Nano going downhill...

[Angela Short]

I reworked my nano last thursday. Took out all rock and re- aquscaped. I was very carefull not to disturb the sand bed. I vacumed the top layer very well and needed about 2+ gallons of new water in my 5 gallon tank for the refill. I got this from the 80 to be more conditioned than newly mixed SW. Cut some frags, put everything back and now it looks pretty but stuff is going haywire!
My leather has shriveled up worse than ever, even when extra mad, my anthilia frags look like they are melting. My button polyps are literally mealting. Some vacumed off the rock tonight during a water change. My deep green hairy mushrooms are pale and sad looking. Not a good sight.

ALL params are A+ except my calcium is a little low at 350 but shouldn't cause this is a softie dominent?
Also my yellow gobie has gone missing! I would have swore a amonia spike from him dead was causing this but it tested 0 with 2 kits. Salifert and a cheapo Am. pharmesuticals.
I am having a diatom bloom and noticed some red slime which had been gone for a long time. I broke my small PH during the cleaning.
So could the drastic reduction in flow cause such troubles in 5 days? I am running the HOB with carbon getting I'd say 5-6x turnover for now.
Or did I release something nasty in the sand bed cleaning it I can't test for?
Or maybe fraggin released something nasty in a small tank?
I did a gallon water change tonight and fresh carbon but am worried it is gonna get worse. Any suggestions?

 

[c_stowers]

I would be careful about how much carbon your run in a system that small. The carbon can through your pH off in a hurry. I would only run a tablespoon or so at a time, changing every 2-4 weeks. I would continue with the water changes. 1 gallon every other day should be about right. See if you can find the goby. Surely there aren't too many places he could hide in a 5 gallon. If he is not alive, then he needs to obviously be removed. If things turn too bad, you may want to throw the corals in the 80 until things smooth over.

 

[Angela Short]

Thanks, I didn't know that about the carbon. I run just what comes in the little pre-filled filter pad. If the gobie died I have a huge clean up crew and some pretty big bristle worms hidding in there. He is nothing but a skeleton by now. I aged 5 gallons of new SW so hopefully a few changes will help. My yellow gobie was my favorite, the green gobie just blends in to his mushroom to easy!

 

[c_stowers]

I wouldn't run those premaid filter pads. They typically use non-acid washed carbon that can really through your pH off because of the residual ash. I would just run a little bit of black diamond or seachem matrix carbon. I wouldn't count your yellow goby out just yet, they are very good at hiding. Good luck getting everything back in line.

 

[Angela Short]

You must have been the one who done all that carbon reaserch :lol: Thanks for the info, I just grab the whisper filter pads from wally world and change every 2 weeks. I do rinse the pads and can refill them with a better carbon I guess.
I hope I didn't inadvertantly trap the yellow gobie in a rock cave with no escape during the re-arange. Talk about a watery grave! Now I will go to bed thining he may be trapped and hungary

 

[gflat65]

Keep up with water changes (from the display) and get your ph working again. I let mine plug, so it wasn;t giving and circulation and was only getting what came through the little hob. I got a bad cyano outbreak and things started looking bad. I got it running again, and it looks much better (I don't do enough water changes, though, so I stil have the cyano...). If you don't already run a surface skimmer, I highly recommend one. Every small tank I've put one on improved dramatically.

 

[Angela Short]

Funny my params in the display are never as good as the nano. I always have trites or trates?, the 1st one in the cycle. I may be adding to trouble by adding the water from my display. Everyone goes on about how hard the params are in a small tank but mine seem to never give me trouble in the nano. Params are great just stuff not looking so hot. I bet all the frag juice had alot to do with it in a small tank volume. The shrooms spill a lot of junk.

 

[eyebedam]

Hows the nano looking angela?

 

[Angela Short]

Just sitting here looking at it. I put a LOUD old PH in there and the cyano has died off somewhat but still having an alage bloom. Softies still not looking hot, pale and sad looking. Yours and Garys mushrooms are in there, they are like the rest pale but look healthy. Fixin to do a water change and hope it turns around. Yellow gobie is definetly MIA.