tank devistation

[pixierealm]

I just had an extreme nitrate spike that I wasn't aware of until my coral banded shrimp started acting weird. My nitrates were reading 70-80!!!!!
Now my coral banded is dead. (really aweful...he was and huge and gorgeous.) I can't find my fire shrimp or my flasher wrasse, and the emerald crab doesn't look good. Coral's mouths are starting to gap open. I did a 50% water change and cleaned the filter but it's still reading 80 nitrate!
Does anyone know what's going on? Why is my tank suddenly spiking, and what can I do to get the nitrates down?
here's some info about the tank.....
46 gallon, 75 lbs rocks, been set up for about 6 months, 3-4" crushed coral and sand bed, 2 clowns, 1 angel, 2 cardinals, and 1 flasher wrasse, fire shrimp, emeral crab, pom pom crab, anemone crab, large brittle, some hermits, 6 snails. reef tank...various corals.
use distilled and tap water. water changes every week. keep everything clean (filter, skimmer, etc...) temp: 78-80. ammonia 0, nitrite 0.

 

[johndonaldson3]

you might want to look at the nitrate level in your tap water. Why are you using tap?

 

[pixierealm]

okay, i tested the tap water and the nitrate level was about 10 so I don't think it's the tap water.
I use distilled as much as possible now but sometimes I have to use tap.

 

[BeanAnimal]

First of all, if you have not been able to find the dead livestock, it will be fueling the nitrate spike now.

Secondly, if you have 10ppm nitrate in your tap water and you use it for to off, then the nitrate level in the tank is going to rise. Evaporation does not take the nitrate with it! So with each top off of evaporated water, you are adding nitrate to the tank. If this addition is greater than the export, then the nitrate levels will rise.

Couple that with the rather heavy bioload of the tank and the non existant sandbed and you have a problem in the making. A DSB does not work with with crushed coral. In other words you do not appear to have the capacity to handle the nitrates level of the bioload and the tap water. I am not sure what your feeding habbits are, but those may contribute as well.

I would suggest getting ahold of a RO/DI unit and do water changes over the next few days. One of the local stores may be able to provide with enough good water to do a change or to. Get the nitrates down and then work on keeping them down (we can help you come up with a plan). You may want to get a nitrate pad or sponge to help suck some of it out.

 

[pixierealm]

I don't think anything is dead. I found everything alive today.
I did another water change using distilled, vaccumed the gravel, and replaced the skimmer with one that works better. Tested the water...still high!
I asked for a sponge at the lps that would help suck some of the nitrates out and he said he didn't carry anything like that.
Things really aren't looking good. I can't find the issue.

 

[BeanAnimal]

You have a heavily stocked tank with a rather small biological filter and have added a LOT of nitrate due to the type of water you are using. It may take a while to get the levels down, as nitrate is likely absorbed into everything. You need to cut back on the feeding until you get things fixed. You also need to use a scond test kit to confirm your results. I recomend the Salifert kits, they are well made and reasonably accurate.

Many of the LFS in the area will have some type of Nitrate sponge or "stuff" that can be put in a filter sock. Call some of the sponsors on the PMAS.ORG page.

I would certainly look into investing in a decent RO/DI unit.

 

[miatawnt2b]

pixie...

You are trying to go too quickly in the hobby. While it is not an exact reason for your current issue, it is why you are having problems. Slow things down a bit. Add livestock slowly. Take time to read and learn about equipment, livestock and husbandry before you "do."

-J

 

[pixierealm]

that's not fair to say. most of the livestock in my tank came with the tank when I bought it.

 

[miatawnt2b]

while I stick by what I've said, I do realize that it was of no help for your current situation.

What Bean says is correct, You are quite heavily stocked. With heavy stocking comes heavy feeding. What kind of food and how much per day have you been feeding? Nitrates only come from 2 places... bad water, and decaying material.

How many gallons of water do you change and how often? Do you siphon ditrius during maintenance? A skimmer is also a must with that heavily of a stocked tank.

Likely you have trapped decaying material within the rockscape and a very dirty sandbed. You need to clean that stuf up, do lots and lots of water changes (with good water obviously) run carbon.

If you have a sump, you can easly siphon out ditrius with a hose and a good filter sock. Tie the sock to the end of the hose, start the siphon, place the hose in the sump while you blow and siphon off the rocks. The sandbed... well... I hate sandbeds (as you know) depending on how much debris is trapped in that DSB, it might be a remove process... but hey, look on the bright side, it gives you a chance to go bare bottom with a RDSB. Mine lives in a 6" round, 5"deep rubbermaid in the sump and is plenty for my 90. IMO, husbandry is easier without having to deal with sand. I like being able to have heavy flow to keep the ditrius suspended so that I can skim it.

-J

 

[BeanAnimal]

You have a heavily stocked tank that is six months old.... there does not appear to be a LOT of biological filtration and you are also feeding it extra nitrates from your tap water. I don't think anybody is trying to be unfair, instead we are trying to answer your questions. Let us know how things go.

 

[pixierealm]

technically the tank is 1 1/2" years old.
I found the problem. My skimmer was not working properly. When I put my other skimmer on, it's collected more in 24 hours than the other one did in the last 2 weeks. I thought it was collecting less because I added more rocks last month and I would see less in the skimmer now but it was actually not working correctly.
I was referring to the post stating that I'm trying to move to quickly in the hobby. I've only added 2 small live animals and some corals in 6 months. Also, I traded in the large yellow tang and the big emperor angel for smaller fish for the tank.
pm beananimal.

 

[pixierealm]

oh, and thought I was doing a good thing by mixing crushed coral with sand and having it at 3-4". I was told that the crusted coral would help keep the PH up and the sand would house "good" bacteria and help to eliminate bad bacteria in the tank.
I guess I was mis-informed.

 

[BeanAnimal]

What you have is not "bad" per say. It is not going to function like a 4" DSB though. Some would argue that a bed that deep that is not constructued with fine sand, is nothing more than a coarse detritus trap. I will let others here that are more DSB aware tackle that one.

In any case you need to get the good water and do more frequent changes. Once you get the levels down, then you need to work on a plan to keep them down.

Do you come to club meetings?