Help/advice? What is going on?!? What should I do

[pjfish77]

This morning I turned on the lights in my 10g frag tank to find the water slightly ”milky“ and the fish breathing super fast and acting somewhat erratic. This comes after a complete crash in my main 32g which I am yet to find a cause for (although a botched flatworm exit treatment or bad rodi water are my leading suspicions) and I unfortunately lost most corals, 2 firefish, a royal gramma, and cardinal fish too. These remaining fish are the survivors. The clearly look in distress so I was my first choice to add some prime to neutralize any potential ammonia and add an airstone for more O2.

I did a water test and only noticed that my PH was somewhat low: KH: 9 PH 7.8 Am: 0 Ni: 0 Na 0.25<

Any advice on what to do or if there are more parameters I should test for are greatly appreciated. The past 24 hours have been really rough and I’m on the brink of switching back to just freshwater :/

 

[Fishy Fish]

Bacterial bloom ?

 

[pjfish77]

Bacterial bloom ?

Possibly, I did forget to mention that I also added some seachem stability yesterday in an attempt to add more beneficial bacteria since I was moving so many fish into a smaller tank. Could that have caused anything? Also how does one deal with a bacterial bloom?

 

[Fishy Fish]

Bacterial bloom ?

If it's then you need aerator or anything to help increase oxygen in the water , and uv light to kill exceed bacterial

 

[pjfish77]

If it's then you need aerator or anything to help increase oxygen in the water , and uv light to kill exceed bacterial

Already have an aerator set up and going. I don’t have a UV light, are there any specific recommendations for a tank of this smaller size? Would a water change or anything else be helpful too?

 

[BryanM]

Already have an aerator set up and going. I don’t have a UV light, are there any specific recommendations for a tank of this smaller size? Would a water change or anything else be helpful too?

A water change typically wouldn't hurt, but you stated you're suspect of your RODI water, so if that was the cause for the other tank crash then this would not be a good idea.

 

[jaghorireefs&mma]

This morning I turned on the lights in my 10g frag tank to find the water slightly ”milky“ and the fish breathing super fast and acting somewhat erratic. This comes after a complete crash in my main 32g which I am yet to find a cause for (although a botched flatworm exit treatment or bad rodi water are my leading suspicions) and I unfortunately lost most corals, 2 firefish, a royal gramma, and cardinal fish too. These remaining fish are the survivors. The clearly look in distress so I was my first choice to add some prime to neutralize any potential ammonia and add an airstone for more O2.

I did a water test and only noticed that my PH was somewhat low: KH: 9 PH 7.8 Am: 0 Ni: 0 Na 0.25<

Any advice on what to do or if there are more parameters I should test for are greatly appreciated. The past 24 hours have been really rough and I’m on the brink of switching back to just freshwater :/

Good morning, sorry you're going through such a rough patch. Crashes like this are absolutely gutwrenching, especially when you've already lost so much stock. From the parameters you've listed, a pH of 7.8 is definitely on the low side for a reef system, which could be stressing your fish and corals further. I would highly recommend using a PH Buffer like Seachem Marine Buffer or Brightwell Aquatics pH+ to help stabilize and elevate the pH to the ideal range of around 8.1–8.4. Just make sure to dose slowly and check your alkalinity (KH) as you go you mentioned a KH of 9, which is good, but you'll want to ensure things don’t swing too fast. It’s also wise to test your RODI water’s TDS; a failing membrane or DI resin could be introducing contaminants and triggering this instability. Also, that milky water can often indicate a bacterial bloom, especially if oxygen is being consumed rapidly your use of Prime and adding an airstone was a smart move. I’d also recommend doing a large water change (30–50%) with verified clean saltwater, running high-quality activated carbon, and possibly adding a UV sterilizer if you have access to one. Lastly, keep the lights off for a bit and reduce feeding to avoid overloading the system while it stabilizes. Hang in there, many of us have been on the brink before and come out stronger. Don’t give up on saltwater just yet!


Regards,
Slade

 

[pjfish77]

A water change typically wouldn't hurt, but you stated you're suspect of your RODI water, so if that was the cause for the other tank crash then this would not be a good idea.

I bought a few jugs of distilled water this morning as a precaution, I will definitely use that until my new cartridges arrive. :)

 

[pjfish77]

Good morning, sorry you're going through such a rough patch. Crashes like this are absolutely gutwrenching, especially when you've already lost so much stock. From the parameters you've listed, a pH of 7.8 is definitely on the low side for a reef system, which could be stressing your fish and corals further. I would highly recommend using a PH Buffer like Seachem Marine Buffer or Brightwell Aquatics pH+ to help stabilize and elevate the pH to the ideal range of around 8.1–8.4. Just make sure to dose slowly and check your alkalinity (KH) as you go you mentioned a KH of 9, which is good, but you'll want to ensure things don’t swing too fast. It’s also wise to test your RODI water’s TDS; a failing membrane or DI resin could be introducing contaminants and triggering this instability. Also, that milky water can often indicate a bacterial bloom, especially if oxygen is being consumed rapidly your use of Prime and adding an airstone was a smart move. I’d also recommend doing a large water change (30–50%) with verified clean saltwater, running high-quality activated carbon, and possibly adding a UV sterilizer if you have access to one. Lastly, keep the lights off for a bit and reduce feeding to avoid overloading the system while it stabilizes. Hang in there, many of us have been on the brink before and come out stronger. Don’t give up on saltwater just yet!


Regards,
Slade

Thanks for the advice and kind words!

 

[Fish Fan]

My humble advice here would be to stop using so many products from a bottle. There's no need to dose bacteria to a running reef tank, and Prime does not neutralize ammonia in marine tanks. I wouldn't go chasing pH by adding buffers either.

From your video I see two Clownfish and a Damsel, and you've said that you had even more fish that past away. This is too many fish in what looks like a small tank. Clowns and Damsels are in the same family of fish, and will be aggressive toward each other, so that's not a good combination of fish.

I would get a handle on your RODI, if that's not working well for you I'd fix that, then see if you're still having a problem.

I hope that helps!

@jaghorireefs&mma I am an MMA fan, are you Noah Jaghori? Glad to meet you here :)

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

How do you oxygenate the water? Have you got a powerhead pointed up at the water surface?`

And agree with above, that tank is too small for clowns and damsels. Its not a big stretch to upgrade to a 20 which would be more suited for those fish.

 

[pjfish77]

Understood. The fish combi

My humble advice here would be to stop using so many products from a bottle. There's no need to dose bacteria to a running reef tank, and Prime does not neutralize ammonia in marine tanks. I wouldn't go chasing pH by adding buffers either.

From your video I see two Clownfish and a Damsel, and you've said that you had even more fish that past away. This is too many fish in what looks like a small tank. Clowns and Damsels are in the same family of fish, and will be aggressive toward each other, so that's not a good combination of fish.

I would get a handle on your RODI, if that's not working well for you I'd fix that, then see if you're still having a problem.

I hope that helps!

@jaghorireefs&mma I am an MMA fan, are you Noah Jaghori? Glad to meet you here :)

My humble advice here would be to stop using so many products from a bottle. There's no need to dose bacteria to a running reef tank, and Prime does not neutralize ammonia in marine tanks. I wouldn't go chasing pH by adding buffers either.

From your video I see two Clownfish and a Damsel, and you've said that you had even more fish that past away. This is too many fish in what looks like a small tank. Clowns and Damsels are in the same family of fish, and will be aggressive toward each other, so that's not a good combination of fish.

I would get a handle on your RODI, if that's not working well for you I'd fix that, then see if you're still having a problem.

I hope that helps!

@jaghorireefs&mma I am an MMA fan, are you Noah Jaghori? Glad to meet you here :)

Understood. The fish combination is due to the crash my 32g experienced, normally I would never have that many fish in such a small tank. I’ll take what you said into consideration, I’ve read in other places that adding an airstone, turning off the lights, and waiting is a good solution for bacterial blooms. My ammonia is low/zero right now so that’s not a major concern. nitrite and nitrate are also near or at zero

 

[MnFish1]

It sounds like a bacterial bloom which is usually due to something dead in the tank causing an explosion of bacterial growth (note overfeeding can also be a cause). In addition to ammonia - low oxygen is very common - and it may be that your aeration (though you said you put in more) - you may need more still. Sorry you're going through this problem. A lot of fish in a small tank is a recipe for parasitic diseases as well. Keep everyone updated.

PS - I would not add buffers, etc to your tank - your pH though slightly low is not a big issue at this point. Additionally a lower pH will help in case there is any ammonia issue that arises.

 

[pjfish77]

This morning I turned on the lights in my 10g frag tank to find the water slightly ”milky“ and the fish breathing super fast and acting somewhat erratic. This comes after a complete crash in my main 32g which I am yet to find a cause for (although a botched flatworm exit treatment or bad rodi water are my leading suspicions) and I unfortunately lost most corals, 2 firefish, a royal gramma, and cardinal fish too. These remaining fish are the survivors. The clearly look in distress so I was my first choice to add some prime to neutralize any potential ammonia and add an airstone for more O2.

I did a water test and only noticed that my PH was somewhat low: KH: 9 PH 7.8 Am: 0 Ni: 0 Na 0.25<

Any advice on what to do or if there are more parameters I should test for are greatly appreciated. The past 24 hours have been really rough and I’m on the brink of switching back to just freshwater :/

Update #1

As of this morning all fish are still alive but the situation has not improved, most notably, the larger clownfish appears to have some decay on its tail. Could that be a telltale sign of bacterial bloom or fungus? The water the still cloudy and I’ve added carbon and done a small water change. I’m still keeping the lights off and will reduce feeding as well. I’m still in the fence about a UV sterilizer but it is something I’ve kept in mind and am considering.

 

[jaghorireefs&mma]

My humble advice here would be to stop using so many products from a bottle. There's no need to dose bacteria to a running reef tank, and Prime does not neutralize ammonia in marine tanks. I wouldn't go chasing pH by adding buffers either.

From your video I see two Clownfish and a Damsel, and you've said that you had even more fish that past away. This is too many fish in what looks like a small tank. Clowns and Damsels are in the same family of fish, and will be aggressive toward each other, so that's not a good combination of fish.

I would get a handle on your RODI, if that's not working well for you I'd fix that, then see if you're still having a problem.

I hope that helps!

@jaghorireefs&mma I am an MMA fan, are you Noah Jaghori? Glad to meet you here :)

Yes I am lol, this is the part of me that doesn't get reported on.

 

[jaghorireefs&mma]

Update #1

As of this morning all fish are still alive but the situation has not improved, most notably, the larger clownfish appears to have some decay on its tail. Could that be a telltale sign of bacterial bloom or fungus? The water the still cloudy and I’ve added carbon and done a small water change. I’m still keeping the lights off and will reduce feeding as well. I’m still in the fence about a UV sterilizer but it is something I’ve kept in mind and am considering.

Could be fungus, can you give me your stock list? Does the decay look like a bitemark or faded?