ReefNole
New member
Hi all,
Apologies in advance for the length of this post, but I think the details in the context are valuable and I really need some help.
I set up a 29g last March with 2 HOB filters full of LR rubble and filter floss. The tank has about 30 lbs of LR and 20 lbs of black sand (started dry, now is seeded).
It followed a normal cycle, and was thriving from the 2 month mark to about 3 months ago. At that point, we had a gladiator clown, purple firefish, sixline wrasse, and yellow watchman goby for fish. We had a skunk cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, and pistol shrimp paired with the watchman goby.
I make my own water and always ensure it is 0 TDS out. I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt and Red Sea test kits. They are not expired.
First, we lost the fire shrimp. Totally random, no signs. Checked water, everything was clear, asked LFS and they recommended "old age" or "just one of those things". Well, then we lost the skunk cleaner, still no indication why. And then the firefish, again, no signs or symptoms. These were all about 3 weeks to a month apart, so nothing wiped them all out.
Well, then we moved, and the move stirred up a ton of silt in the water. However, I monitored Ammonia and Nitrites, and didn't see traces of anything, so I don't think it created a mini-cycle.
And now we're here. Over the last 3 weeks, the tank has grown more and more brown coverings. I thought it was a diatom bloom, because Ammonia and Nitrites were still at 0 and Nitrates were minimal (< 2). However, the brown isn't going away, it's getting worse, and covering everything. And over the past 3 days, my clown started gasping, then his tail started to thin out (no bite marks) and today we lost him.
We still have the yellow watchman, his pistol, and the sixline, but I'm finally thinking these events all might somehow be related, and not one-offs. Up until this point I was thrown off by the duration between losses, thinking if something was wrong, I would have seen a decline before death or multiple deaths simultaneously instead of spaced out. I've attached photos of the tank from today as well as readings from today below. Any help is greatly appreciated.
And as I started this post, apologies for the length but thanks in advance for any support.
Nitrates: Barely detectable. Between 0-2
Nitrites: 0
Ammonia: 0
Salinity: 1.025
Temperature: 79.2
PH: 8.2
Alkalinity: This was my first time testing but it took 2 drops, so I think the card says 0.70?
http://i.imgur.com/KRkmY98.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AKHXOzz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pFmgFXC.jpg
Apologies in advance for the length of this post, but I think the details in the context are valuable and I really need some help.
I set up a 29g last March with 2 HOB filters full of LR rubble and filter floss. The tank has about 30 lbs of LR and 20 lbs of black sand (started dry, now is seeded).
It followed a normal cycle, and was thriving from the 2 month mark to about 3 months ago. At that point, we had a gladiator clown, purple firefish, sixline wrasse, and yellow watchman goby for fish. We had a skunk cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, and pistol shrimp paired with the watchman goby.
I make my own water and always ensure it is 0 TDS out. I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt and Red Sea test kits. They are not expired.
First, we lost the fire shrimp. Totally random, no signs. Checked water, everything was clear, asked LFS and they recommended "old age" or "just one of those things". Well, then we lost the skunk cleaner, still no indication why. And then the firefish, again, no signs or symptoms. These were all about 3 weeks to a month apart, so nothing wiped them all out.
Well, then we moved, and the move stirred up a ton of silt in the water. However, I monitored Ammonia and Nitrites, and didn't see traces of anything, so I don't think it created a mini-cycle.
And now we're here. Over the last 3 weeks, the tank has grown more and more brown coverings. I thought it was a diatom bloom, because Ammonia and Nitrites were still at 0 and Nitrates were minimal (< 2). However, the brown isn't going away, it's getting worse, and covering everything. And over the past 3 days, my clown started gasping, then his tail started to thin out (no bite marks) and today we lost him.
We still have the yellow watchman, his pistol, and the sixline, but I'm finally thinking these events all might somehow be related, and not one-offs. Up until this point I was thrown off by the duration between losses, thinking if something was wrong, I would have seen a decline before death or multiple deaths simultaneously instead of spaced out. I've attached photos of the tank from today as well as readings from today below. Any help is greatly appreciated.
And as I started this post, apologies for the length but thanks in advance for any support.
Nitrates: Barely detectable. Between 0-2
Nitrites: 0
Ammonia: 0
Salinity: 1.025
Temperature: 79.2
PH: 8.2
Alkalinity: This was my first time testing but it took 2 drops, so I think the card says 0.70?
http://i.imgur.com/KRkmY98.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AKHXOzz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pFmgFXC.jpg
