Come back from crash and a hospital tank

[VickyS]

Hey, I've been using the forum as a looky-lou for some time as a means to see if questions have already been answered. Unfortunately, I've just been through a bonkers ride and I'm looking for some more direct advice.

About a month ago, I had an anemone that got caught up in my kit and it must have either got super stressed, a bit cut up ... or something ... as I came downstairs in the morning to a mega scummy tank, milky water and most of the population dead.

I had a really old bi-orb in the loft, went to the LFS to grab some sea water (they ship it in) and ramped up a 'hospital' tank to put the remaining survivors in. At the time, that was a marine comet, 2 black & white clowns, a red serpent star , a sand sifter star, a leopard wrasse, a blue-leg hermit and an urchin.

I lost the leopard the same day and the urchin died a day later.

I felt there was no choice, but to rip apart my tank

• Rinsed the sand in saltwater (new, uncycled)
• Dip the live rock
• Scrub the HoB skimmer & gyre (the only kit I run)
• Do a ~50% water change

I've been running daily tests as I'm super concerned about leaving my survivors in such a small tank for too long ... the comet has lost some of his usual deep colour, so is clearly stressed and acting depressed (nowhere to hide out) and the sand sifter is not happy! The clowns seem very bored. Even the serpent ... the biorb is way too small for him to stretch his legs.

Here's what I have

• 400l tank
• HoB skimmer, gyre, LR, deep sand, no sump
  • We have suspended floors and, frankly, I don't trust the floor with the added weight of a sump
  • I am religious about maintenance, water tests and changes
• NH4: 0.4
• No3: 0
• No2: 0.5
• PH: 8
• Salinity: 1.025
• Temp: 27c
• PO: 0.14
• Mg: 1400
• Ca: 400
• KH: 3.0/ 8.4

I'm planning on doing a ~35l water change this evening and then testing again tomorrow *but* (& here come my questions)

• What parameter should be the indicator of being 'anemone-garbage' free?
• I'm nervous about my survivors and how long they're in something so comparatively tiny/not-home-like
  • Do I risk stress in the tiny tank over less than optimal water conditions?
• When all this is over, I will want to rebuild over time so I was thinking of keeping my biorb as a QT tank
  • Advice?

Any kind of advice or empathy/sympathy is warmly received.

 

[BestMomEver]

Wow... you’ve had a rough few days. I would think that doing small water changes every day for a week or so would get it all. But then you also have to consider that the tank is gonna cycle again since you had to wash sand and rocks. I’m not sure where you live but if you’re in the states, you can pick up glass aquariums pretty cheap at Petco. See if you can find something bigger for your fish for now. Also, put a few pieces of pvc pipe in with the fish. It will give them something to hide in.

And welcome to the reef!

 

[ngoodermuth]

Unless you used bleach to clean your rock, you should still have some bacteria/biological filtration, though, I'm sure the event itself took a toll. I think I would definitely do a series of pretty significant water changes over the nest week or so, and possibly add a bottled bacteria product to help soften any mini-cycle your tank is going to go through and reduce die-off. I'd also get carbon going if you haven't already to help pull out toxins.

I would think that your survivors would be OK for the time being, and hopefully you still have enough of a filter (and with the addition of the bacteria) that you won't have to wait as long as you would if it was a new tank, to cycle.

Welcome to R2R, though I'm sorry it is under such somber circumstances

 

[VickyS]

and possibly add a bottled bacteria product to help soften any mini-cycle your tank is going to go through and reduce die-off. I'd also get carbon going if you haven't already to help pull out toxins.


Thanks, ladies. The test results seems to indicate it won't be long.

I'd added 'Dr Tim's One & Only' which is the first time I'd added 'outside' bacteria ... well, knowingly & intentionally anyhow. I had run carbon for a few days but my PH took a hit (dropped to 7.6). A bit of research suggested it might have been the carbon so I whipped it back out. I don't really know, was in panic mode.

I was entertaining putting a carbon bag in my skimmer media box but I'm a little wary after such a dip on PH. That and the tank had been running pretty well and healthy without any 'outside influence'. I guess my confidence has just taken a knock.