something is up with my tank!!

[EWC88]

Ok, first I'll say I had this tank up and running for well over 6 months. But I just went out and got more snails and a peppermint shrimp. 2 hrs later, all dead!!! Seems like alot of things I put in everything keeps dying. My test seem all fine though. I'm thinking about redoing everything and start all over. But I don't know if thats the best idea. What does everything think?

 

[sschoelen]

So is anything in there still alive?

 

[UrbanSage]

You aren't telling us much....

What makes you think the system is bad? Can we get a new picture? And the actual water parameters instead if "My test seem all fine though"

 

[EWC88]

The only fish I have left are 2 damsels. and a couple snails and blue leg crabs.

My sand bed seems to me like it has some type of hair algea.

and the parameters are Ammonia-.25
Nitrate-40 Nitrite-0 and Ph-8.4

Seems fine to me right?

 

[plyle02]

What type of water are you using? Are you using tap? IMO, I would not use anything but RO/DI water testing 0 on the TDS meter. This will help to ensure that you are off to the right start. If you have a quality skimmer, good lighting, and feed moderately, you take most of the worry out. The 1st place I look when I am having problems, is my water......

 

[EWC88]

I use Ro/DI water from my LFS I haven't been able to get a RO/DI unit yet. And my skimmer I'm having trouble with it keeps sending thousands of micro bubbles back into my tank. And I don't have a TDS meter.

 

[DylanE]

how long did you aclimate? inverts are definatly way more sensitive to salitity changes. ammonia should always be zero and same with nitrates and nitrites.

 

[SaltyDr]

How frequent are you doing water changes? Are you dosing with anything? What brand tests are you using? Those nitrates are a little high, and your ammonia should be 0, but I guess with things dying, it will spike some.

 

[EWC88]

Water changes I try to do every week but suppose I fail and do 2 weeks. Test kit I use Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit

 

[jafish26]

Im having the same problem as you my water is fine check it 2 times at the lfs and he cant give me a reason for anything my sand bed is the same as yours and all my fish keep dying i put one in 1 week later dead for no reason now im thinking of buying a new tank new water new sand and put my live rock in rodi water for 10 min

 

[EWC88]

Yea, I'm thinking of taking it all down, giving the fish back to the lfs, put my tank in some nice hot water to kill everything, put new sand in, new water, and have all my rock sit in rodi water too.

 

[EWC88]

Yea, I'm thinking of taking it all down, giving the fish back to the lfs, put my tank in some nice hot water to kill everything, put new sand in, new water, and have all my rock sit in rodi water too.

Do you have a ro/di unit? or you get your water from lfs?

 

[jafish26]

lfs cant figure out what is going on i think im gonna get a ground probe first then do all that

 

[UrbanSage]

How would soaking the live rock in ro/di help?

 

[jafish26]

kill off some of the bad bacteria kinda like cooking it

 

[saturn tech]

How about just waiting for the water parameters to reach zero? don't change anything out, just clean out any dead stuff and let it sit for a few weeks maybe a month? sounds like your tank is not cycled.

 

[jmguerry12]

if i read correctly you said your ammonia is at .25 if it really is then thats probably the main reason....ammonia is the most toxic of the three....your tank might be cycling again.....when you first got your tank did you not let it cycle completly before putting anything in

 

[Shagsbeard]

Might also check temperature variation through the day/week. If the temperature isn't stable, you can really make your fish's lives miserable.

 

[rustybucket145]

The bottom line is that your ammonia is .25. It should be at 0 and no higher than 0. I'm really surprised that your fish are even still alive.

The second bottom line is that if you don't get your skimmer working re-setting up your system isn't going to do a single thing. In six months you will be right back in the same place.

The algae is growing in your tank b/c your skimmer is not doing it's job properly. Your water quality is VERY low b/c you do not have your skimmer running. Basically the fish are just swimming around in a pool of their own poop and pee. The skimmer is what removes these organics, without one they are simply accumulating and feeding the hair algae. Fish pee and poop is GREAT fertilizer and is used in farms accross the globe to grow some of the tastiest veggies you will ever eat. However in your tank it's just growing slimey hair algae.

Main Point: Get your skimmer working or buy a better skimmer and get it working. Step up your water changes and over the course of a month or two your tank will begin to look drastically better.

 

[EWC88]

My skimmer is shutting tiny micro bubbles back into my tank and we can't figure out why it is.

the temp is at 80

When I got the tank I had it sit by its self for well over a month before putting anything in it.

Water changes what do you think I should do for a 40g tank?

And If I keep everything still just wait for my parameters to drop, I at least would like to get rid of sand bed cause it is horrible, whats the easiest way of taking the sand bed out?