Tank Is Crashing Please Help!!

[jnarowe]

We all learn some tough lessons along the road, but really, that's part of the attraction to the hobby right?

 

[Ditchplains2]

definately, huge learning curve on this ****oo.

 

[jnarowe]

Any kind of soap product is a no-no. Even soap bubbles can kill off a tank full of coral. But you're Gumby Dammit!

 

[Ditchplains2]

No No soap. I just cleaed everything with water and vinegar, no soap ever again ugh, what a lesson.

Anyways I read somewhere that chroline ( bleach) doesnt kill everything anyways, ( bacteria and parasite wise) actually its more capable of killing your fish first if any residue is left in the aquarium.

So basically tap water will be run in the aquairum for 3 days, then 3 days to dry and bake under lamps to sterilize the contaiminents within.


wish me luck
David

btw fish corals are doing fine in tub, except for clown tang, he seems stressed, and is hiding from his net capture. I didnt have a clear container or I would have used one.

and yes I'M GUMBY DAMMIT!

Lol if they only had a Mr. Robisons's Neighborhood icon lol

 

[billaweed]

Dang.. this sux. Just reading all these posts about your tank saddens me, thinking to myself, "I hope to god this never happens to me"

Good luck with everything Ditch

 

[Ditchplains2]

billaweed thanks man.

Actually, it got worse, my QT tank I added the rock the mangroves were in, because they were the only thing that survived, I rinsed and rinsed it with freshwater and guess what, the slime appeared in my QT tank too.

Mind you this Qt is bran new clean and nothing was in the old tank that's in the QT tank. It really freaked me out. So I phoned a fellow reefer who happned to be my wife's friend's husband's friend, ya mouthful I know lol.

"she was my uncle's neighbor's cousin's roomate" Spaceballs.

Anyways he said he had a similar experience and that antibiotics helped save him.

Well guess what the Qt was turning slimy, I mean pretty quickly.

Example: If I took a pyrex 1 qt measuring cup and dunked it in the QTtank it was coated in a clear slime with whiteish slime particulates inside the cup, they look like snot. Thats the best descriptor.


Anyways, so here's the good news. I bought Myacin two, Moncyline. It is working like a charm, the tank is clearing, and no more slime coat when I dunk the Pryex into the Qt. I am not sure what is killing what, but its clearing up a lot, this is all happening in less then 2hrs time. I hope I have found the solution here. I read the package and it says it doesnt harm nitrying bacteria, but I doubt that is true, because all antibiotics will harm this is some way, but honestly if it cures the slime I will be happy as a pig in S^%*T!!

Ok that's my updated, and GO GIANTS. 12 points on the spread for you betting folks out there.

Let's hope this is the key and after a 5 day treatment it will render the slime done.

Its a waiting game right now

Cheers
David

 

[Ditchplains2]

Ok so sadly, here I am.

I have been running the antibiotic treatment for 2 days now.

At first it seemed like the miracle cure to my slime problem, but now its not helping any longer.

I'm wondering should I post of pic of this slime, so someone might be able to guide me in the right direction here.

Do I need an intervention here from the CDC, what is this gross sh&(*T!

ok here's a pic, any help on this clear slime.

anybody still here?
David

 

[DonW]

Antibiotics are only going to make it worse. You got to stop playing with it. Keep changing water and give it time. Antibiotics are not selective so you just killed even more bacteria just like you did with the soap. I suggest you go on vacation for a month or three just so you wont be able to touch the tank and let the bacterial die off get under control on its own.

Don

 

[dhnguyen]

I would agree that at this point you just need to keep up on the water changes and leave the QT alone to recover on its own.

 

[Ditchplains2]

DON no offense, but this is in a Qt tank, its not the old rocks its the new ones ( i added them to display before making a qt tank thinking they could help bring the tank back) so I'm not killing bacteria I'm trying to stop an outbreak that already destroyed my display.

It clogged my pumps and skimmers in my display, so basically leaving it alone will only cause disaster ie: broken pumps skimmers, etc....

I want to make sure I can stop this stuff in my QT tank before reintroducing the same crap back into a clean aqaurium.

Right now Im cleaning my display with vinegar and water, rinsing and rerinsing it.

Im giving it a few weeks.

Also too, I don't have a month of living with a stinking mess to wait til it just figures itself out. Sorry but this is the one time were patience is not the most prudent answer.

I'm looking for solutions to curb this slime.

Oh and btw water changes only seem to spur it on it seems. I have done 50% and 100% changes in the last days before drianing my aqaurium it all did nothing the slime continued to foul the tank until I drained it.

I wouldn't be posting here like this unless I was absolutely stumped.

here is what my tank looked like 2 weeks ago

ok any suggestions as to what this is?? Has anyone see clear to whitish mucus like slime before that is in the water column itself coating everything??

thanks guys.
David

 

[dhnguyen]

Could be dieoffs from the LR. The new rocks you bought are they "cured"?

 

[Scooterman]

You should be able to set up that tank with the new rocks & sand & circulation alone & see what happens, don't add anything else, just salt water, LR, sand, skimmer, heater & circulation pump, If your still getting slime you better be checking your salt mix cause there isn't anything else left to go wrong. Don't mix the mangroves with anything either, keep that away from everything else, If anything sell them.
So, your tank is clean, add all new SW, your new LR & sand If you want, a pump to & from the sump, a skimmer in the sump with a heater & that's it, nothing else.

 

[jnarowe]

do you live with anyone?

 

[Ditchplains2]

Yea I stupidly put the new LR in the water when it was fouled thinking it could help clear it, now it has this slime too.

Ok so tonight I did a 75% water change in the QT tank.


The new rocks are cured.

Scooterman.
I will as soon as I know this slime is going away, nothings going in display til its been cleaned compeltely. Im running the Qt and doing daily 50% or 75% water changes.

David

 

[apollothesun]

in the beginning of the post you said your orp probe failed. are you dosing ozone in your tank? one time my orp probe failed and got popeye fish and fin rot. since then got a new probe and my fishes are doing well.

 

[Ditchplains2]

apollo no ozone was eliminated awhile back, although I don't doubt the probe failing could have played its part, but it seemed like a helish combo of events,

1. starfish dying restarting cycle

2. toxin in rubbermaid tub

3. snail/coral dye off.

4. amonia from dye off

5. bacterial slime taking over engulfing the entire tank fouling it.


6. new LR placed in bacterial slimed water ( duh dumb move)

7. Qt experiencing slime out growth.

8. 50 to 75% water changes daily in QT tank.

9. addition of monocyline for bacterial bloom.

10. continuation of 50 to 75% water changes.

11... well unsure.... trying to see what nightmare is going to come netx or if bacteria will finally go away.

sucks big time. worst disaster I have ever experienced in my time in this hobby. I hope either through my stupidity or bad choices some people learned some things without having to expeirence what I am going through.

well I am still looking for some ideas folks.


thanks for everyones posts. all truly appreciated. DonW. I hope I didn't offend you if I did I sincerely apologize.



cheers
David

 

[DonW]

thanks for everyones posts. all truly appreciated. DonW. I hope I didn't offend you if I did I sincerely apologize.

cheers
David

Not at all. What your not seeing is the bloom and die off cycle are not controllable. Your attemps to get in control will only make it worse. It has to bloom and die, bloom and die........... all on its on before it levels out.

Unless you empty the tank, cook the rock and start over you just have to let it go and keep doing waterchanges. It may take two months or more before it levels out.

Don

 

[Ditchplains2]

DonW.

Perhaps as the old addage goes

'it's hard to see the forrest from the trees"

Well right now its looking better perhaps tonight will be back to blooming rather then dying off. I cooked the previous rocks, maybe I should with these too.

cheers
David

 

[Ditchplains2]

So right now my aquairum is running a mix of tap water and vinegar, not nearly a 50/50 solution more like 10% vinegar for a few days now, Im going to change some of that water out and let it cycle a day or so more before filling with ro/di water and adding salt.

Pipes I cleaned with brush and water of residue of any slime. and rinse and now their ciriculating with vinegar water.

I bought a small clean up crew for my Qt tank, about 20 snails 10 crabs nothing major, I am doing 50% changes every 3 to 4 days now on the qt tank, hardly any slime is apparent. a few little spec here and there but nothing and qt has light over from fuge.


thanks guys
David

 

[jnarowe]

sounds like you are getting it back under control. keep it up and you'll turn the corner.