Tank CRASHED can someone tell my why...

[reefobsessed]

I cant believe it and I still cant figure it out. Can someone please tell me what the *%& just happened???
Saturday around 10:00 am same old thing diff day. I checked my levels and thought I would try to get my calcium up by adding some kalkwasser. I had not used it since I started using B-ionic which I had not used for three days prior. I mixed a batch and let it sit for 6 hours and then unlike I used to do ( which was add almost the entire pitcher at once leaving only the bottom ) I so the error of my way from this site and added 2 cups slowly. Everything is fine. Sunday I added 2 cups more and a cap of Kent pro buffer. Three to four hours later my first fish dies followed by all other 8 with in hours. My corals all seemed ok I checked all my levels and there are fine???? I decide to do a water change anyway 10 gallons. I wake up to day and the tank is shriveled up?? Some look like they are holding on but my clams are next to go I can tell and my dusters have little arms not fans... I can add that my Plate did not do well with new MH and started to die but he didnt go all the way until after the fish had. The water is a little cloudy not bad and I checked everything again today except ammonia and nitrate and its fine... I just dont get it. It can only be the kalkwasser but I have used it a millon times. Something is way, way out of check but what?? I am just sick

[captivereefs]

Did you use any cleaning chemicals around the tankor in the house at all?

[reefobsessed]

Thank god your on..... I did the same old thing. I never spray at the tank. I did get a new plastic top for my tank but never even thought about that. It is laxan.... But it came in plastic. The sticky kind that you peal off. I do remember that there was no water on it from the pumps splashing when I pulled my first and fav fish cry, cry out.... Its not a total loss I have five or six orals I think will live but I have no doubt the 400.00 in acros I just picked up a few weeks ago are gone but how do you tell??

[reefobsessed]

does anyone have a laxan top and MH?? I am now wondering if the combination is putting off a toxic gas that is leaking into the water...

[fishfreek]

What items do you test for?

[reefobsessed]

Ammonia 0
Nirate a little high 5.0
Phosphate 0.15
Alkalinty 0.22
Calcium 0.22
Nitrite 0
PH 8.2
I have always ran the same numbers when testing. They seldom vary much. It has to be something damatic and sudden to have it fine one hour and dead the next.

[captivereefs]

I just posted this to another person having your same problem.


Have you used any household cleaners in the house at all lately? This is one of the major causes of tank deaths i know. I killed my tank pretty bad one time with Love my carpet powder. It got in the air from the vent system and turned my tank into a couldy mess within hours. My tank was in the living room and the carpet cleaner used in the Far bedroom. It still had an effect on it though. My advice would be big water change and run carbon!

[fishfreek]

Alkalinty 0.22
Calcium 0.22

What is the scale on those measurements? Im used to seeing them reported in different formats. Everything else looks ok, phosphates seem a little elevated but that would juse cause algae issues more than a tank crash.

I take it your tank temp is within your normal limits aswell? Did you change your source of water or salt? Is the only thing you changed on the tank recently the addition of the lexan cover between the MH lamps and the tank?

[captivereefs]

Could someone have put something in the tank?

[reefobsessed]

Alk on a salifert .22 is 12.5
cal same test kit .22 390
Tank temp at 80 as usual
I am wondering if maybe one of my power heads has a short and is electrocuting stuff. My snails and hermits seem to be totally unaffected?? And some coral like my red chile and pipe organ actully seem to like it they are fine...... Shrooms and buttons are shriveled and leaking.... If I could quit crying it would help.. God Im a mess. Its not the money... its 2 years of work gone in 1 hour.. It makes me sick...
I have not used any cleaning products or cleaned the oven etc. On Thursday my husband changed the filters on my ro system but I had not added additional water yet so thats not it. I stayed up until 3 am trying to figure it out and I am clueless as to what could have caused this other then the kal. and possibly the new tank top.. I am taking a same to the lfs at 10 when they open and to get more salt. I plan on doing water changes 5 gallons at a time 5 or 10 times today to try & get whatever is in there out.... I guess I now know who to spend that bonus..

[reefobsessed]

There is no way anyone could have put something in. My son & husband dont touch my tank. Its a rule at my house I am the only one who goes near it and we have not had guests.. I know there has to be a reason. Thanks for trying to help me find out what it is...

[reefobsessed]

Yes the only new addition is the top. The set up is like this. Tank one inch spacers then top then KH hangs 6 inches above top. So even if it where a toxic gas there is a one inch gap between the tank and top for it to get out.. The back also has a two inch opening where the top does not cover it...

[captivereefs]

Run ome carbon in the meantime if you can.

[reefobsessed]

Darin what is OME carbon?? After I read your last post I changed the carbon in my canister filter. Its is Kent reef carbon. WIll that do or should I be getting something else at the LFS??

[captivereefs]

Whoops should have been some carbon. I'm typing to fast lately. You could try some purigen by Seachem or a poly filter.

[Strictly Marine]

When you said two cups slowly, what does that mean. Did you drip it or just pour it in. It sounds like PH shock for the fishes from the calk. I might be off base her but no one asked how fast you add the kalk. Two cup will still send you ph up a points or so.
Depending on when you test you tank everything might of drop back down to normal.

[reefobsessed]

I used to mix exactly the same way and then pour the entire pitcure in. The 2 cups & just poured slow as I couldnt get the tube to stay in the pitcure when I tried to drip. Maybe it was the change from B-ionic then kal... I did a chewck on the PH before and after and it is lightly changed but not enough to kill everything in an hours time....And I did use PH buffer.....

[reefobsessed]

I need a hug

[Electrobes]

::hugs reffobsessed:: I semi know how you feel, in my newbie moment of idicy I dumped in a large amount of powered pH and it got onto my corals **** near killing them... thus far I am not even sure if most of them will be coming back

[sumphead]

*hug hug* You triggered something though when you mentioned the powerhead thing. Do you have a grounding probe on the tank? It is possible, as you mentioned, to have an electrical problem. Are your inverts OK? Snails, hermits, etc...

R