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About 30 days back, after being out for 3-4 days on a business trip on my quick check up perusal of the tank (13 month old, Cade 180 mixed reef, dosed with Allforreef, Acropower and chaeto supplement) was set back to see 3-4 of the less valuable but fist sized SPS that had been flourishing (Pocilipora, birdsnest) 3-4 nice chalices, a couple of younger Montis' and 1 or 2 strains of the 10-12 strains of zoas, dead or in the last stages of dead. Other nicer in SPS were polyp retracted and spots of brown algae growing on them, other zoas were fine, micromusas, euphilyids, leathers etc, all fine.
This was as at night, so I did a quick water check, and apart from a 30 on the nitrates, up from the usual MOL10, all was in line.
Next morning, same with the deteriorating chalice, Monti and ticked off Acros, and while I was prepping 40 gallons for a change, decided to change the carbon, and when I pulled out the reactor, saw there was "gunk" in the bottom of the chamber and only then did it broaden my gaze to see the titular stinkin' fetid mass (SFM) in the return chamber.
More on that; white oily congealed floating mass about the size of my thumb, and gray viscous dis-homogeneous strands plastered against the side of the return chamber - again about the size of my thumb. Smell was atrocious, and appeared several days old.
SO.... quick circulation shut down, and Home Depot bucket vac of the chamber, sodium hydroxide cleaning of the Vectra, carbon and purit changes, a series of 3 40 gallon changes 2-3 days apart and most to the corals are making tepid to valiant comebacks; extended polyps on most, and white growth tips others.
So, assume it was a sudden burst of ammonia, (can't find the ammonia test kit that was used once;, maybe I should get that new Hanna 400$ unit so I will know where it is, just kidding) and other volatile organics. Anyone ever know a robust colony of utter chaos to be thrashed while the adjacent daisy cutter just smiled?
Only fish loss was sadly, and peppermint basslet, but he had just become the target of excessive workplace harassment by a CB splendid dotty, who had ignored him for 6 months, so could be coincidental. Might have taken advantage of me being gone, and ramped up the hostility.
Seems like a lot of margarita empty shells as the weeks went on.
Real reason for the posting, is to pique the interest of the detectives as to what the SFM was when it was alive,
Sump is a stock, Cade 180 modified slightly to cordon off the skimmer chamber and allow a larger refugium, with KP live rock, LARGE chaeto mass, a little miracle mud (still waiting for the miracle) and some clean up crew. So tank water flows through socks, the Skimmer, with plumbed UV, the refugium, across 9 media baskets, and into the return. There is a small wave maker in the return chamber from when there was an auto feeder in the return, but the feeder has been empty a long time.
I have no anemones, and there was no skeletal/connective tissue remains in the aforementioned SFM. Have found a few small pencil sized bristle worms in the display and the chaeto has too numerous to count small ones. 3-4 months back purchased a sea hare, but only saw for a week and never again.
Return Vectra has the standard intake guard.
So, in the spirit of living and adjusting and putting in place processes and systems to prevent another SFM event would be interested in hearing what you all think it might'a could'a been. I have my theory but would love some experiential out-of-the-chamber thinking on this one.
Go Braves, Go Dawgs
This was as at night, so I did a quick water check, and apart from a 30 on the nitrates, up from the usual MOL10, all was in line.
Next morning, same with the deteriorating chalice, Monti and ticked off Acros, and while I was prepping 40 gallons for a change, decided to change the carbon, and when I pulled out the reactor, saw there was "gunk" in the bottom of the chamber and only then did it broaden my gaze to see the titular stinkin' fetid mass (SFM) in the return chamber.
More on that; white oily congealed floating mass about the size of my thumb, and gray viscous dis-homogeneous strands plastered against the side of the return chamber - again about the size of my thumb. Smell was atrocious, and appeared several days old.
SO.... quick circulation shut down, and Home Depot bucket vac of the chamber, sodium hydroxide cleaning of the Vectra, carbon and purit changes, a series of 3 40 gallon changes 2-3 days apart and most to the corals are making tepid to valiant comebacks; extended polyps on most, and white growth tips others.
So, assume it was a sudden burst of ammonia, (can't find the ammonia test kit that was used once;, maybe I should get that new Hanna 400$ unit so I will know where it is, just kidding) and other volatile organics. Anyone ever know a robust colony of utter chaos to be thrashed while the adjacent daisy cutter just smiled?
Only fish loss was sadly, and peppermint basslet, but he had just become the target of excessive workplace harassment by a CB splendid dotty, who had ignored him for 6 months, so could be coincidental. Might have taken advantage of me being gone, and ramped up the hostility.
Seems like a lot of margarita empty shells as the weeks went on.
Real reason for the posting, is to pique the interest of the detectives as to what the SFM was when it was alive,
Sump is a stock, Cade 180 modified slightly to cordon off the skimmer chamber and allow a larger refugium, with KP live rock, LARGE chaeto mass, a little miracle mud (still waiting for the miracle) and some clean up crew. So tank water flows through socks, the Skimmer, with plumbed UV, the refugium, across 9 media baskets, and into the return. There is a small wave maker in the return chamber from when there was an auto feeder in the return, but the feeder has been empty a long time.
I have no anemones, and there was no skeletal/connective tissue remains in the aforementioned SFM. Have found a few small pencil sized bristle worms in the display and the chaeto has too numerous to count small ones. 3-4 months back purchased a sea hare, but only saw for a week and never again.
Return Vectra has the standard intake guard.
So, in the spirit of living and adjusting and putting in place processes and systems to prevent another SFM event would be interested in hearing what you all think it might'a could'a been. I have my theory but would love some experiential out-of-the-chamber thinking on this one.
Go Braves, Go Dawgs
