Diaster Recovery help please!

[michika]

I need help please! My tank suffered a nasty crash as a result of a recent move on the 24th.

Timeline:
24th
- 3pm tank contents goes into 5 buckets
- 7pm arrive in Calgary
- Everything unloaded (except one dead fish) into the new tank by 10pm. Temperature stable, everything looks good. Circulation provided by hydor koralia, 2 maxijets, and skimmer.

25th
- sump comes online

26th
- RTN beggins of SPS
- Death of 2 clams, crocea, and maxima

27th
- more death of SPS

28th
- more death of SPS

30th
- death seems to have stopped

4th
- death of another clam

There are photos in the thread above about what the tank looks like. I'm seeing brown algae on my rocks and the remaining skeletons. There is neon green algae build up on my glass. All the fish are eating well, all my inverts are doing well.

Ideas that have come up as possible causes
- ammonia from dead fish on the 24th triggered a cycle some how (I didn't use any of the water the dead fish was in, just the rock).
- sponge/bacteria die off triggered a cycle
- something got into the tank (if it did I'm thinking it happened the 25th, or 26th)
- Ocean Pro Pure salt triggered something. I began using it RIGHT before the diaster.

Possible Solutions
- Zeovit, or a similar product
- continual water changes (I do 7g a day, the system is about 45g in total)
- let the cycle run its course.

What I am doing
- running carbon
- running hypersorb
- running nitrate sponge
- running phosphate sponge (but at least all my GHA is gone)
- daily water changes
- ensuring all my fish eat a varied diet to keep their immune systems up
- running lights as normal
- watching the tank and photodocumenting its rise/decline/whatever its doing.

So help! Please!

[fencer]

Only thing you haven't checked is the Redox level of your water.

[michika]

Good point, I guess I should find someone who can do that for me. Thanks!

[Jason McK]

Did you transfer your Sand?
I had a similar experience and the cause was the locked up Nitrites, Nitrates, and Ammonia in the sand bed that where released during the move.
Even though I flushed the sand until it ran clear.

Sorry for your losses

[michika]

Nope, I tossed the sand once everything was out of the old tank. I was afraid of exactly what you said. I figured I would try B.B. and if I liked it, it would stay, if not I would add some in.

[Jason McK]

It's so hard to say. How much original water was transfered. How where the corals/Clams acclimated to the new tank. Could a huge swing in PH for the transport bag to the tank caused it?
What was the SG in the tank when the corals where added?

[michika]

Originally Posted by Jason McK

It's so hard to say. How much original water was transfered. How where the corals/Clams acclimated to the new tank. Could a huge swing in PH for the transport bag to the tank caused it?
What was the SG in the tank when the corals where added?

I would say probably 80-90% of the original water ended up in the new tank. Some had to be thrown out after I found the dead fish upon arrival.

I had some jugs of just water, they were added to the tank first, then the pail with rock & water, the fish were next, but none of the water went in the tank. Clams were acclimated by adding some of their water to the tank, and some of the tank water to their bucket. The last thing to be added were the SPS as they were individually bagged up. I floated all the SPS first (like a mine field of bags!), then opened the bags to get some water into them from the tank.

SG was 1.025 before and after the move.

There was no "new" water added until the following day, and even then it was only about 5g. It was mixed up with RO/DI water I made in Edmonton.

[marie]

2 questions, do you know what the buckets were used for (possible contaminant?) before the transfer and was the water for the sump aerated and heated while the sump was waiting to be hooked up?


Edit Oh one other thing is it possible that your new place was sprayed with something like a pesticide just before you got there?

[michika]

- They were all salt buckets, always been used for fish stuff.
- Yup the sump was aerated and heated before I turned the pump on.
- Good question about the contaminants, I don't know, I will ask though.

Thank you!

[Jason McK]

WOW I don't think more caution could have been taken. Sound like the perfect move. It's hard to understand how such a well planed move could go so bad.

J