90gal Tank Crash

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by scottmwoods, Jul 5, 2012.

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  1. scottmwoods

    scottmwoods Spaghetti Worm

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Norwich CT
    Need some help with my tank. Having a problem with Nitrites. 2 clowns dead in 2 days.

    This has been a problem for the last week. Been doing 30gal water changes every other day. I now feed every other day. I had been doing my 10gal water changes every week.

    This started Last weekend with the ph 8.2 ammonia 0(that has never changed) Nitrites .5 Nitrates was off the chart 80.

    I did a 30 gal water change and things came back down.
    Today the Levels are Ph 7.4 (after a water change of 30gal and using some PH buffer) It was lower than 7.2. I added 15lbs more of live rock the night before. Not sure how that would move the PH that much.

    Ammonia is still 0. Nitrites are 0 and the nitrates are 2.

    Salinity is 1.023
    PH 7.4
    Ammonia 0
    Nitrites 0
    Nitrates 2
    Temp 78

    List of live stock still in the tank.
    4 clowns
    1 tomato clown
    2 fire fish
    1 standard cardinal
    2 pajama cardinals
    1 dotty back
    1 yellow tank
    1 powder blue tank
    1 hippo tang
    1 dwarf flame angel
    1 juvenile emperor angel

    1 cleaner shrimp
    1 fire shrimp
    1 unknown shrimp
    5 turbo snails
    3 crabs
     

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  3. Toallhisdoom

    Toallhisdoom Dragon Wrasse

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    2,197
    when you do water changes do you vacuum the crushed coral on the bottom? i know that stuff can trap a lot of detritus and create nitrate problems...
     
  4. scottmwoods

    scottmwoods Spaghetti Worm

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    Location:
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    No I have not been. Did not want to stir the bottom up that much. I will try that today. I got 30 gal more water made to do another water change today if need be.
     
  5. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    I suspect the LR had some die off, causing a mini-cycle.
    Ammonia was created and contributed to driving your pH down.
    Since you have no detectable ammonia or nitrites now, your most likely out of the woods.
    Go back to your regular routine water changes and just monitor the parameters.
     
  6. sim1killa

    sim1killa Astrea Snail

    Joined:
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    you add the live rock the night before this clowns died?

    you are heavily stocked. do you have a skimmer?
     
  7. scottmwoods

    scottmwoods Spaghetti Worm

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    skimmer

    Yes I have a skimmer.
     

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  9. scottmwoods

    scottmwoods Spaghetti Worm

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    Yes. The first clown dead the next morning. The secound was dead this morning.
     
  10. scottmwoods

    scottmwoods Spaghetti Worm

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    Thanks

    Corailline. Thanks again. I should have thought of that.


     
  11. SAY

    SAY Ocellaris Clown

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    It sounds like the nitrites started spiking before you added the live rock so that shouldn't be the cause. My opinion is that you are overstocked for a 90. What kind of cleanup crew do you have. If it is the 5 snails and 3 crabs you have listed, that isn't enough. I would get on the reef cleaners website and see about an appropriately sized cuc.
     
  12. scottmwoods

    scottmwoods Spaghetti Worm

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    Location:
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    I have added more clean up crew before but the 3 crabs keep eating the others. I had 6 snails yesterday but 1 of them got eaten by the crabs.