Urgent - advice needed asap please!!

[aquagirl70]

I have an urgent issue in my 37 gallon, need feedback quick please! My filter malfunctioned at about 9 pm and sprayed water out. I didn't catch it until the water level dipped about 3 inches. Needed to raise the water level to do so. I made a quick mix of 2 gallons of tap, 10 ml of stress coat and 1 cup of instant ocean salt mix. Swirled it with my hand till no more salt crystals, then added about 1 gallon of the mix within 5 minutes of mixing it up. All seemed ok, and I've done 10% changes w/ newly mixed water before within 10-15 minutes of mixing it up with no problem, so thought it would be ok.

Lights out right after that and blue moonlighting on.

Just looked at the tank (now about 4 hours later), and notice problems. The cleaner shrimp is usually quite active at night. He was lethargic, hanging upside down in an unusual hiding place and sort of let his head and front legs be be be pushed by the current off the rock before righting himself. One chromis is frantically zooming back and forth, the other is struggling and slowly swimming awkwardly in an up and down. This coincides with it getting quite cold here. House temp dipped to 67, aquarium temp dipped from 79 to about 75 today, but the 1 gallon tap water was probably colder (but only 1 gallon so didn't think it would matter much).

I turned on the light and see the tang in its hiding spot in the rock. It lost most of its blue color and isn't moving much, which it has done before if stressed so not sure what to make of it.

I turned the light on and dropped some food in. Though off their cycle I thought it might bring out the big eaters nonetheless. No one budged except the cleaner shrimp. Later the hawkfish appeared to check out the area in an uncharacteristically slow way. Pajama fish and coral beauty swam ok but lethargically when I did the lights on, though they didn't eat either (also uncharacteristic).

I've never flipped the light on at 1 am and tried to feed them, so I guess that wasn't the greatest test but figured it would still draw some out.

Question: What to do?!! I just mixed up 3 gallons of tap, 15 ml stress coat and 1.5 cups instant ocean salt in case I should do a water change, at least the water can rest. Should I change the water, and if so should I wait a few hours until the newly mixed water rests a little? Or will the fish not make it that long? Although the temp has dropped around here, they were fine up until I added the 1 gallon.

Please let me know thoughts asap, thanks!

[PaxRoma]

things that have the potential to crash your tank as I read through
-drastic change in temp. Check your temp and get a heater asap. Temp in the range of 72-79 is ok. If temp drop below 72, it will start to stress the fishes
-sudden change in salinity. This result from not mixing the right amount of salt with water. Check your salinity. It should be in the range of 1.021-1.026
-chlorine poisoning, result from using tap water.
Go through the list and rule out each of the possible cause.

[jasonssandiego]

What kind of filter are you taking about in terms of set up. Your post stop at dropped aroun. So how much of a difference are you talking about in temp from normal till now? I would not be worried about newly mixed water for adding or changes.

[aquagirl70]

Sorry the post dropped, I added the rest of the text. Computer trouble on top of everything else. The tank temp has gradually dropped in the last 2 weeks from about 80 to about 76. No need for a heater around this part of the country up until now, weather is just turning so time to get one out. Current tank temp is 74.

Setup is Tom Aquatics Rapids pro Sump with overflow box. Basically a Sump below with bio balls, biological filter, built in protein skimmer. Overflow box hanging off back of tank. The problem earlier was caused when one of the tubes from the air lifter slipped out of the overflow box and sprayed tank water all over the floor. By the time I caught it 3 inches of tank water sprayed out.

Just checked ammonia with API kit. It's 0. Is there a way to check chlorine level or anything else to determine if I added the wrong amount of stress coat? Salinity is right in the green on my floating thermometer.

[aquagirl70]

Originally Posted by jasonssandiego

What kind of filter are you taking about in terms of set up. Your post stop at dropped aroun. So how much of a difference are you talking about in temp from normal till now? I would not be worried about newly mixed water for adding or changes.

So should I just go ahead and do a 3 gallon water change? I think the only option is that something about the water I added is screwed up. Temp and salinity are both ok. Must be something about the amount of dechlorinator?

If newly mixed water is not a concern, maybe I should just change 3 gallons now??

Should I put the heater in the bucket to warm up the water for a few hours, or will my next problem then be a fire?

I'm concerned about adding the cold just mixed water then putting on the heater b/c it will further stress them. But I don't know if they're going to make it if I wait.

[PaxRoma]

Salinity can not be checked with a thermometer. Unless, if you mean your floating hydrometer, can you read the values from the "green" zone?
-if water change is the cause of the stress, DON'T do another water change! If everything is in check (temp, salinity, ammonia, pH), then just wait it out.
- There is another possible poisoning besides from chlorine, and that is heavy metal (such as copper, zinc). This can cause immediate stress, or gradually, depends on the amount of heavy metals in tap water. But this will not be solved by you doing another water change with tap water!

[aquagirl70]

Originally Posted by PaxRoma

Salinity can not be checked with a thermometer. Unless, if you mean your floating hydrometer, can you read the values from the "green" zone?
-if water change is the cause of the stress, DON'T do another water change! If everything is in check (temp, salinity, ammonia, pH), then just wait it out.
- There is another possible poisoning besides from chlorine, and that is heavy metal (such as copper, zinc). This can cause immediate stress, or gradually, depends on the amount of heavy metals in tap water. But this will not be solved by you doing another water change with tap water!

Yes sorry, I meant the floating thermometer/hydrometer combo. It has a green zone for both temp and salinity, and it's right on target for both. I'd estimate about 1.021 for salinity.

Where would the poisoning have come from? It is the same tap water/stress coat/salt routine that I always do.

[PaxRoma]

-If parameters I mentioned above are in check, then take a deep breath, and go to bed. You will only stressing your fish out by messing around the tank.
-Over the next couple of days, checks for signs of rapid breathing, refusal of food, and ammonia. If none of those symptoms appears, you have nothing to worry about.
Remember, take a deep breath, then go to bed.

[aquagirl70]

Thank you for releasing me from my misery. I am sitting here watching the tank, messing around with it and probably making it worse. And I'm exhausted! (3 am in NYC). Just waiting around I'm not sure for what. Thank you for all of the advice. Will check in tomorrow.

[jasonssandiego]

I agree with paxroma relax and watch the tank. Just like everything else in this hobby it takes time. Just make sure that it does not drop under 74 deg. though. I used to have the same kind of setup with the overflow. A nightmare I know. Future wise move to predrilled and custom it's a less headache. Hope everything goes well and please get a heater asap.

[aquagirl70]

Originally Posted by jasonssandiego

I agree with paxroma relax and watch the tank. Just like everything else in this hobby it takes time. Just make sure that it does not drop under 74 deg. though. I used to have the same kind of setup with the overflow. A nightmare I know. Future wise move to predrilled and custom it's a less headache. Hope everything goes well and please get a heater asap.

Ok, thanks for your help. I will pick up a heater today!

[lordofthereef]

Just curious, what do you NORMALLY use for water change water. Was tap water used only in this "panicked" instance? I ask because, if you generally use tap, unless something changed in your tap water, I wouldn't expect it to cause issues.

[DZs]

That's what I was thinking, until aquagirl70 stated above, " It is the same tap water/stress coat/salt routine that I always do."

[auburngrad]

salinity sounds low

[Toddrtrex]

Originally Posted by auburngrad

salinity sounds low

It is. If keeping inverts it should be at 1.026/35 PPT.

[aquagirl70]

I always use tap water and nothing around here has changed as far as I know. I'll look into the salinity, didn't realize it was low.

Update: Everyone made it through the night. I don't know what happened but the next day, they were back to normal. My guess is that I mixed stuff incorrectly when doing the water addition after the filter malfunctioned. I can't think of anything else. Thanks for your comments, and especially for stopping me from causing further stress from more water changes. You guys are so helpful!

[aquagirl70]

This is not urgent anymore and it is resolved. I can't figure out how to change the title so people don't waste their time troubleshooting this now. Sorry, I was just trying to give an update to the folks who were so nice to help me last week.