Everytime I clean my tank, my chest gets tight

[crawlerman]

You don't need sand, many go bare bottom. Looks pretty cool when corals encrust to the glass bottom. But if I were to guess, whatever is in the sand is also in the live rock. Those white tubes are tube worms. But there are probably bristle worms in there somewhere, I've never had a tank without them.

 

[Sk8r]

WIshing you good luck---and teach your wife to do some tank maintenance, for one thing---trade her a weekly dinner out or a household chore. Less exposure is better. Likewise, wear latex exam gloves and have your hands in the tank as little as possible---for one thing, it's better for fish and corals. Our hands are oily and shed it into the water. Bare bottom is perfectly feasible. Dry sand cannot be used without extensive washing and will then give you the world's worst hair algae bloom (phosphate in the unconditioned dry sand.) Bare bottom would be best for you and simplest to maintain.

 

[Fiver]

It's good to try to identify the cause through process of elimination, and I'm sorry to be a downer, but what makes you think it's the sand? Sounds unlikely to me.

Sorry, and, good luck.

 

[moneymm]

It's good to try to identify the cause through process of elimination, and I'm sorry to be a downer, but what makes you think it's the sand? Sounds unlikely to me.

Sorry, and, good luck.

when it gets moved around, and the water gets all cloudy, it creates a foul odor, when this odor hits me is when this tightness happens.

It could have alot to do with the lack of water changes for the past year, abundance of waste & dead snails just dominating the sand over that time period.

i had so many algae problems over the first 2 years, that i just gave up about a year ago, and was just keeping the fish alive, never cleaning tank at all.

 

[moneymm]

WIshing you good luck---and teach your wife to do some tank maintenance, for one thing---trade her a weekly dinner out or a household chore. Less exposure is better. Likewise, wear latex exam gloves and have your hands in the tank as little as possible---for one thing, it's better for fish and corals. Our hands are oily and shed it into the water. Bare bottom is perfectly feasible. Dry sand cannot be used without extensive washing and will then give you the world's worst hair algae bloom (phosphate in the unconditioned dry sand.) Bare bottom would be best for you and simplest to maintain.

LOL, my wife doing tank maintenance is about as likely as my clownfish hopping out of the tank and asking "Where's Nemo".

So if I do want sand, replacing this sand with live sand will allow me to bypass any out of control algae growth and allow me to instantly add in some new CUC members?

I am just worried that any live sand may contain some unwanted critters or perhaps some microscopic shrimp that I am allergic to and dont want in the tank ever.

I try and keep my tank 100% shrimp free.

 

[JamesZebedee]

Are you certain that there are no Zoa's
growing on one of your rocks that you may disturbing when you clean. Paly toxin produces those symptoms.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515630

Wow, that's wild. I remember hearing about this happening to an Australian family, but never knew exactly what it was.
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-02/aldinga-family-poisoned-by-coral-spores/8488910

 

[Diana A]

Just remember that if you are allergic to shell fish, you can not use flake food, pellets or frozen fish food. It will cause you respiratory problems. Know this as a fact.

 

[Alma Knack]

Are your gloves made with latex? A RAST test can be done by your MD which may reveal a latex allergy

 

[rfgonzo]

You said the tank is in your office. Could the chest pain be from added stress? If your fighting algae in the tank for 2 years could this be stressing you out every time you work on the tank?

 

[Punchanello]

palytoxin? respiratory distress is a symptom.

 

[moneymm]

You said the tank is in your office. Could the chest pain be from added stress? If your fighting algae in the tank for 2 years could this be stressing you out every time you work on the tank?

not the craziest thing in the world, but pretty sure its directly related to what is in the air when the tank is stirred up.

 

[hkgar]

palytoxin? respiratory distress is a symptom.

Just wondering:

Have you read the entire thread? Palytoxin has been discussed - it ain't it.