IMO bare bottom just makes life so much easier. Run as much flow as you want, nothing to trap detritus, and no time spent trying to keep the sand looking pretty. Having said all that I kind of lean towards what others have said I don’t think the sand was necessarily the issue here. Hopefully you get it sorted out and sorry for your losses I know it can be frustrating!
I’m curious to know more about this under gravel reverse filter .I just did a rip clean of my tank, moved it, and put in a Reverse under gravel filter (emphasis on Reverse). It keeps the sand aerated and cleaner. Paul B has it on his 3,000 year old tank
Getting into developing my own philosophy of the hobby, I kept coming across Paul B and a couple other guys with it. I think it generally is used more by people who don’t quarantine and focus more on nature and biodiversity but I could be wrong. I decided to try going that route to see how it worked and I only got around to installing it yesterday late. Basically instead of having your return pump into the tank, it pumps into the cryptic space under the filter and comes up through the sand, aerating it. Paul claims it really helps with creatures living and thriving in the substrate so we will see where it goes in my tank. I figure at the very least it will help keep it detritus free.
Just did a WC because I didn’t want to stress out the fish by pulling them out. One fish was breathing heavily so I did an immediate WC. We’ll have to wait till the morning hopefully he’ll make it.
Sounds great .
I did a 45 gallon WC after the fish started dying on Sunday. I did another 60 gallon WC last night, ensured powerheads were on during the change, used a bucket to minimized any sand disruptions, I have a total 200 gallon system. Two more fish died this morning. I’m losing my head on what’s going on!!
Ammonia can build up much faster than people think. I’ve seen tanks where even daily 100% water changes failed to manage it. I’m not saying it for sure is ammonia, but I think that is something you do want to rule out (using a non-api test).
If I completely change all my filters in the filter container and new filter socks along with large water changes would that work against the ammonia or should I remove the sand? What can I do to fix this? I have new filters and filter socks coming in.
In your original post you talk about removing all your powerheads overnight to clean them. Night is when 02 levels drop and without water movement 02 drops even more. So fish start dying which can trigger ammonia. This action was combined with your statement that you removed all your rocks and scrubbed them. This kills off your nitrifying bacteria and stops your cycle resulting in ammonia
You will find it best to rely on beneficial bacteria to control ammonia. Changing filter socks and removing sand will remove much of this beneficial bacteria. Limiting biomass (including uneaten food), water changes and adding bacteria cultures are all needed to manage ammonia. In emergencies, you can use Amquel to detoxify the ammonia. Water with a lower pH also has less toxic ammonia in it.
I did remove the powerheads over night the only thing running was my tanks pump. I had rinsed the rocks and put them back in the night. I didn’t realize that these small steps would have such a big issue. Anything you can suggest? Do I need to restart my tank, remove the sand or keep doing WC’s. I’m so lost.
I believe a lot of us have been there but because it happened so fast we don’t take the time to process what could have caused the issue . But started grabbing buckets to to remove rocks or live fish as fast as possible .In the same time we’re starting to mix enough water for a large percentage water change
What are your current levels today for ammonia, alk and salinity and temp?
