Came Home and Everything is Dead!!!

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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).

 

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

 

That is what is interesting, everything is back to normal. Nitrites, nitrates and ammonia are at zero, or near zero.

 

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

 

I agree. Save the rock...it will be fine, just give it time.

 

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...