Rusting Bolt 9/24/08
Good Afternoon Crew, et al.
I have a maintenance account which consists of an approximately 350 gallon saltwater aquarium with a Living Color artificial reef backdrop insert...I love these inserts, by the way. It has been up and running for about a year now and quite frankly has been nothing but hassle with regards to keeping anything alive and healthy.
The filtration system consists of a 50 gallon sump with Live Rock, PM XL-1 Skimmer, Nu-Clear Canister w/Carbon, 120 watt Aqua UV Sterilizer, 3/4 HP Arctica Chiller and 3 Pan World 200PS return pumps. The salt mix used is Tropic Marin and parameters are generally Temp: 78 - 80F, SG: 1.023, pH: 7.9 - 8.1 NH4, NO3: 0 and NO2: 10 -15ppm.
I have had some trouble keeping specimens alive in this system and I think I may have stumbled upon the reason on Monday. After becoming thoroughly frustrated, I took the entire filtration system apart to perform a complete inspection and found an approximate 1/2" bolt had at some point during construction fallen into the sump and was buried under all of the live rock. The only way I knew it was a bolt is because the washer, which must be stainless steel, was still visible- the rest of the bolt had turned into a great big mass of iron oxide.
Could this be the problem I've been having all along? I immediately removed the bolt and placed poly filters onto the spill of the sump into the pump chamber.
<I think this was likely the problem...or a big part of it. Get the water cleaned up, and I suspect you'll have much better luck with this system.>
Thanks for your time...once again.
<No problem>
Scott C. Wirtz
<Benjamin>

Yellow Tang banging against glass, env.-chemically burned, pH 8.8     8/16/08
Hello Crew,
<Cielo>
I have a 5 inch yellow tang that I picked out on Mother's day 08 from our LFS.
Up until now all my fishes have been healthy. A little background on my tank: I have a 55 gallon tank
<Not really sufficient space...>
with 60lbs of live sand and 30lbs of live rock, a protein skimmer, and a whisper filter.
Three days ago I made a 20 gallon water change. 2 Mornings after that change I woke up to a noise and found that it was my yellow tang banging himself against the light hood of the tank, almost like he wanted to get out.
<Mmmm>
Then he began darting against the glass and hitting himself against it. I noticed that he had red or pink on the inside of his lips and also across his body.
The next day he stopped eating. I checked my levels and they read: Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0, but my PH was 8.8
<Yeeikes! Caustic>
so I went to the LFS and purchased a buffer.
I was told I should quarantine
<?>
him so that I wouldn't need to medicate the whole tank as the other fish are fine. The medication I purchased is the Myracid Two.
<... Maracyn... Minocycline... of no use here>
I only had a 5 gallon tank
<Much too small...>
available to make a QT out of, and so that is where I placed my Tang. Right now he's on his side at the bottom of the tank, he is hardly breathing.
<...>
At least in the display tank he was still swimming around. Should I place him back in the display tank? I need your advice.
~L from PA
<YES, now! Bob Fenner>

Stainless steel clamps 10/19/05
Hi Crew!
<Howdy Steve, Ali here...>
Sorry, I just sent an email regarding a different question and meant to include this one.
<No worries...>
I have a 215 gallon tank with a large wet/dry underneath.  Most of the plumbing is located under the main tank, in between it and the wet/dry below.  The installers (LFS technicians) routed the plumbing very neatly and efficiently, however they used metal clamps around the fittings and clear tubing.  They appear to be stainless and just barely above any water level, however because we have a cabinet enclosing the wet/dry, there is quite a bit of humidity and most everything is constantly wet.  Could this be a problem?
<Yes.>
Please advise because I do not want to be poisoning my fish and live rocks with metals leaching into the water as the metal clamps corrode. Your comments are greatly appreciated. Regards, Steven
<Yikes Steven! It's safe to say that you should avoid any type of metal clamps on your pump connections. Granted, the stainless steel pumps will last a bit longer in a saltwater environment versus other metal clamps, however even they will still rust. Definitely not a good thing. There is also a chance that your clamps may be Zinc or Aluminum plated - this definitely a big 'no no'. I'd suggest you remove the clamps ASAP and opt for either a few strong zip-ties or plastic hose clamps. Give me a buzz down at M.D. and I'll set you up with a pack of them. Dedicate an hour or so during the next couple of days to getting under your tank and swapping those metal clamps out. I know messing around with your plumbing can be a tedious task at times, however it's important you get in there immediately and be proactive. Talk to you soon Steven, Adios! - Ali A.>

My never ending money pit..... Poss. issues with synthetic marine decor   1/31/06
Hello,
<Hi there>
My name is Matthew and first off let me say I love your book when I purchased all my aquarium supplies it was one of the first things the store clerk had me put in my cart, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Every time I buy something for my tank I always thumb through the pages to see what your opinion is. Anyway here is my dilemma.... I have a 75 gallon bow front tank. At this time I have
1 Hippo Tang (2 to 3 inches very healthy)
1 Niger Trigger ( 3 inches) newly acquired seems very healthy likes to hide in the live rock and eats all the time.
1 Clarki Clown ( 2 inches) seems healthy
Numerous hermit crabs ( a mix of red legs and zebra a little of everything) Snails ( a mix of everything algae eating I could find) 1 small queen conch and 1 chocolate chip starfish.
<I do hope your trigger leaves these invertebrates alone...>
I have about 35 - 40 lbs of live rock, 2 inches of sand and crushed coral, 2 power heads (300 gph) 1 Rena canister filter ( 375 gph) and a CPR Bak Pak protein skimmer with the built in bio filter. About 4 weeks ago I purchased a faux anemone, I read the package to read any care instructions to find out that you have to wash it very good to make sure there is no residue that may affect your protein skimmer. I rinsed it for about 1 hour and then put it in my tank . Later that night my protein skimmer overflowed with water, I turned it off rinsed it out and put it back on my tank. For two weeks straight I ran this skimmer at the setting which it had been out the entire time I owned it. It always ran fine collecting waste. For two weeks I ran the skimmer no waste. I opened the water intake more for two more weeks no waste. the whole time doing my Monday water changes and readings. 8.2 ph, 0 nitrite, 10- 20 nitrate, 0 ammonia and 1.022 - 1.024 salinity. All this skimmer wanted to do was dump millions of are bubbles into my tank. Looking on the internet a lot of people had a lot of different opinions about un dissolved micro bubbles in your tank and the affect it may have on the oxygen exchange. Thinking there was some sort of weird chemical in my tank, from the faux anemone,
<I would remove this... see if this curtails the excess bubbling>
I have been running Kent Marine Carbon in my canister for almost two days. Also for those two days I have been running my newly acquired CPR Bak Pak (no waste yet just micro bubble in my tank) the skimmer seems to be working fine the entire chamber is filled with micro bubbles but no waste. I don't know what to do algae is overtaking my tank red slime and green algae. I have 384 watts of power compact lights 2 96 watt white 2 96 watt blues. What is your opinion what should I do? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Matthew McGlynn
<I have heard some disturbing input re some of the material, manufacture of synthetic decor... I hope you will not have real trouble... but I would remove this and see. Bob Fenner>

Rapid Breathing Onset
I have a 55 gal marine reef system. Tank is going on three months now and seem to be cycled with 85 pounds of live rocks<Use care...it's "cycled, but not "established" which takes nearly a year>. My live stock are yellow tang, 3 Chromis, mated pair black saddle back clown fish, true Percula clown fish, engineer goby, small brittle starfish, arrow crab, and a pistol shrimp. Seriously I thought fight would break out among the clown fish but they seem to get along<I've had the same results, but who am I to argue?>. Anyway my question is yesterday my fishes were all fine, they normally are aggressive eater when its feeding time and they look pretty healthy. well the problem is the next day majority of all my fishes are breathing rapidly like they were going to die. One of my clown is breathing extremely fast as if he was going to die and the day before he was eating fine. All the fishes are not acting usual and appetite is gone too. They only thing that seem to be normal is my inverts. what do you think the problem could be. I also removed the carbon media a couple days so I could treat the whole tank with Kick Ich
a medication that was said to be reef safe
<First off, there's no such thing as a reef safe, effective medication. The only thing this usually cures is excessus dollerus in the walletus>
 . I check my water and my Ph is the only thing out of place.
Ph in main tank 7.8
Ph in sump 7.7
nitrate- undetectable
nitrite- undetectable
ammonia undetectable
Do you think it cold be the medication that is dropping the Ph or do you think it is the missing carbon media? Or do you think there are other reason my fish are acting so strangely. they way there acting I don't think there going to make it.<You don't mention why you treated the tank for ick. If it was merely for the rapid breathing, you blew it, and should immediately always think of extra water changes as the FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE and never treat your main tank. You're tank is actually overcrowded and if you, like many, tend to overfeed, that's likely the source of your problem. You also don't mention having a skimmer which you NEED with that fish load in a tank that small.
for now, do 5 gal. water changes every other day, which should alleviate the breathing problem and gradually raise your pH as well. There are products for raising pH, but that's a time bomb best not played with. Chemicals and medications are reached for way to easily, ending up BEING the problem in almost 90% of the situations.>

DOH! I Broke the Thermometer, Now What? 
>Hi Bob and team. 
>>Hello, Marina tonight. 
>I'm afraid I've had a disaster in my 200 gallon reef aquarium. While recently double checking my chiller reading, I stupidly left a thermometer in my sump. I found it this morning, broken at the pump intake. 
>>Oh my, thusly the term "disaster". It's not as disastrous as you think, though. 
>The lead balls have been sucked into the pump and the mercury is gone. 
>>Not mercury anymore, my friend, usually alcohol (with a dye) is used in modern thermometers. 
>Everything in the tank looks OK so far (corals and fish), but I can't imagine that'll last. What should I do? I'm sure water changes, carbon and PolyFilters will help but I can't imagine I'm ever going to find the lead balls? 
>>No, I don't imagine you will, either. But I wouldn't expect such a small amount to be a very big problem in the short or long run anyway. If you're very concerned about the contents, contact the manufacturer, but to the best of my knowledge the potential for mercury would be the biggest issue and as far as I know it hasn't been used for quite a few years. You're correct, water changes, carbon, and PolyFilters will help, though I don't know at all how readily lead actually dissolves in water (thinking of wrecks of Spanish galleons and all the lead shot/balls they find, all encrusted with stuff). 
>Any advice you can give would be great. I hate the thought of tearing down my tank and starting again. Dave. 
>>No, no, no, I really don't think you'll need to go so far. Between the water changes and the chemical filtration you should be able to deal with the small amount of dye released. For "next time", get a bit of clear plastic tubing, the kind used for undergravel filter lift tubes, along with caps. The caps can be the same clear plastic, or PVC that fits. Glue one end (I'd use Superglue-cyanoacrylate) on permanently, leave the other so you can slip it on and off. Drill some holes in the tube, and it will protect the future thermometer from such terrible mishaps. Marina 

Cleaning magnet in tank, Eclipse Modification
Hello Mr. Fenner,
I just finished reading today's Q&A's & the last one about lighting for the Eclipse system. I started an experimental 25g Eclipse system a few months back & am thoroughly happy w/it. The CustromSeaLife retro PowerCompacts are terrific lights. And very easy to install.
I cut the back of the plastic and have added a protein skimmer and a couple of power heads.
<Thank you for this input>
This little tank is supporting (I know you wont like this)-A mated pair of true Perc's, a Flameback angel (African), a yellow assessor, a orange spotted blenny. All very small fish.
Also, a torch coral, a hammer coral, an Alveopora, a frilly mushroom and a small bubble tip anemone. Everything is thriving! I highly recommend this lighting setup.
On another note-My brother leaves his algae cleanup magnet in his 180g reef tank, set up in Nov.01, & now he is noticing that the corals are dying or not looking as great on the left side of the tank (where the magnet is).
Could there be a chemical reaction of some sort going on in that portion of the tank?
<Yes. Most aquarium magnets are safe for leaving in a system... but not all. I would pull these out when not in use... Please have your brother contact us re water chemistry checking, use of Polyfilter... as moves to correct the situation. Bob Fenner>
Welcome back & thanks in advance.
Craig

Formalin Med. Poisoning effects
Talk about a bad day...
I lost my grey and Koran angels today (see old email below...).
I had an outbreak of ick on Tuesday and we started a treatment recommended by my local store using Formulite II. Per their direction, I removed my carbon and inverts (shrimp, urchin, and hermits) and added the medication - Two drops per gallon. I then did the second of the 3 recommended treatments on Thursday PM. On Friday everyone was looking great and everyone was eating like a bunch of hungry truck drivers. 
The two angels from Friday to Saturday morning developed a major amount 'slime' on their bodies and got foggy eyes. I'm guessing the medication caused this. Anyway, I threw carbon in my baskets and I did a RO water change of 15 gallons again per the local rec.- but both angels were dead by 5:00 pm. They looked like they were dipped in slim when I pulled them out. 
Where did I go wrong? So far my remaining family is looking fine but obviously I'm very concerned and my wife is really bummed out. Today was a very expensive day and I am open for any suggestions...
Thanks,
Tom Tengowski
P.S. - The black cap also died earlier this week also...I can't get a break.
>>
ARRGGGGHHHH, I'm so sorry to hear of your fish losses. And do not, repeat DO NOT ever encourage the use of formalin/formaldehyde in any format's use in hobbyist's aquariums. These compounds are outright poisons (cross linkers of peptides), and are deadly dangerous to all forms of life. Yes, the medication did kill your fishes, blinding them, causing excess slime production... Don't know if I can state "where you went wrong", I cannot profess to state, but you reacted properly (with close observation, the water change, returning the carbon). Do return the Formulite to your dealer and ask them to explain what they think happened. Hopefully you have not killed off the bulk of your beneficial microbes. If it were me, I'd test your water and be very careful about (slowly) returning the other livestock... Take Your Time. Bob Fenner

Endogenous poisoning event
I have a 40 breeder reef for a year with 2 Anthias, 1 black cap, 2 clowns, 1 yellow tang.
Running wet/dry system with red sea skimmer; all health , I feed them at night the next day when I got back home, took a look at my tank and my tang was dead. So I did a water test water, everything looked all good to the graph but I took it in to the pet shop and got it tested to, it was good. I told them the story they didn't know what to say. Come home feed my fish. The next day when I came back from work 1 of my Anthias and my blackcap flipped on me to, test water to it was still good. So I did a water change feed the fish. Next day the other Anthias died, water still good. I didn't do any cleaning around the tank. 2 weeks gone by 1 of my clown couldn't swim upright just side ways and couldn't eat for so I took him out. One more thing my corals closed up for a long time before opened up again for over 2 weeks, even though their open its not the same as before, they don't expand as big as they should be. Came you give me any answers to my problem?
Thank you, Souk Her
>>
Hmm, sounds to me like an "inside job" of poisoning by one of your livestock... Like a sea cucumber... or other organism... maybe even just a reproduction event by some microbe... that led to slow/chronic poisoning... All will probably be fine by now (the poison is probably gone), but I would do a very large (half) water change before adding any more fishes... and maybe a unit of activated carbon in a bag in your filter/flow path.
Bob Fenner