Nothing survives....

[GouldFever]

Idea!!! I have an idea!! Take your voltage meter to your LFS and test one of their tanks. I know it's only .7 but I gotta think that any current is too much. I'd test mine, but I'm not home right now

 

[mr_X]

1500 gph each or total water flow? The gentleman who sold us our 55 gallon in 06 recommended a minimum of 12x the tank volume of circulation excluding the filter return (I had a canister with that tank) so I figured the 700gph and 900gph power heads I had in there were sufficient. If not, I can definitely add more!
Don

Yes, you need more IMO. Two 1500 gph power heads AT LEAST.

 

[mr_X]

Some pumps have petroleum based lubricant inside them. If the seals are compromised, this can cause problems. The lab test on the water should rule this out. Also, you may see some oil-like slick on the surface.

 

[DonCollins]

Some pumps have petroleum based lubricant inside them. If the seals are compromised, this can cause problems. The lab test on the water should rule this out. Also, you may see some oil-like slick on the surface.

Any recommendations for a lab to test the water? I found aquariumwatertesting.com and they look good, but not sure they test enough parameters to help in this case?

 

[DonCollins]

Two more items that have come to mind.

First, rust in the tank. Not sure what I was thinking, but I have a metal hose clamp securing the skimmer pump to its hose below water line in the sump. I think this clamp was used near the bulk heads in the previous set up as I used plastic clamps every where else. From what I have found, I don't -think- a little rust will harm the tank, but could this cause the problems I am having?

Second, how about the possibility of the rocks themselves being toxic? Many are from our initial set up and all are at least 4 1/2 years old. Could "old tank syndrome" be the cause? We took great care to make sure the rocks did not leave the water when moving them out of and back into the tank during the reset and during the move in 09.

Thanks,

Don

 

[huma-huma]

I highly doubt rust is an issue, 2 reasons, 1) I have had clamps/screws/ whatever in my tank that have rusted, and ive never seen or experienced a almost instant death issue like yours and 2) if it WAS the rust, the fish would die in the qt tank just or bucket just as fast.
as for the rock. unless you used a chemical on them at some point, they should be fine

 

[DonCollins]

I highly doubt rust is an issue, 2 reasons, 1) I have had clamps/screws/ whatever in my tank that have rusted, and ive never seen or experienced a almost instant death issue like yours and 2) if it WAS the rust, the fish would die in the qt tank just or bucket just as fast.
as for the rock. unless you used a chemical on them at some point, they should be fine

No chemical's have been used unless Melafix counts. I am really running out of ideas

 

[mr_X]

Melafix-
Some consider there to be real dangers with the use of Melafix in fish aquariums. Being that Melafix is an oil based product, it is said that the oil can make it difficult for fish that breathe air. There are theories for why this happens, but what has been shown is if proper water parameters are maintained, there's generally not an issue.
Melafix needs to used as directed. Many issues that come from the use of Melafix is the fact that it is being used incorrectly. The medication is a mild antibiotic. It can be used to treat mild infections, but used in other ways than intended, could result in the real problem not being treated correctly and Melafix appearing to be the cause of the issue. Knowing the infection and properly treating is a must.

Still, the inverts living through it would make me think it's something else.
I googled "Water testing facility Cleveland Ohio", and came up with plenty of labs. Check it out.

 

[DonCollins]

Melafix-
Some consider there to be real dangers with the use of Melafix in fish aquariums. Being that Melafix is an oil based product, it is said that the oil can make it difficult for fish that breathe air. There are theories for why this happens, but what has been shown is if proper water parameters are maintained, there's generally not an issue.
Melafix needs to used as directed. Many issues that come from the use of Melafix is the fact that it is being used incorrectly. The medication is a mild antibiotic. It can be used to treat mild infections, but used in other ways than intended, could result in the real problem not being treated correctly and Melafix appearing to be the cause of the issue. Knowing the infection and properly treating is a must.

Still, the inverts living through it would make me think it's something else.
I googled "Water testing facility Cleveland Ohio", and came up with plenty of labs. Check it out.

I only used the Melafix this once this past time since one of the percs looked to have some sort of infection that I missed in the QT above his eye & I was grasping at straws. This was the first time ever I have used any medication in the DT (& since I'm not a fish disease expert probably the last!), so it can't be the root of the current problem. The inverts have not lived through the current problem as far as I can tell (there is literally nothing obviously alive in the tank; I don't even see copepods), they just lingered longer and were wiped out in months, not minutes. Thanks for the info about Melafix; the LFS always touts it as such a benign fix-all product. I'm hoping my carbon filter will have cleared it by now. I've found a few water testing labs through Google as well & if no one has any experience with any particular one, I'll pick one shortly since that is the only next step I can think of. Thanks for your continued guidance!

Don

 

[mr_X]

I keep referring to the inverts because generally, they are the first things to go if there's a problem. If it was something toxic, I would see the shrimp go belly up long before the fish.

 

[DonCollins]

I keep referring to the inverts because generally, they are the first things to go if there's a problem. If it was something toxic, I would see the shrimp go belly up long before the fish.

Ahh, makes sense. I've never tried to introduce new inverts into this new set-up because originally I had holdovers from the old set up, so those were the ones that lingered, but finally succumbed to whatever's going on. I have a small clean-up crew in the QT that I purchased when I thought I had the problem fixed, but I'm not going to subject them to the "tank of doom" until I have a new idea about what could be going on. I'm just worried how long they can last in the QT. I have a sandsifter star, an emerald crab, and a cleaner shrimp & there is no sand or rock in the tank. I have a pretty good grow-over on the back wall & some on the bare bottom of the tank, but I don't know if that is enough or what they need for any extended period of time.

Don

 

[mr_X]

Sand sifting starfish need deep sand beds that are quite established. Most of them starve to death in captivity. It takes them months to starve and then they just start from the arms and disintegrate inward. It will look like something was eating at it.
As for the crab and cleaner shrimp, these can and should be target fed.

 

[anachrotech]

Just butting in..... I have just purchased a uv sterlizer for a going on 9 month algae bloom. During my research about sterilizers, I happened across a youtube video with a poor soul that had a similar issue. It was his sterilizer. I guess the unit's plastic housing was covered with a toxic black residue on the inside. I'm not sure if it was due to overheating. This is the video. I do hope you find the cause of this.

 

[DonCollins]

Just butting in..... I have just purchased a uv sterlizer for a going on 9 month algae bloom. During my research about sterilizers, I happened across a youtube video with a poor soul that had a similar issue. It was his sterilizer. I guess the unit's plastic housing was covered with a toxic black residue on the inside. I'm not sure if it was due to overheating. This is the video. I do hope you find the cause of this.

I think you may have just found the problem. I have that exact UV Sterilizer (JBJ SUBmariner 9watt) running in my sump right now. Going to go pull the sterilizer now to have a look.

 

[DonCollins]

Just butting in..... I have just purchased a uv sterlizer for a going on 9 month algae bloom. During my research about sterilizers, I happened across a youtube video with a poor soul that had a similar issue. It was his sterilizer. I guess the unit's plastic housing was covered with a toxic black residue on the inside. I'm not sure if it was due to overheating. This is the video. I do hope you find the cause of this.

Ok, pulled the sterilizer and found a slight black residue present and the smell was -horrendous- to say the least. The main problem appears to be a broken seal, though. The color seen on the glass tube is the same color the Poly-Filter is turning, but I think I just overlooked that since the packaging said the filter would turn brown for organic waste. There was a distinct hydrogen sulfide and caustic stench to the glass tube.

Based on what the video said, I think the decision has been made to tear the tank down and start over with new water and sand and either new or at least dried out and bleached rock to make sure the toxins are removed.

THANK YOU to all who have posted here, and thank you to anachrotech for posting that video.

Unless anyone has an idea for how to remove these toxins from the tank, I will proceed with a full tear down sometime this week.

Thanks again, everyone!

Don

 

[anachrotech]

Hopefully that was the issue and you can get your tank back to health. I initially hesitated posting as the gentleman in the video didn't seem to have 'instant death'. However, looking at the sleeve of your sterilizer it appears your problem is worse than his. He had another video prior to this one showing his seal was broken. I do see that that particular sterilizer was discontinued. Please post update when you get your tank back together.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Been following along. I was just going to post I had a similar problem with a UV sterilizer that leached metals into the water because it had lost a seal. Because of electrolysis, it can dump a lot of metal into the saltwater quickly. This makes the most sense.

 

[huma-huma]

Well time to toss that piece of equipment from a 4th story window! have fun and record it.

 

[DonCollins]

Hopefully that was the issue and you can get your tank back to health. I initially hesitated posting as the gentleman in the video didn't seem to have 'instant death'. However, looking at the sleeve of your sterilizer it appears your problem is worse than his. He had another video prior to this one showing his seal was broken. I do see that that particular sterilizer was discontinued. Please post update when you get your tank back together.

There is little doubt this was/is the problem. Even the way he described how his fish were acting described my fish almost perfectly. His sterilizer was running for 1 month.....mine for 13. When I checked to make sure my equipment was working, I only looked to see the light was on inside the sterilizer. When the tray voltage test did not show any spike from plugging the sterilizer, I figured it was in good working order. But looking inside that device confirms that it was the problem.

Over the next 3 weeks - 1 month I will be doing a full reset on the tank. Removing and drying/bleaching live rock, new sand, scrubbing the sump and contents of the sump. When everything is back up and running again, I will post the results here.

Thanks again everyone for your help!

Don

 

[Clownfish25]

What type of water are you using? RODI, tap water, distilled water? And how are you acclimating/ introducing your fish to your systems?