EVERYTHING is dieing! Please help!

[LeGaCYWinZ]

Background: I set up my tank ~2 months ago. It cycled. Ammonia spiked to 1, Nitrites spiked to 5, and Trates are currently 10-20(bringing down with daily water changes). I used ~30 dead rock from my old tank and the same sand bed from my old tank. I seeded it with 8 pounds of live rock.

The first thing I tried to add after my cycle was complete and stable for ~5 days was add a percula clownfish. I drip acclimated for about 30 minutes and then added to the tank. He ate fine the night I put him in but then the next morning showed up dead.

I didn't QT, dumb I know, but do have a QT set up now.

So I decided I would try my hand at a couple inverts. I picked up 2 hermit crabs and 2 snails last night. Acclimated them the same way. The snails died almost instantly after being introduced. The hermits died while I was at work this morning.

So what is going on here guys? I'm getting really discouraged that I can't even keep the simplest things alive when my params seem to be in check.

Params:
Amm: 0
Trite: 0
Trate: 10-20
SG: 1.025
Alk: 9
PH 7.9

 

[strike2867]

Very strange. Could you take your water to an LFS to do a double check on the salinity?

 

[clownfreak]

The old sand bed may be the cause of your problems. I'm not sure if it gases, or built up nasties. Also, if you used copper in either tank at any time it would explain the invert deaths. Copper can even remain in the silicone of a old tank. There may also be some kind of parasite or something else that came in on the live rock. Running some carbon couldn't hurt.

+1 On having the lfs double check everything, not just salinity

 

[LeGaCYWinZ]

I'm off to the LFS now to have them check everything.

Will report back.

 

[Enceladus]

Do you have any metallic parts connecting the pipes between your main tank and the sump? Even a single brass fitting can be enough to pollute enough copper into the tank to wipe out everything in short order.

 

[strike2867]

The old sand bed may be the cause of your problems. I'm not sure if it gases, or built up nasties. Also, if you used copper in either tank at any time it would explain the invert deaths. Copper can even remain in the silicone of a old tank. There may also be some kind of parasite or something else that came in on the live rock. Running some carbon couldn't hurt.

+1 On having the lfs double check everything, not just salinity

Didn't know copper could kill inverts, but still doesn't explain the fish. If the sand had gases, then wouldn't his Ph be way off? Something seems very off.

 

[sslak]

If there was high enough concentrations of copper present it would be lethal to both vertibrates and invertibrates.

Temp?

 

[LeGaCYWinZ]

Well first of all guys. Got back from the LFS and their results checked out just about the same.

Amm: 0
Trite: 0
Trate: now down to 5 after my water change today
SG: 1.025
Alk: 10
PH: 7.9

Do you have any metallic parts connecting the pipes between your main tank and the sump? Even a single brass fitting can be enough to pollute enough copper into the tank to wipe out everything in short order.

All plumbing for the tank is made of PVC, there is no metal anywhere in the system.

If there was high enough concentrations of copper present it would be lethal to both vertibrates and invertibrates.

Temp?

There is zero copper in the tank. I've never treated the tank with copper and I tested it and it showed 0.

Temp fluctuates 78-82.

I think at this point what I'm going to do is a big water change, run a poly filter and some carbon.

 

[Enceladus]

Well, there's certainly nothing in your water parameters that would explain what has been going on.

Did the clownfish show any strange behaviour at any point? Did he flick himself across the tank glass or rub against anything in the tank? Did he seem to hang around the top or bottom of the tank for most of the time? How actively was he swimming around? Was he breathing at a normal or quickened rate?

As for the inverts, I have a feeling it may have something to do with your acclimation process. 30 minutes is not a lot of time to acclimate most inverts, although this largely depends upon the differences between the SG and pH of the LFS's water and that of your tank. Do you know what the SG and pH were in the bag water of your inverts? Large and sudden changes in either can be brutal to snails and hermits, and in my experience, snails do seem to be more prone to it.

 

[travis32]

As for the inverts, I have a feeling it may have something to do with your acclimation process. 30 minutes is not a lot of time to acclimate most inverts,

I disgaree, I through in 20 necarious snails once with about 15 minutes of acclimation and most if not all lived.

I agree with this completely though

this largely depends upon the differences between the SG and pH of the LFS's water and that of your tank.

I tested the SG of the snail water and the SG of my tank, then let them temp acclimate then dropped them all in.

Never tested PH of the snail water, must have been close enough though. Something seems "fishy" here though. No pun intended. If you can't keep inverts alive I would wait on fish and corals. If you can keep a snail alive they are more sensitive to water conditions than fish, so, if it lives, a fish has a good chance of living.

Could there have been a mild ammonia spike from the fish that died that killed the snails and hermits, but quickly dissipated before it could be detected?

 

[The_Codfather]

Sounds to me it has to be a toxin.. where did you get the LR from? Did the LR have any sponges on it and if so did it touch air?

 

[greech]

What's your pH after the lights go out for a couple hours? Do you have enough flow to agitate the water surface?

+1 on acclimation may be the issue. Do you know what SG your LFS keeps their tanks at?

 

[LeGaCYWinZ]

pH is 7.8 at night.

SG at LFS is 1.023

I run my tank at 1.025

I have adequate flow to agitate the water surface.

So acclimate longer would be the general consensus here?

 

[greech]

I would say it's a start to determining cause.