what the heck am I doing wrong

bawest · 03-14-2007, 06:12 PM

I moved my tank from the 20 to the 55. I thought I did everything right, but now my new tank sucks. My snails act like they are dying. They have been sitting in the same place for 2 days without moving, but when I pick them up to see if they are alive, they move in their shells, so they aren't dead. The few corals that I did have now look like they are withering away and dying. My mushrooms have withered away over the last 3 weeks. Now, there's a brown algae growing on everything.

WTF?

Alk=10, calcium=380, nitrates=10ppm,sg=1.025,temp=79

The lights are the same as the 20 gallon. The timer that controls them is the same. I added about 75 lbs of live rock to the tank, but I cycled it first and did about 75 gallons of water changes over the last 3 weeks to make sure the nitrates are low.

I have a sump with some live rock rubble from the old 20 gallon and the old sand from the 20. The same protein skimmer and it's working.

The only thing different is the coil denitrator and I added some carbon 2 weeks ago. Can either of these cause these problems?

What am I doing wrong?

bawest · 03-14-2007, 06:18 PM

Forgot to add. I bought 30 snails to help eat the brown algae because I thought it was just the new diatom type bloom since the tank is just over a month old. These snails started out moving about, so I went to my son's basketball game thinking that I'd come home and see some progress..... I came home and most of those snails are laying on the sand on the bottom of the tank.

coral reefer · 03-14-2007, 07:20 PM

I wonder if you have stray voltage!!? Plus thta is alot of snails IMO! What types of snails do you have? Many snail species can't move in the sand and will die without you moving them to the live rock or the glass!
That is weird because from what you are telling me, your water parameters are fine!
What is your ammonia and nitrite levels...that may be your biggest problem if they aren't at 0000000000!

Tangster · 03-15-2007, 03:29 AM

Well all new tanks require a cycling time and the bacteria need to reestablish themselves to te proper levels . You seemed to have over looked this .. This 55 required the same time as your 20 did when it was started.

glampka · 03-15-2007, 03:45 AM

I agree with the cycling of the tank - it's basically a new tank & will have to cycle. Also wondering a little about your lighting since a 55 is longer & deeper than a 20. Not sure what kind of lighting you have but that kind of change will probably have some effect on amount of light reaching the corals.

Pro · 03-15-2007, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coral reefer

I wonder if you have stray voltage!!? Plus thta is alot of snails IMO! What types of snails do you have? Many snail species can't move in the sand and will die without you moving them to the live rock or the glass!
That is weird because from what you are telling me, your water parameters are fine!
What is your ammonia and nitrite levels...that may be your biggest problem if they aren't at 0000000000!

I have 40 snails in my 65....

You Probably caused a ammonia spike and it shocked everything in the tank... When you move alot of sand in your sandbed in an establish tank, you can cause a big spike.

nemo79 · 03-16-2007, 09:55 PM

I would check your ammonia, nitrites and ph. When upgrading or moving a tank it can cause a spike in these perameters so I would recommend you check these. Also the corals could be reacting to the shock of the move, how did you move them?

Carbon unless it's old shouldn't cause this reaction and I cannot imagine a denitrator would, it's supposed to help with nitrates.

bawest · 03-17-2007, 03:41 AM

I think I found it. I added another pump to the tank and I wasnt thinking. It had a brass fitting on the hose. Dang it.

Tangster · 03-17-2007, 06:35 AM

Brass won't leech out into the water that fast..I was just wiring some M/H circuits and a 3 inch of copper wire was nipped of it went right into the 200 gal tank connected on 2 coral grow out tbles we looked and looked for several day nothing was to be seen then over a month later a rock full of a huge frogspawn was closed up and there it was right between 2 heads laying right on a branch. Lost nothing in either system corals or snails . I'd doubt that was the issue I still think its cycling on you..

Jason McKenzie · 03-17-2007, 10:12 AM

Ya I would lean more towards the new tank new water theory. If you moved the sand it is likly you move a lot of nitrate/nitrites/ammonia over to the new tank.

J