Need Help! Look at Before & After Pics!

Craiger · 09/08/2007, 04:17 PM

My tank was beautiful just a few months ago. But almost overnight, I lost almost everything. All my fish and most of my corals. And algae has grown over all the live rock. I'm so sad. I think the problem is the nitrate -- it spiked -- it's at 50 today and it has been high for awhile. I bought a "lower nitrate" product and put it in the sump but don't think it did anything. I've been doing water changes every week (for about 5 weeks), and I was hopeful that would help, but it hasn't. I have a guy come in and help me about 1x month, and the last peice of advice he gave me was to remove the bio-balls from the sump -- that they could store nitrate. But, it has been over a week since I took them out, and no change.

My nitrate may have spiked due to the following: (1) my RODI filters should have been changed earlier, and (2) I had an anemone that died in the rocks and was unable to remove. Not sure, just guessing?

Has anyone been in this position before, or have insights as to why this is happening?

Please help! I just want to get the tank back on the right path.

Thanks.

bertoni · 09/08/2007, 09:52 PM

Moved to this forum for more views.

At this point, determining what happened is going to be hard. Old RO-DI filters can be a big problem. The dead anemone could be a problem, too. What's left in the tank? Is anything being fed?

rcerulli · 09/08/2007, 10:59 PM

a dead anemone would cause ammonia to shoot through the roof not nitrates. You need to dilute those nitrates ASAP, as in 50% water changes every day till they are below 10ppm. Remember 50ppm nitrates with a %50 water change = 25 ppm, do it againa nd you have 12.5 ppm, etc etc

Also, removing all your bio balls at once = NO NO, you just removed a large amount of helpful bacteria from your tank that could also lead to a huge ammonia spike, i am highly suspecting ammonia at this point

Mavrk · 09/08/2007, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rcerulli
a dead anemone would cause ammonia to shoot through the roof not nitrates.

ammonia plus bacteria = nitrite spike.
Nitrite plus other bacteria = nitrate

Since the fish are dying, I think that rcerulli is right with the ammonia. It probably spiked and poisoned the inhabitants. Fish would not die from the nitrates.

T Man · 09/08/2007, 11:32 PM

where's the pic's?

09/08/2007, 04:17 PM	#1
Craiger Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57	Need Help! Look at Before & After Pics! My tank was beautiful just a few months ago. But almost overnight, I lost almost everything. All my fish and most of my corals. And algae has grown over all the live rock. I'm so sad. I think the problem is the nitrate -- it spiked -- it's at 50 today and it has been high for awhile. I bought a "lower nitrate" product and put it in the sump but don't think it did anything. I've been doing water changes every week (for about 5 weeks), and I was hopeful that would help, but it hasn't. I have a guy come in and help me about 1x month, and the last peice of advice he gave me was to remove the bio-balls from the sump -- that they could store nitrate. But, it has been over a week since I took them out, and no change. My nitrate may have spiked due to the following: (1) my RODI filters should have been changed earlier, and (2) I had an anemone that died in the rocks and was unable to remove. Not sure, just guessing? Has anyone been in this position before, or have insights as to why this is happening? Please help! I just want to get the tank back on the right path. Thanks.

09/08/2007, 09:52 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Moved to this forum for more views. At this point, determining what happened is going to be hard. Old RO-DI filters can be a big problem. The dead anemone could be a problem, too. What's left in the tank? Is anything being fed? __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

09/08/2007, 11:32 PM	#5
T Man ~PPPPPPP~ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Emerald City Posts: 1,045	where's the pic's? __________________ He that can have patience can have what he will. ~ Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: click the "TzFuture" folder in my profile

09/08/2007, 10:59 PM	#3
rcerulli Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 246	a dead anemone would cause ammonia to shoot through the roof not nitrates. You need to dilute those nitrates ASAP, as in 50% water changes every day till they are below 10ppm. Remember 50ppm nitrates with a %50 water change = 25 ppm, do it againa nd you have 12.5 ppm, etc etc Also, removing all your bio balls at once = NO NO, you just removed a large amount of helpful bacteria from your tank that could also lead to a huge ammonia spike, i am highly suspecting ammonia at this point