Water change question

[Susan Edwards]

My tank, started mid Dec. has always had 0 nitrites and low nitrates. I do a weekly or weekly plus a couple days water change. I've had no nitrates for a while, even posted about it as my xenia and torch started doing poorly and the xenia likes some nitrates.

yesterday, my nitrites were .5 and nitrates 5. I did about an 8 gal water change, maybe 9 (RS Max c250 66 gal tank including sump--46 gal max aquarium. 45 lbs dry rock, I think 60 lb live sand, cycled with biospira)

Possible causes:
--dead snails or hermits--I am not seeing as many hermits.
--Added a tiger tail sea slug on the 28th and haven't seen him since he buried himself in sand. --Researched and found they won't crash tank just up numbers.
--A bit of overfeeding but nothing different than what I've been doing as I've been trying to feed an ailing gbta and a scooter blenny (who now knows what a turkey baster is and gets enough food) so not having to over feed so much.
--I added a small bottle of copepods but a lot were dead. This on Sunday
--Missing yellow watchman goby but he's very teeny 1.25x.24. Added a equally small pistol shrimp and haven't seen eithr. Had snails and crabs blocking his little cave so don't know if he died there or went to another rock grouping where shrimp disappeared into.

Nitrites today a bit lower: between .2 and .5. Should I do a water change every day? Wait for tomorrow? Give it a couple days? Don't want to overstress with water changes but want to get the nitrites back to 0. No ammonia per my ammonia alert tag in tank

Algae is getting better. Tank still in ugly stage. Water pretty clear today except when the sand sifting goby stirs things up. Yesterday, I added another bag of carbon, replaced the chemi pure. Tank real cloudy yesterday. Also rinsed out the foam blocks and scraped algae.

More on my tank in sig.

 

[Maritimer]

Hi, Susan!

Nitrite's not nearly as toxic to marine animals as it is in freshwater, but its presence is somewhat troubling - as is the fact that you're seeing so many creatures go missing. Any idea what created yesterday's cloudiness? I find myself wondering if other members of the #reefsquad could help suss this out . . .

~Bruce

 

[smoke]

Do you use rodi water?

 

[smoke]

That also seems like you added a lot of live stock in just two months. It's hard to pinpoint what might be causing it if you make aggressive and or daily changes.

 

[Diesel]

Any idea what your ammonia is?

 

[Susan Edwards]

Yes, rodi water. Always.

Per the ammonia tag, 0. None of the livestock seems bothered. All acting normal. I can't be sure on the little ywm goby and he's really tiny. If he's gone, it's prob. as he got trapped in his cave for an entire day and night. But he oculd also be in the big cavern which I cannot see into.

As for hermits, not sure if I have all 8 or not. Just not seeing as many. NOt sure if they haven't fallen victim to the emeralds. I have seen at least 6 of the nassarius snails but should have I think 8 or 9. The sea slug is the one big critter but i've read they can hide for weeks before coming out. The bta is still alive but it's not looked good ever. But it's not dead. Everything I think it's a goner, it opens back up.

If I had to guess, I'd say my issue is with something that died as it was sudden, like overnight. Even while in the first few weeks I only had a couple nitrite spikes.

I haven't added or changed anything since end of january when I added more cuc and 2 fish.

I've had cloudy water for a while as I've gone thru huge algae bloom that is now getting somewhat better. . The only fish I've lost was one chromis due to an injury--large patch of missing scales. not sure if he came that way or run in with a clown first day in tank.

Tank is pretty clear so far tonight and its usually cloudier by evening.

 

[Mini Coop]

A few other questions that would help:
Are you running a protein skimmer?
What kind of filtration do you have set up?
Have you checked your RODI water with a TDS meter? (My original one was not working and the water coming out of it was 365!!! Worse than my tap water!)
What do your corals look like now?

Number one rule I have learned from @melypr1985 is ....do . . . not . . . panic! o_O I tend to see a number and rush to water changes, do things to my tank and then get advice and see I did something that maybe wasn't as helpful as it could be.

You do seem to have some mysterious deaths . . . Hopefully we can help you!

Even with a brand new tank, you shouldn't have to do water changes more than one time per week, but I don't have any experience with smaller tanks either.
Nitrite should be 0 - yes, but Nitrate you want to keep around 5. This can vary by tank as well. My tank hangs between 10-25 on Nitrate - I have an elegance and he and everyone else are much more happy with higher numbers. I pay attention to my corals to know what they need.

 

[Diesel]

Well, sorry to hear that Susan.
Your best bet on the moment is everyday a regular water change.
IMO you had a ammonia spike or Nitrite spike as that also explains your bac bloom.
Try to keep the tank balanced and test a lot to make sure you understand when your tank is balanced.

 

[Susan Edwards]

update: Okay, had some ammonia. Between .2 and .4. First time I've ever registered ammonia. Changed around 12 or 15 gal and added prime. An hr later, I tested. ammonia 0 and nitrites .05. Will test in morning and determine whether another water change tomorrow afternoon. I'm betting my sea cucumber (tiger tail) has croaked and is rotting somewhere.... Maybe I should order some more bio spira in case.

@Mini Coop I'm using the protein skimmer that came with the red sea max c250 (66 gal). Filtration is purigen (2 and one needs recharging), chemipure, 3 smaller bags of carbon--one put in yesterday. I had the 2 big bags that came from Red Sea but they were a strain on the basket (and kept that side of the sump lower in water level) and it was time to change them out so I used smaller bags. I also have a small bag of gf? (mind went blank...).

Rodi unit is fine. I checked last time I turned on and it was good. Will ck as I have it running now.

Corals: mine were unhappy with 0 nitrates and I couldn't get that number up. Since attacking all the algae, maybe that has reserved nutrients now for my corals.

green star looking good. It got knocked to bottom by a turbo or emerald and it's not as extended or wavy but less flow there. Need to glue
xenia pulsing nicely. Wasn't happy at 0 nitrates
torch looking better. it's been extending more. It too was unhappy with 0 nitrates.
Zoa frag okay except for awful algae
Clove struggling. Think an emerald got a bit rough with it. It wasn't the best of frags when I got it. They cut it to give me just 3 heads and I think damaged it as the stalks are very thin. Has a couple new tiny heads I think. It too keeps getting knocked. Want to be sure it survives before i glue it. At least all the algae is now gone as it was really overtaken.

Usually I can do water changes every 7-10 days, and never due to numbers, just habit. This is a first time numbers said to change and now!

I admit, its easy to panic doing this hobby....

 

[Susan Edwards]

tested again
ammonia now at .2
nitrites at .5
nitrates at 2

I'm wondering if my bta is not alive anymore. It's all shriveled and just hanging. Not unusal but it does normally open up a bit, esp. in the evenings. It didn't last night and maybe not the night before. It's never acted right since day one (was kept in a basket floating on top of frag tank at lfs in just a few inches of water--I now know this isn't a good or healthy way to keep them).

How can I tell if it's gone? Will it detach? Should I ask this question separately?

Will do another water change later this afternoon. Water in the making for it. Tank is actually nice and clear so no bacteria bloom going on. Not crystal but close.

 

[beaslbob]

BTA could be source of the "cycle"

FWIW and IMHO. ammonia nitrites nitrates, calcium, kh, and just about anything else will reach correct levels once the tank is balanced out and consumers equal producers.

Water changes will lesson levels but not take the tank to 0 (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates) or normal levels (calcium, kh). So things will always be "off" depending on the water changes and what is in the replacement water.

To me the best thing for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates is to balance out and stabilize the system with macor and other algae. So those things are unmeasureable regardless of the water changes.

But that just me and my .02

 

[Susan Edwards]

Well, life with a tank sure is full of DRAMA! My plan to do a wc was rushed when I saw my kole tang on the bottom of tank. Now this is one of my fav fish. I thought it a goner as it didn't move. It was sort of sideways in a tiny cave on floor of tank. Used a bush for tubing (kinda soft to see if I could push it out. Then I couldn't see it, and of course, with tank lid open while changing water, can't see sh** anyway. So I cleared the cave, made it a bit bigger, turkey basted some sand out. No tang. Not floating, not stuck, not swimming... Rocked the rock pile just a bit. Nothing....

Then after I gave up, finished the wc, I peered into the "cavern". It is a good 2-3 inches deeper than the sandbed as there isn't as much sand there. Saw it's tail fin. Sure enough, he was alive and well. I think he was actually stuck. I've seen him trying to lay almost flat to swim through that cave and he's just too big. Might have to put a rubble rock in front to keep the silly fish out....

Then I'm counting fish and checking everyone. Where's my scooter blenny? He's among the top 3!! I look. Use a flashlight. Nope. Nada. Nowhere. Check floor. Check sump. Finally give up, go sit at desk, worried and bummed. And here he comes round a rock and up to the glass like "hey".

Numbers since wc and more prime back down am 0, nitrites barely readable, nitrates 1-2 (I wish those wouldn't go down!)

All corals and fish seem to be doing okay except bta. It must still be alive as it changes its shriveled shape. Doesn't like water changes. Tightens right up and gets super small. Relaxes a bit after but I think it's on it's way out.

Debating whether to dredge for tiger tail to confirm alive or not. resisting as that will just foul tank even more.

 

[Susan Edwards]

ammonia again today, low rites and rates. Pretty sure the cause has to be a dead tiger tail but no way of knowing where it is. Rocks are cemented so cannot remove to try to find. Best I could do is rake what areas of sand I can reach. WC again later today plus I got some ammonia remover and more starting bacteria to control until what's dead is done screwing with tank. Will use the prime as well. Ammonia back down to 0 since using the stuff but will do wc anyway. All livestock seem to be fine, and corals fine--better actually.