Jsanchez036
New Member
Hello, this is actually my second R2R account since I lost access to my first lol.
I'm 18 and in the middle of my first year of college. I originally started with 2 Fluval 13.5's and moved onto a 55 gallon. I wanted to bring some of my reef to college with me as it (used to) bring me alot of peace so I bought a 6-7 gallon rimless aquarium and rocks etc.
I started the cycle 3 weeks before I moved the tank across the country and kept everything wet. I moved two buckets of used tank water, live sand/rocks/tank media, a handful of frags, CUC, and one baby yellow watchman goby across 4 states.
The initial tank setup was a great success and it quickly spread throughout the dorm that I had a reef tank. Gilbert the Goby was a mini celebrity. Up until Christmas break everythint went as smooth as a reef tank normally does.
My LFS offered to board my critters over break (minus the watchman who I took back to the 55) and unfortunately I came back a week late and the store lost 2/3 of my stock AND all my live rock. I lost about 150$ of rock and animals/corals/macros. Luckily most of my stuff was replaced with different items but the new rock I got was covered in encrusting yellow sponge.
Since this isn't a normal sized 7 gallon and it's extremely shallow evaporation is a huge problem and I got swamped with exams and wasn't able to top off or do a water change for roughly 7-10 days. Part of the rock became exposed and some sponge died off. I didn't think much of it, took everything live out and placed it in a bucket and did a 50-60% water change and did a headcount since some of my new shrooms dissappeared completely. When I put everything back in everything from the CUC to corals were extremely stressed. The hermit crabs never once moved from where I put them. I ignored it for 6 hours thinking it was the deep clean that stressed them and when I came back the hermit crabs had lost ALL their legs/claws and were completely unrepsonsive to stimuli and would just move their gills, (i had to perform crab cpr on one), the snail was out of its shell and melted by this morning, and many corals began to melt. My anemones stomach/mouth was wide open and its changed colors and has been curled up since. I quickly took everything alive out and put them in new water and I've been running heavy oxygen with a heater. Everytime something dies I do a 50-80% water change. When I did the original water chane I dosed some chemiclean and Dr. Tim's which I've used in the tank prior with no issues. This all happened in a span of 6 hours and has just gotten worse over the past 24.
When I had to tear down the tank I left the sand in about 1 inch of water for a month over break and I imagine alot of it is dead. When setting the tank back up I've been seeding it with bottled bacteria, added new rock/sand from established tanks, and have been doing large water changes. Ammonia has been really high since setting it up but I had no choice in putting everything in the tank regardless or the LFS would've kept it and I would've lost everything. (Besides there's no fish just some corals and 3 invertebrates.) While it's a big issue this is the only thing besides the dead sponge that I can think of that would do this.
I've lost my snail, 1/2 scarlet hermits, 1 RFA, 75% of my corals, and I'm scared to do anything with the tank. I'm trying to nurse the last crab back to health and he's trying SO hard but he has ONE leg left and no claws so I'm not hopeful. After the LFS incident, my 55 at home being completely taken over by aipstasia and killing 90% of my corals, and now this I'm really upset, discouraged, and dissappointed that I ever got into this hobby. It's been 2ish years and it's brought me alot of joy but this tank has sunk me 300$ roughly (which could be worse for a reef tank) but now I'm at square 0. My 55 has set me + my dad back another 200+, and my fluval 13.5s were each another 200+. I feel like I should just take it all down and get a bowl set up for the remaining hermit crab and coral. My wallet would definitely be happier. I feel sick everytime I look at my "hospital tank" because everytime I look over another thing has died/melted but man I enjoy reefing so much when it goes right. I just don't know what to do.
The pics below are 1) my tank a few days ago and 2) my tank before I restarted it (before break) with all the original stuff. I miss my giant mushroom so much :( it was my favorite.
Im just really glad I left Gilbert at home.
I'm 18 and in the middle of my first year of college. I originally started with 2 Fluval 13.5's and moved onto a 55 gallon. I wanted to bring some of my reef to college with me as it (used to) bring me alot of peace so I bought a 6-7 gallon rimless aquarium and rocks etc.
I started the cycle 3 weeks before I moved the tank across the country and kept everything wet. I moved two buckets of used tank water, live sand/rocks/tank media, a handful of frags, CUC, and one baby yellow watchman goby across 4 states.
The initial tank setup was a great success and it quickly spread throughout the dorm that I had a reef tank. Gilbert the Goby was a mini celebrity. Up until Christmas break everythint went as smooth as a reef tank normally does.
My LFS offered to board my critters over break (minus the watchman who I took back to the 55) and unfortunately I came back a week late and the store lost 2/3 of my stock AND all my live rock. I lost about 150$ of rock and animals/corals/macros. Luckily most of my stuff was replaced with different items but the new rock I got was covered in encrusting yellow sponge.
Since this isn't a normal sized 7 gallon and it's extremely shallow evaporation is a huge problem and I got swamped with exams and wasn't able to top off or do a water change for roughly 7-10 days. Part of the rock became exposed and some sponge died off. I didn't think much of it, took everything live out and placed it in a bucket and did a 50-60% water change and did a headcount since some of my new shrooms dissappeared completely. When I put everything back in everything from the CUC to corals were extremely stressed. The hermit crabs never once moved from where I put them. I ignored it for 6 hours thinking it was the deep clean that stressed them and when I came back the hermit crabs had lost ALL their legs/claws and were completely unrepsonsive to stimuli and would just move their gills, (i had to perform crab cpr on one), the snail was out of its shell and melted by this morning, and many corals began to melt. My anemones stomach/mouth was wide open and its changed colors and has been curled up since. I quickly took everything alive out and put them in new water and I've been running heavy oxygen with a heater. Everytime something dies I do a 50-80% water change. When I did the original water chane I dosed some chemiclean and Dr. Tim's which I've used in the tank prior with no issues. This all happened in a span of 6 hours and has just gotten worse over the past 24.
When I had to tear down the tank I left the sand in about 1 inch of water for a month over break and I imagine alot of it is dead. When setting the tank back up I've been seeding it with bottled bacteria, added new rock/sand from established tanks, and have been doing large water changes. Ammonia has been really high since setting it up but I had no choice in putting everything in the tank regardless or the LFS would've kept it and I would've lost everything. (Besides there's no fish just some corals and 3 invertebrates.) While it's a big issue this is the only thing besides the dead sponge that I can think of that would do this.
I've lost my snail, 1/2 scarlet hermits, 1 RFA, 75% of my corals, and I'm scared to do anything with the tank. I'm trying to nurse the last crab back to health and he's trying SO hard but he has ONE leg left and no claws so I'm not hopeful. After the LFS incident, my 55 at home being completely taken over by aipstasia and killing 90% of my corals, and now this I'm really upset, discouraged, and dissappointed that I ever got into this hobby. It's been 2ish years and it's brought me alot of joy but this tank has sunk me 300$ roughly (which could be worse for a reef tank) but now I'm at square 0. My 55 has set me + my dad back another 200+, and my fluval 13.5s were each another 200+. I feel like I should just take it all down and get a bowl set up for the remaining hermit crab and coral. My wallet would definitely be happier. I feel sick everytime I look at my "hospital tank" because everytime I look over another thing has died/melted but man I enjoy reefing so much when it goes right. I just don't know what to do.
The pics below are 1) my tank a few days ago and 2) my tank before I restarted it (before break) with all the original stuff. I miss my giant mushroom so much :( it was my favorite.
Im just really glad I left Gilbert at home.
