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07-05-2006, 04:16 AM
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#21 (permalink)
| | 3reef Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Melbourne, VIC,Victoria
Posts: 2,261
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Originally Posted by lmajor32 The smell was from the fish that were rotting in the tank over the weekend. I had a very large Puffer (yes, he was puffed up), trigger and fox face. I expected to wake up this morning with it smelling really bad but it didn't.
I did a 50% water change and pulled all the rock out, shook it off in a bucket of salt water to get any dead critters out and put it back in. I smelled the rock when I had it out and it didn't really smell. I have to say that if one of those snails could survive, I am guessing that the rock had to have something still alive in it.
I do not want to go out and spend another $500 on live rock, so I am going to take my chances with this and see what happens. I can always buy new, i might as well see what happens before I do anything. I think, and hope that I can get this to come back around. I will probably buy a few more pieces of LR when this gets back to normal to replacesome of the stuff that is gone now. | True enough, the rock did have enough bacteria to allow a snail to survive but IMO it and the sand also contain a potential timebomb. The live rock is VERY porous and now contains a LOT of dead material that needs to be neutralised.
It is a bit of tough love mate, but you really do need to either just start again or go through the process as described. Anyway, it's up to you 
John
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Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it! | 
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07-06-2006, 09:16 AM
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#22 (permalink)
| | Spaghetti Worm
Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: London, ON, Canada
Posts: 197
Karma: 134
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When my problem happened, the smell from the basement when I opened the front door was like being hit with a dump truck load of sluge from a cesspool.
I too wasn't about to replace all my rock in that 90g tank (150 lbs) so I just waited out the complete cycle, after removing all the dead material I could. (rocks had been covered in mushrooms, sponge, halamedia, etc so there was a h-ll of a lot of die off)
When you are on a budget, time is nothing compared to the money one has to have to replace all that rock. While it took a long time, it was worth the wait in my estimation. No live stock other than corals were placed in the tank until everything was stabilized and hair algae all gone.
I say go for it, but don't try to rush it. | |
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07-06-2006, 11:37 AM
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#23 (permalink)
| | Scooter Blennie
Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 26
Posts: 1,200
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The fish will cause a strong odor, but think of all the little critters and bacteria that also died, because everything died with everything else, you can't just say it's the fish.
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30g reef tank, CPR CY192 filter w/ DIY plumb running Rio 17HF return, Coralife 3x 9w UV Sterilizer, 3 24W T5-Helios 10K Daylights/3 24W T5-Helios Blue lights, 2 Logysis blue meteor light strobes (moonlights/24 Blue LEDs).
Tiger tail cuke, asst. snails/hermits, asst. feathers, rainbow acan,zoos,shrooms,bubble,galaxea, asst. shrimp, 2 ocellaris,mandarin,zebrasoma xanthurum,pink-spot watchman,red-striped pistol. | |
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07-06-2006, 02:07 PM
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#24 (permalink)
| | Spaghetti Worm
Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: London, ON, Canada
Posts: 197
Karma: 134
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Sure the bacteria died off. It will grow again. The presence of ammonia causes the first stage to happen and..........I think you already know the drill.
It doesn't have to have the bacteria already there to start up again, although I suspect some would survive anyway.
Airborne spores will get things rolling in no time at all, and you don't need to add a shrimp or anything else because the ammonia level will already be higher than normal for a tank start up. | |
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07-06-2006, 03:45 PM
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#25 (permalink)
| | Astrea Snail
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 62
Karma: 11
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As much I really appreciate all the input, I first have to say that yes I am a rookie, but some of you are all gloom and doom. There hasn't been any odor since I took the dead fish out. Yes, the other critters died off, but I got most of them out by shaking off each piece of LR in a bucket of tank water before putting back in.
I did another 30% water change today and I didn't believe the readings I got afterwards. Everything is back to normal! No nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia. I added a few new pieces of LR yesterday to help get things back going. I do have some brown algae forming but nothing a makeup brush doesn't help get rid of. I am going to get a cleaning crew today or tomorrow and see what happens.
I don't plan on adding anything of significance like coral, but in the short term, things could not be better. The snail that survived looks like he is doing well. There is even an anenome on one of the new LR, and he is out doing his, or her thing. I assume that if water was really bad he would not be seen. (Yes, I know I could be wrong).
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75 gallon SeaClear II, Urchin Pro Skimmer, Prefilter, 100 lbs live rock, 30 lbs Live Sand), 15 Hermir Crabs, 6 Astrael Snails, 5 Turbo Snails, Emerald Crab, Peppermint Shrimp, Arrow Crab, Banded Shrimp, Maroon Clown, Blue Tang, Goby, Sand Star, Clam, and about 25 different corals. | |
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07-06-2006, 04:45 PM
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#26 (permalink)
| | 3reef Moderator |
OK my 2 cents.
I would say keep your rock and your sand. I would give the sand a good stir.
now you are at ground zero. But with a hole lot more die off. Do not do water changes until your nitrite and ammonia are back to zero. Then perform water changes every 2 weeks at about 10%. it's going to be a lot like your first cycle.
For everyone who says trash the rock. I don't understand. If the rock is doing it's job and housing denitrifying bacteria then there is little problem with the rock?
J | |
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07-06-2006, 05:28 PM
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#27 (permalink)
| | Astrea Snail
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 62
Karma: 11
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That is what is interesting, everything is back to normal. Nitrites, nitrates and ammonia are at zero, or near zero. | |
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07-06-2006, 05:33 PM
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#28 (permalink)
| | 3reef Moderator |
Ya you removed all the dead stuff. Good rock wouldn't take long to get ride of the ammonia and Nitrite. Give it some time you may have an ugly algae bloom
J | |
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07-06-2006, 06:01 PM
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#29 (permalink)
| | Coral Banded Shrimp
Join Date: May 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 360
Karma: 62
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I agree. Save the rock...it will be fine, just give it time. | |
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07-06-2006, 06:01 PM
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#30 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Meriden, Connecticut Age: 44
Posts: 4,024
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Yes, you don't need to get rid of the live rock you have now. Once your tank cycles through the rock will, if nothing is still living, will rejuvenate itself. As for the financial point of it, you really didn't need to get any more live rock to grow bacteria. You could, as I said in an earlier post, purchase live bacteria at your local pet shop and/or get a few scoops of established sand from one of the mature tanks at your pet shop.
Remember to oxygenate the water well, add carbon and phosphate remover. Just don't do anything to quickly... _________ 125gal.w/Mag9.5 return(dual megaflow)>Mag7 pump Aqua Cev180skimmer.Wave2k Hamilton Reefstar(2)250watthqi(mh)pend.a Yellow, Naso Tang Red Lip Blenny Percula Clown Demoiselles Niger Trigger F. Wrasses Cerianthid Stars Hermits snails Zoos shrooms Montipora Brains Gorgonians Favia Turbinaria Kenyon Tree Acropora Xenia Tridacna (CroceaMaximaSquamosa)
"IF THE PHONE DOESN'T RING...IT'S ME"  jb
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