Tank Meltdown :(

I would suggest checking the levels in your salt mix. You are changing a large percentage and if any levels are way out, it would definately affect the corals. You can get different readings from the same batch. Some of the salts to boost Alk etc. can work it's way to the bottom of the bucket.
 
Are you married? Have you ****ed your wife off in the past few days/week. Just a thought.....if you spend a lot of time on the tank, she may have got upset...

It's a long shot, but it's worth mentioning since you can't seem to find another fault.
 
JAustin said:
Are you married? Have you ****ed your wife off in the past few days/week. Just a thought.....if you spend a lot of time on the tank, she may have got upset...

It's a long shot, but it's worth mentioning since you can't seem to find another fault.
Click to expand...

lol I am on a local forum....and posted the same issue when this first started happening and somebody here locally mentioned the same thing

I have to say thankyou because this made me laugh:spin1:

...i can't imagine my girlfriend doing it because she loves the hobby as much as i do
 
Bevin said:
I would suggest checking the levels in your salt mix. You are changing a large percentage and if any levels are way out, it would definately affect the corals. You can get different readings from the same batch. Some of the salts to boost Alk etc. can work it's way to the bottom of the bucket.
Click to expand...

This could be a possibility that i didn't really think of...however i do test atleast twice a week so i don't think this is the case since i test frequently enough that i would of noticed a change...and lately because i though that there was something wrong with my tds i have been testing my saltwater before i actually put it in the tank and haven't really noticed anything...but i will keep an eye on this just in case.

Thanks
 
I guess it may be important to mention that in this tank i do have a leather...however the leather is only 1-1/2" ...ive gotten mixed opinions whether a leather of this size could contribute enough in a toxic way to kill off all these pieces.
 
Do remember a while back someones tank got wiped out and it turned out there girlfriend had windexed it because she though it needed cleaning. Myself I think your water changes are over the top. Such large changes are inviting disaster and not needed. Smaller changes% wise would not be as stressful, also if you get a bad batch of salt again less stress
 
Jmar101786 said:
I guess it may be important to mention that in this tank i do have a leather...however the leather is only 1-1/2" ...ive gotten mixed opinions whether a leather of this size could contribute enough in a toxic way to kill off all these pieces.
Click to expand...

That would be highly unlikely, especially considering the leather's diminutive size relative to the water volume. Years ago, in a 75 gallon reef, I kept a basketball sized Sinularia flexibilis, one of the most potent chemical warriors, with lps, montipora and a large acro colony that it actually brushed against in the current. Everyone was fine and grew like weeds and I never ran carbon.

Also leathers tend to stunt the growth of stony corals, not massacre them.

My guess is an airborne contaminant or something on your hands.
 
could it be from your city water supply, occassionally city flush pipes they usually send out notices. Cities also increase chlorine chloramine in summertime. All these issue usually taking out by good RO unit.

Could be toxic Hydrogen sulphide released from dead spot in sandbed.
 
nrbelk said:
How deep is your sand? Is it constantly stirred, cleaned? If not, could a toxic patch been disturbed?
Click to expand...

My sandbed is 1 to 1-1/2" and is constantly moved around..i have 2 horseshoe crabs, 4 sand sifting stars, 2 crocodile conchs and a diamond goby
 
buffalo123 said:
could it be from your city water supply, occassionally city flush pipes they usually send out notices. Cities also increase chlorine chloramine in summertime. All these issue usually taking out by good RO unit.

Could be toxic Hydrogen sulphide released from dead spot in sandbed.
Click to expand...

I called up my local water authority and they haven't changed or done anything.

i asked if they switched over to chloromine as some states are doing that now and low end RO systems can't handle it....i then called my RO manufacturer and they said its not to worry as my RO/DI system can handle chloromine
 
Potsy said:
That would be highly unlikely, especially considering the leather's diminutive size relative to the water volume. Years ago, in a 75 gallon reef, I kept a basketball sized Sinularia flexibilis, one of the most potent chemical warriors, with lps, montipora and a large acro colony that it actually brushed against in the current. Everyone was fine and grew like weeds and I never ran carbon.

Also leathers tend to stunt the growth of stony corals, not massacre them.

My guess is an airborne contaminant or something on your hands.
Click to expand...


OK good...that rules that out...i was curious because i am getting different answers across the board and it was frustrating me. Being as how you had personal expierence with a similiar scenario i feel more comfortable knowing you didn't have an issue
 
david pinder said:
Do remember a while back someones tank got wiped out and it turned out there girlfriend had windexed it because she though it needed cleaning. Myself I think your water changes are over the top. Such large changes are inviting disaster and not needed. Smaller changes% wise would not be as stressful, also if you get a bad batch of salt again less stress
Click to expand...

ouch...i mean its a sweet gesture however my girlfriend has been warned on numerous ocassions not to let chemicals of any sort enter the room....i am very protective over the room .... if she would allow it i would have a numeric key code to enter the room lol

I can understand where you are coming from but i do all my water changes from my sump and i don't disturb my display tank...furthermore the percentage i have done has always been consistant since the tank has been up and running...which is 3 years now...i have never had an issue...whether it was parasite on fish or on corals...and ive never had so much as RTN...STN...or anything of the sort...i guess thats why i am freaking out as much as this is the first time ive ever encountered an issue to this magnitude.

in 10 years the worst thing i had to battle was a case of ick and a case of flukes...other than that never had red bugs...flat worms...or anything like that...everything gets dipped twice before i put in my main system.

however i guess in the end i really can't rule anything out...its just i was taught that reefs never have standing water and that water is always flowing through it...so the more water changes one does...the healthier a reefs is because it introduces new trace elements and keeps pristine water conditions.

Thats just my opinion...others may call it crazy or wrong...but its what i'm use to doing
 
How do you test your salinity?
Refractometer? could it be a calibration issue?
Did the LFS test the salinity of your sample?
 
Perhaps a contaminant in the water-change bucket? Do any housecleaning recently involving some kind of spray? Any pesticides going on in the neighborhood? Unwashed hands in the tank after working on the car?

It's also possible that long-term phosphate buildup prevented stony corals from laying down carbonate skeletons, pushing them over the brink. Once the sps starting rtn'ing, allowing possible bacterial/protozoan infection to set in, a cycle of rapid death and low oxygen levels ensued.

As far as I know, smelly milky water = low oxygen + high bacterial presence.
 
Potsy said:
Perhaps a contaminant in the water-change bucket? Do any housecleaning recently involving some kind of spray? Any pesticides going on in the neighborhood? Unwashed hands in the tank after working on the car?

It's also possible that long-term phosphate buildup prevented stony corals from laying down carbonate skeletons, pushing them over the brink. Once the sps starting rtn'ing, allowing possible bacterial/protozoan infection to set in, a cycle of rapid death and low oxygen levels ensued.

As far as I know, smelly milky water = low oxygen + high bacterial presence.
Click to expand...

With his maintenance schedule it difficult to see a build up of phosphates which did not show up some other way like increase algae growth.
When i first read it it sounded like what happen when the power goes off for a long time and the reef was heavily stocked. Low oxygen , and a bacteria bloom causing death.
We can look for something that would cause severe drop in oxygen levels. Like maybe a CO2 tank emptying into the reef, causing giant PH swing.
 
Last edited:
Woodstock said:
How do you test your salinity?
Refractometer? could it be a calibration issue?
Did the LFS test the salinity of your sample?
Click to expand...


Definitely a Refractometer...and i brought my refractometer to my LFS to make sure it was calibrated correctly to thiers...plus my RO/DI reads 0
 
Potsy said:
Perhaps a contaminant in the water-change bucket? Do any housecleaning recently involving some kind of spray? Any pesticides going on in the neighborhood? Unwashed hands in the tank after working on the car?

It's also possible that long-term phosphate buildup prevented stony corals from laying down carbonate skeletons, pushing them over the brink. Once the sps starting rtn'ing, allowing possible bacterial/protozoan infection to set in, a cycle of rapid death and low oxygen levels ensued.

As far as I know, smelly milky water = low oxygen + high bacterial presence.
Click to expand...

I use a food grade bucket for my water changes and for my RO/DI collection.

Chemicals don't enter this room at any point unless they are the obvious dosing chemicals.

I don't go in my tank until after i take a shower when i get home from...however i work in an office so i don't think thats an issue.

my phosphates always read 0 so i don't think there was any phosphate build up over a long time

the only time the water got milky was after all the death and i did a water change just after.
 
buffalo123 said:
With his maintenance schedule it difficult to see a build up of phosphates which did not show up some other way like increase algae growth.
When i first read it it sounded like what happen when the power goes off for a long time and the reef was heavily stocked. Low oxygen , and a bacteria bloom causing death.
We can look for something that would cause severe drop in oxygen levels. Like maybe a CO2 tank emptying into the reef, causing giant PH swing.
Click to expand...

I don't really have any algae blooms...everything stays pretty clean...the only thing i can say i know ive got is a detrius build in some rocks but nothing major...No CO2 tank emptying and my ph stays pretty steady
 
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