Tank Crashing

[pblutang]

Yesterday when I came home from work I noticed the water in my reef tank had a milky cloud to it. When I looked closer all of my corals were retracted, some bleached and the softies were discharging mucous.

Here's what I have:

55 Gallon mixed reef
4 x 54 w t5 Lighting, K1 Power head, HOB filter, CPR bak pak skimmer
tested water yesterday 1.025 sg, Ph 8.4, Amonia .25, nitrite 0, nitrate 10, temp 78

I did a 40% water change last night. All snails, sea hare didnt make it. Fish seem to be doing fine. I still have to retest water tonight. Still a little cloudy and none of the corals have opened. Leathers bleached and dead, pom poms gone, xenia dead.

I do water changes EO Week 10-20%. Tank has been up 4 months.
My temps dropped to 74 degrees a couple of days ago possibly from a bad heater I added another heater and temps when I got home yesterday was up to 78 degrees. Yesterday morning water clarity was excellent. Last water change was 5 days ago 10%. Have not added anything except the heater.

I have a 75 gallon fowlr tank up. I need some advice on what to do to save some of the corals that I still have. I also noticed that the little brittle stars in the live rock is now starting to die off. Fish are still swimming around.

Here are some pics that I just took.

 

[baseballkid5]

Any New chemicals or Dosing? Chemicals around the tank lately that cold have gotten into the tank? Copper accidentaly? Did the seahare get caught in the powerhead and get pulled apart? Do you have a sea apple? Just som ques that might have some answers...
Sorry to Hear?

 

[user 26995]

Could something been exposed to copper? Sometimes children drop pennies in the tank. I've known a couple people thats happened to. Do you have a copper test kit?

 

[NC2WA]

Ammonia should be zero (0), not .25..the milky substance might be snails reproducing, but the main thing that I would be concerned with is ammonia...

 

[kenargo]

Sorry to hear about your tank...

Carbon can be your friend at this point; put as much carbon, at least a couple cups worth (preferably have water flow-through) and that sould help quickly remove any polutants or toxins that may be in the water.

 

[danno14]

I would suggest:
Take a water sample to a LFS that can test for copper.
Get carbon running asap.
Do more water changes to dilute whatever may affecting.

The "bad heater" may have caused it, more than just via temp. If something leached out.
The dieing animals could be causing it. How heavy is your skimmer working?

 

[pblutang]

Updated parameters:

Aquarium pharmaceuticals Test Kit (could be a bad kit)
nitrite 0, Nitrate 5, PH 8.4, amonia .25

Quick dip test kit:
Nitrate 20, nitrite 0, alkalinity 180, ph 7.0 (big difference in ph).

Lots of skimmate pulled today.
I think the milky substance was from the soft corals discharging. Tank had a strong sea smell yesterday.

Could a penny do this much damage in a short period?

Nothing was caught in the power head.

I'll add carbon

 

[kenargo]

From experience (I've had a penny dropped in my tank before) and I don't think a penny did this but the amonia is of concern. More water changes to keep the amonia down while the (hopefully) biological filter in the tank repairs itself.

 

[user 26995]

Correct me if I am wrong guys, I believe that even a trace amount of copper will kill invertabrates and between the dying snails fouling the water and traces of copper will cause coral to die, foul the water so badly it will kill the fish too.
But yes ammonia will cause these issues too.

 

[user 2204]

A penny would not do this damage. I know from experience. A penny would not be able to leach out enough copper in a few days to cause the damage described.

In my opinion it sounds like a few of the soft corals are dieing and causing the low tide sea smell. Been there when I lost a bunch of Xenia. And when soft corals let there mucus out of there cells this will cause SPS (small poylp stony) corals to die due to suffocation.

Hope that you can get things under control. Have you added any new soft corals? And like someone mentioned already, carbon is your friend in this case. That and filter floss.

 

[kenargo]

There can be trace amounts of copper (sea water can have value to 0.030 mg/L); a tank should have nearly undetectable but stricly speaking you can have trace amounts.

 

[user 2204]

Also I don't think ammonia of 0.25 would cause this. I've recently had my ammonia at .025 tested with a Salifert and everything isn't dieing in my tank.

If things are dieing in the tank, this will cause a larger ammonia spike soon. I'd do a 50% water change and retest.

 

[user 2204]

FWIW

Ammonia (NH3-4)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.010 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.050 mg/L

Nitrite (NO2)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.010 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.100 mg/L

Nitrate (NO3)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.050 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 25 mg/L

Phosphate (PO4)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.030 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.250 mg/L

Silica (Sio2-3)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.040 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.500 mg/L

Potassium (K)
Natural Seawater Value: 390 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 350 to 450 mg/L

Calcium (Ca)
Natural Seawater Value: 400 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 350 to 450 mg/L

Boron (B)
Natural Seawater Value: 4.6 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 3.0 – 6.0 mg/L

Molybdenum (Mo)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.01 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.0 to 0.12 mg/L

Strontium (Sr)
Natural Seawater Value: 8.1 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 5.0 to 12.0 mg/L

Magnesium (Mg)
Natural Seawater Value: 1280 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 1100 to 1400 mg/L

Iodine (I¯)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.060 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.030 to 0.090 mg/L

Copper (Cu++)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.030 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.030 mg/L

Alkalinity (meq/L)
Natural Seawater Value: 2.5 meq/L
Acceptable Range: 2.5 to 5.0 meq/L

 

[mcdonaldjosh7]

From experience (I've had a penny dropped in my tank before) and I don't think a penny did this but the amonia is of concern. More water changes to keep the amonia down while the (hopefully) biological filter in the tank repairs itself.

I happen to be an on/off coin collector. A penny, as long it was made earlier than a certain year (cant remember the exact year), is plated with zinc. I dont think it would be possible for too much if any copper to get into the tank, though I dont know if zinc leaching into the tank could cause some sort of similar problem?

Now Canadian pennies, on the other hand, are steel coated with copper. Therefore, the copper could very well leach into the system.

EDIT: Just looked it up, pennies made before 1982 are solid copper.

 

[kenargo]

Also I don't think ammonia of 0.25 would cause this. I've recently had my ammonia at .025 tested with a Salifert and everything isn't dieing in my tank.

If things are dieing in the tank, this will cause a larger ammonia spike soon. I'd do a 50% water change and retest.

Big difference between .025 and the .25 that OP is reporting.

 

[user 2204]

What are your PO4 levels at?

 

[user 2204]

Big difference between .025 and the .25 that OP is reporting.

Sorry mistyped. I meant to type .25 and not .025

 

[user 26995]

Can phosphates kill coral if its too high? Or inverts? Dont look like there is problem with it though. I didnt see any algae in the pics of the tank.

 

[NC2WA]

spllbnd2,

Just curious of the source you used to find this information.

thanks

 

[user 2204]

spllbnd2,

Just curious of the source you used to find this information.

thanks

No worries. Here is a link to a water testing company that I got the information from.
http://aqua-medic.com/aquariumwatertesting/