxygen in the water.