Alfredshouse is gone.....

[mark]

Sorry to hear.

I wouldn't blame solely on not having a sump, as having a sump isn't a guarantee of being problem free.

[hillegom]

Sorry to hear of your loss.
Very suspicious. High nitrates, and your corals are ok? Would not your coarls die before the fish. I hope they do not, but why all the fish?

[fkshiu]

Exactly how high were your nitrates? Fish can and will survive in much higher levels of nitrates than corals can and nitrates don't usually cause sudden mass deaths.

Secondly, how exactly do you think the FX5 caused the spike?

The most common cause of "death by filter" is if it was left off for a long time which caused everything in there to die. Within the sealed confines of a canister filter like the FX5 you would have had a lot of hydrogen sulfide gas build-up. As a result, when you turn the filter back on, all the nasty H2SO3 will literally cause a monstrous fart from hell which gases everything dead in the tank. Do you detect any rotten egg smells?

Not trying to cross-examine you here, just wondering perhaps there might have been another cause.

[o.c.d.]

Really sad to hear.I was going to say the same thing as Fkshiu. Did you make sure that your heater isn't faulty or stray voltage. and when you measured Nitrate not Nitrite. I really not trying to insult you this is tragic but you should really be sure what caused it so it never happens again and other can be taught your hard lesson.

[alfredshouse]

Nitrate was at 20( maybe from the dead fish????)!!!
Nitrite was at 0.25
Ammonia was at 0.0
SG was at 1.025
PH was at 7.6 which is really weird, I was thinking it was a faulty test, but second test kit confirms it is correct
Temperature 76.7

On Tang Daddys suggestion we tested KH and its 200mg/l!!!!!!
We are now doing another water change, we did 1/3 this morning.
If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate them. Just dont call me an idiot, Ive already cried enough today. Thanks

[andestang]

Originally Posted by fkshiu

Exactly how high were your nitrates? Fish can and will survive in much higher levels of nitrates than corals can and nitrates don't usually cause sudden mass deaths.

Secondly, how exactly do you think the FX5 caused the spike?

The most common cause of "death by filter" is if it was left off for a long time which caused everything in there to die. Within the sealed confines of a canister filter like the FX5 you would have had a lot of hydrogen sulfide gas build-up. As a result, when you turn the filter back on, all the nasty H2SO3 will literally cause a monstrous fart from hell which gases everything dead in the tank. Do you detect any rotten egg smells?

Not trying to cross-examine you here, just wondering perhaps there might have been another cause.

This is all true, I have a FX5 that I run on my Koi tank during the winter. I find it gets restricted fairly easily especially if your using the water polishing pads. It pretty much quits running and needs to be disconnected and totally cleaned out (the smell will knock your socks off) If you don't your headed for trouble. You really have to pay attention to the output for any reduced flow. Really sorry about all your fish, the bad side to the hobby.

[subman]

The Nitrate spike could just be from all the dead fish. Anything new added latley?

[alfredshouse]

Yes, I did add some stuff this weekend

Bubble Tip Anemone
Zoas
Green Mushroom
2 Dartfish
2 Gudgeon
1 Cleaner Wrasse
Pair of Cinnamon Clowns
2 Tangs


this is a 160gl that has been up for 14 months

[fkshiu]

That's a lot of livestock to add at once. The presence of nitrite indicates a cycle has occurred meaning that it could have been ammonia.

I'd still crack the FX5 open and give it a sniff.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by alfredshouse

Yes, I did add some stuff this weekend

Bubble Tip Anemone
Zoas
Green Mushroom
2 Dartfish
2 Gudgeon
1 Cleaner Wrasse
Pair of Cinnamon Clowns
2 Tangs


this is a 160gl that has been up for 14 months

How big were the Tangs? How many fish were in the tank prior to adding these ones? How quickly did this crash happen after adding these new fish?