Bobbing for answers...

[cinematek]

Okay... I'm literally taking a blind stab at this, but who knows - y'all might just have an answer for me.

The short version: I started a 25G reef tank 10 days ago. It all seemed cool at first. No trites/trates. Good params all around. I got called out of town for a job, so I had to go. The tank was getting a bit cloudy before I left, but params were still okay, which I attributed to not having a true filter or skimmer yet. I figured I would add a skimmer and some cleanup crew when I got home (two days from now).

My wife told me today that the tank looks like ash and black. She says it looks like the water has been on fire. That's when I thought it might be a good idea to let the kind folks at RC give it a go.

Obviously, I am out of town, so I have neither pictures nor first-hand knowledge of the tank.

BUT... I thought that maybe (just maybe) one of you might have seen somehting like this before. Is this normal cycling? Is my first attempt at a tank failing miserably? Am I a live rock murderer?

If nothing else, this could be a fun guessing game for a few days until I can get home and save my tank. Okay... have at it!

 

[magdelan]

Is there any chance that something fell into the tank? Are you running carbon? Have you added any kalkwasser (limewater)?

 

[cinematek]

Can't speak to something falling into the tank. It's possible, but not likely.

I did add a 100W heater about five days ago(top light heater), which I currently have set to 80 deg.

By the way... before anyone gets annoyed with this thread... I know that it's totally hard to diagnose a tank when I'm not even there. I just thought it would be fun to try. Plus, if I can't talk to my reefers, then I'll have to talk to my crew - and I talk to them all day long.

 

[juniormc8704]

sounds like activated carbon spilled into your tank. But if you donw have any filtration yet, thats a heck of a trick. what color is your substrate? and did you rinse it, and then rinse it again, and again, and so on?

 

[jmait769]

Sounds like an electrical problem to me if no carbon type filter is in place. Maybe that heater? What is being used for circulation? Has the GFI tripped? I would advise your wife not to stick her hands in the tank until an assessment can be made. Hope it works out for you,

Jay

 

[blackheart]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9463759#post9463759 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by juniormc8704
sounds like activated carbon spilled into your tank.

BINGO we have a winner. This is your answer thanks for playing THE GUESSING GAME:beer::thumbsup::celeb3:


Hold on no carbon in the tank!!!!:eek2: now i am confused

 

[cinematek]

Right now the only circulation is an MJ600. If the GFCI tripped then the heater would be off, too, b/c it is plugged in there.

Good advice, though, about the electrical prob. I'll advise her not to go swimming. (Not that it will be an issue - according to her it is "my" tank. She has no interest in doing anything other than looking.)

The sand was a 20lb bag of live sand - Fiji Pink. I didn't rinse it b/c I thought that would have defeated the purpose.

36 hours till I'm home...

 

[Lotus99]

I'd guess that it's brown algae, but then again, it's only a guess