Added sump, corals doing bad!!!

[wcroft987]

hello all

I have a 28g AIO tank which I just added a 10g sump to get a bit more water and a larger refugium. I set the sump up on 11/9 and had to be away for the weekend, when I got back all of my LPS's are retracted and looking really bad but my riccoti mushroom looks ok, the fish seem fine and I dont know whats going on. I did have an issue with the new heater, the water was up to 82 degrees but i didnt think it was too high to cause a problem.

I used Lexan silicone which i have read is fine to use.

Parameters
temp 79-80
PH 8.2
ammonia 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
calcium 460
KH 8.9

 

[wcroft987]

Before

 

[wcroft987]

And now

 

[jimmy frag]

maybe just the shock of the new water. thats alot considering your adding 10g to 28g. really you should have tryed to have all the prams of the new 10g set the same as the prams in the tank. just assuming you didnt. i would think they will bounce back. run new carbon because of the silicone cheers

 

[wcroft987]

I assumed that it would be like doing a water change and thought it would be ok. I am running chem pure that i have had for around a month should I get a new one?

 

[jimmy frag]

yup good idea. your due after 30 days.

 

[Revmedia]

The GE Silicone for plastic is fine. I used it on my sump, and haven't had any issues. That said, did you let it cure all the way?

 

[_shorty_]

How did you airate the water before the sump addition?

I would have assumed same thing about adding water... I still think you should have been fine with that alone. I'd assume the silicone, especially if it didn't cure for a week... Hopefully new carbon might help. In addition - because carbon takes out some of the good stuff.. Maybe dose a trace additive supplement?.. I use inland sea biotrace. Otherwise Maybe more water changes? Smaller, frequent changes until this lines out?

The GE Silicone for plastic is fine. I used it on my sump, and haven't had any issues. That said, did you let it cure all the way?

I know people have used it - but if you call the number on the tube.. They will flat out tell you it's not for use in tanks. I ALMOST used some for my tank build ( and MAY have been ok) - but my uncle ( been in hobby for many years) warned me that ' not all silicone is created equal' .. IMO - best to pay a few extra bucks and wait for delivery of the stuff made for aquariums.. I found it seems to create a stronger bond much more quickly. That doesn't help this situation...

 

[wcroft987]

I let it cure for probably 24 hours, the container said it cures in 12 hours so I figured 24 was good. I will get some new carbon but the chem pure container says replace 4-6 months so once again i thought it was ok.

 

[wcroft987]

I use a Koralia power head to mix and airate the water before adding it to the tank

 

[wcroft987]

update

All parameters are still the same, i have done 3 5 gallon water changes, fish are doing great corals are doing just as bad if not worse.

Are their any other ideas what is going on?

 

[njudson]

well what is in the new sump? did you use a copper fitting anywhere?

 

[Craig Borowski]

How does the water get from your tank to the sump?

 

[YoungREEFA]

siicone needs to cure for 2 weeks atleast, we use it in larger quantities

 

[Ptyochromis]

24 hours is not long enough to cure silicone. 48 hours bare minimum (like emergency minimum). I let it cure till it doesn't smell like vinegar anymore. Silicones (pure silicone not silicone mixes) that do not have anti-mold/fungal agents or color in them should be fine for aquarium use. GE says their product (GE silicone I) isn't for use below the water line only because they haven't tested it. Simple lawsuit prevention.

Also, stop doing water changes and let the corals chill in consistent parameters. If you feel something is poisoning them, add some GAC.

 

[wcroft987]

No copper.

Water get to the sump through an Eshops overflow.

Will the silicone finish curing with water running through it or should I dissemble it?
The corals are pretty much lost so if it will cure I would rather just leave it.

 

[wcroft987]

Will the silicone finish curing under water?

 

[Khemul]

Will the silicone finish curing under water?

Yep. That would be the problem. The curing process releases some potentially not so happy stuff. If that is happening under water then it is releasing that potentially not so happy stuff into the water.

On the good side, your tank wasn't nuked, so it was probably pretty close to done.


For future reference though, the directions on the bottle don't assume you'll be using it underwater. If you ask them for directions on how to use it underwater they'll probably tell you "don't". It isn't so much that it can't be done. Just that they don't want to be bothered with answering the question of how to safely do it.