|
|
FAQs about Toxic Water Conditions: Exogenous Causes (External,
Inorganic... e.g. Paint, Metals, Fish Medicine-Biocides... Oh my!)
Related Articles: Copper Use in Marine
Systems, Marine Toxic Tank Conditions
, General Marine
Maintenance, Related FAQs:
Insecticides, Cleaners,
Copper Use in Marine Aquariums, Toxic
Situations 1, Toxic Situations 2,
Toxic Situations 3, Toxic Situations
4, Toxic Situations 5,
Toxic Situations 6, Toxic Situations 7,
Toxic Situations 8, Toxic Situations 9,
& FAQs on Toxic Water Conditions by: Unknown
Causes, & Endogenous (from
inside, e.g. Internal, Organic Causes),
Foods, Nutrients,
Venomous/Poisonous Tankmates,
Wipe-out Syndromes/New Tanks e.g., Exogenous Causes:
Marine Algaecide Use/Chemical Control,
Toxic Copper Use Situations/Troubleshooting,
Insecticides, Cleaners, &
Troubleshooting/Fixing, |
Carbon dioxide, kitty litter boxes, metal clamps valves, fittings...
hydrometer/thermometer ballast, paint, solvents, glues, and cleaner
and cooking oils and... in the air. Broken light bulbs and
heaters... perfumes, deodorants, soaps on hands/arms and detergents
on clothes, towels... Smoking tobacco, wood... et al.
Oh! And
chemical additives, mis-mixes, including most fish medicine
ingredients! |
Re: Predatory tank, now brass
and oak... underwater? 09/24/09
Thanks Bob for your response. I did have one more question (for now). Do
you have any experience with brass and wood as decor in a tank?
<Brass?>
had some ideas but I'm trying to research it. I found out that Brass is
copper and zinc.
<Yes>
I figure that the copper would possibly leach out over time.
<Immediately... and over time>
I have read that a low level of copper is actually good for fish but bad
for invertebrates.
<Actually... necessary for both in very minute amounts... Not beneficial
for either in higher concentrations>
Would I need to worry about the levels getting to high (i.e. above
therapeutic levels)?
<Yes... Unless the metal part/s were tiny, and/or the system HUGE, brass
would poison all in short order>
Also would the wood (plain aged oak tongue and groove flooring, non
stained/painted/varnished) be of concern? what elements would I need to
look out for? Thanks again, Cooper
<Do you want to immerse the wood? Oak can be toxic as well. Bob Fenner>
Re: Brass, oak 09/24/2009
I would say it was small amounts of brass. ( 4 screws, 1 candle holder,
1 shot glass size vase). Yes the wood would be submerged.
<Coop; I really wouldn't do this... the copper, zinc and oak are all too
toxic>
A section of 1/2 " about 18" X 18". The tank is 120 gal. I was also
looking at adding a small chest 4X4X6 w some plastic costume jewelry and
a broken piece of china.
<The China is fine...>
I would also have some PVC pipe for "tunnels", a couple of shells, and a
glass bottle or two. I am trying for a ship wreck theme with some fans,
sponges and predators. I have about 140# of LS in the tank now. Water
have
been cycling for about 6 weeks now. I spent quite a bit of time today
reading your previous sump question. Which generated another question.
Can I use me overflow as a refugium of sorts?
<Yes... can be done with some engineering>
Thanks Cooper
<Welcome. BobF>
Brass in Aquariums 8/7/09
Hi Crew! My name is Terry and I live in FL, I am big fan of your web
site!
<Cool, thanks.>
I am building a coil denitrator for my 100gal predator tank, my question
is, are brass compression fittings safe in salt water?
<No more than copper fittings.>
Will it have any effect to my water quality or fish/refugium plants in
any way? I'm sure they are not made of copper.
<Well, copper is actually a component of brass, so you won't want to use
it for the same reasons you don't want to use copper.>
Its just a standard 1/4 by 1/4 90 degree angle compression fitting from
Lowes.
<Good luck Terry, Josh Solomon.>
Toxic Fumes and Reef Tanks –
07/14/09
Good evening hope all is well.
<<Hey Eric…Eric here…morning now and all is “ok”>>
I am looking for advice on how to paint my kitchen without poisoning my
reef tank in the living room (next room over).
<<Mmm, indeed… I’m guessing you won’t be using Latex primer/paint>>
Unfortunately I need to use an alcohol based primer since we are
painting over wallpaper.
<<Ahh…>>
I know these fumes are toxic and am really concerned with the potential
problems it may cause.
<<A valid concern, but one you can deal with I think>>
Is covering the tank and turning off the skimmer all that can be done?
<<Short of dismantling/moving the tank or “isolating” it in a vapor
barrier with separate fresh air intake/exhaust…yes, pretty much. Do also
open windows/doors to ventilate and “dilute” vapors and to speed
evaporation of same…and put a fan in a window or door to pull/push
“fresh” air over the tank and towards the kitchen>>
Am I looking for trouble?
<<Always a possibility… But I/others do such work around our tanks all
the time. Unless this product is especially noxious (e.g. – “requires” a
respirator vs. good ventilation to work around), a few simple
precautions on your part should do the trick. Keeping a good volume of
air moving in-and-out of the house for a few hours while the primer
“cures” will help much in preventing the vapors from accumulating>>
Thanks,
Eric
<<Happy to share… EricR>>
Question regarding Antiperspirant in tank?/Stinky Fish, Need
Underfin Deodorant 6/18/09
Hello All,
<Hi Todd>
First off, love the website! Tons of great info.
<Thank you.>
I have a question. I have Googled your site, and the web for info. I
am wondering what the side affects of antiperspirant is on my reef
tank? I can't seem to find any info anywhere. I am aware it contains
alluminium
salts.
My tank is 120G (48X24X24). I have a very hard time reaching the
bottom, even with a ladder. I am tempted to get a snorkel, and
goggles.
<I'm not aware of any negative effects this would cause, but I'd be
safe and put up with BO while cleaning your tank.
James (Salty Dog)>
-Todd
<<My dos centavos tossed in... Al metal is toxic... but the bit from
this source is likely negligible. RMF>>
SW 30 gallon with toxic water. Toxic Water\Heavy metal or
Biochemical 4/16/2009
Hello-
I have had a on going problem that started in January.
I have a 30 gallon salt water reef tank and it got contaminated with
the red slime.
<Currently fighting an outbreak myself.>
It was very bad, everything died and so on. I have since replaced
everything in the tank. Live sand, live rock . Brand new Eheim ECCO
canister filter, brand new Back Pak protein skimmer, brand new
submariner 9V UV sterilizer and a stainless heater with heater
control. The water has tested perfect across the board for ammonia,
nitrate, nitrite and PH. The temp is a solid 78 degrees at all
times. Yet, nothing can survive in the water.
<Hmm....Did you add any chemicals to the water after the red slime
outbreak?>
I have small, 5 gallon refuge tank that I put everything I could
save from the original tank and it's perfect. I cannot even put a
snail in it.
<Something toxic in the water.>
Totally confused, and advise would be great because I don't know how
long I can stand running this tank without anything in it. Thank you
in advance.
< I would get a couple of Poly Filters and some activated carbon for
your canister filter and run it for a few days. Then inspect the
Poly Filter and see what color it turns Poly Filters turn different
colors depending on
what it is adsorbing.>
<Mike>
Re Regal Angelfish/Feeding/Now Cyanide Poisoning 3/7/09
Hi James,
<Hello Peter>
Would you agree that cyanide catching may have
impaired her ability to try other foods since she paid no attention to anything
that I tried.
<Unlikely. Typically, poisoned fish do eat well at first, but
gradually lose weight.
<<Mmm, no... not usually... Almost any fish "near
ground zero" sufficiently cyanide toxified, will refuse eating altogether... and
if it does... will then die in short order. RMF>>
You have to realize that
this is a very difficult fish to acclimate to prepared foods, and to keep for
that matter. I've tried a couple of Regal Angelfish in my 35+ year span in the
hobby, and I'm thinking one month was the longest I've kept one alive. Best
chances for success with this fish are in large systems with plenty of live rock
baring benthic algae growth, tunicates, sponges, etc. With natural foods
present, a better chance for prepared food acclimation exists.>
I am afraid
she may not be able to survive for long and I dare not move her to the 400g
display tank which is hosting many aggressive tangs and angel fishes.
<May very well be demise for sure here. Have you tried a 30% water change in the
angel's tank?
Sometimes this can trigger an appetite. A sponge encrusted rock
may help stimulate feeding also.>
My last experience is with a Philippine
Regal for 5 years.
<Great.>
Sadly, I lost her recently in an accident
which killed many of my prized fishes and corals.
<Not so great.>
Therefore, any ideas that would entice my new yellow belly regal (she is really
gorgeous) to feed on something else (anything) would be highly appreciated.
<Have you read the FAQ's on feeding I gave you in the previous email? See what
others
have tried, what worked, etc.>
Regards,
<Good luck my friend.
James (Salty Dog)>
Peter
Heater Breaking – 2/21/09
Hello. I would first like to
say that I love your website. I have a 29 gallon that used to house two Sepia
bandensis (they were still in a net breeder). We keep our house in the upper
60's, so I had a heater. One night I noticed a metallic smell and a cracking
noise in the room that the tank was. I found that the heater had, well,
exploded. The cuttlefish and the clean-up crew were dead. There were shards of
glass all over the sand bed
<!? Wow!>
and the water was tinted
yellow/brown. In the area of the heater, all of the sand had turn black and it
was still plugged in. It was a old heater (4+ years?). I removed the heater
remains. It has been a few weeks since the incident and I have cleared the water
up with a carbon filter. My question to you, the all knowing oracles of aquarium
wisdom, is what sort of toxins/chemicals did that leak into the water? Will the
aquarium be usable again? Will the live rock? The live sand? Carbon filter?
Thank you for your time.
<Just to make sure... I'd bleach, wash, rinse all
(in place if you can open a window to dilute any fumes) read here re:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnornart.htm>
... toss the old and run some new
Carbon, drag a magnet (an algae scrubber is fine) over and through the old
sand/substrate (to search for ferrous metal bits), add a unit of PolyFilter to
your filter flow path (note any color changes)... and start slowly (testing)
with new livestock.
Bob Fenner> Rust ~ 01/12/09
Thanks for all you guys do, its so nice to have this resource.
<Thank
you!>
I hope this is a simple yes or no question, but what is in this
hobby...
Will small amounts of rust in a reef or fish only tank
contribute to nuisance algae outbreaks?
<Not without other fueling
factors, really the least of your worries when it comes to algae.>
Like a small wire rusting above the tank, and particles falling in over
time? ( Bet you could guess I have a small rusting wire over my tank
with an algae outbreak going on.) I have previously written you guys
about the algae, and am systematically following your previous advice
trying to track down the source. I realize there is lots more that can
contribute, but for this email, I'm only interested in the rusty wire.
<Not a big factor in the big picture. But by all means, remove or
replace the rusty wire! If it is not in use you can certainly get rid of
the thing. If it is in use, well, rusty wires are not a good thing!>
Thanks,
Ken.
<Welcome, Scott V.> Fluorescent tube
breaks in my reef tank 11/13/08
Robert, I got your email
address from Ninong from Reefland.com. He mentioned that I should
contact you on my problem. A fluorescent tube broke into my reef tank. I
removed as much of the glass as I could. I am worried about any issues I
may have with this down the road. My tank is 300 gal with 90 gal sump.
The tube was a VHO tube that was 6' long. Thanks in advance for any help
you may be able to provide.
Ed
<Mmm, there shouldn't be any real
issues... other than those which may have occurred already... Some lamps
do have a bit of mercury to them... but this and what other little
chemical residue there might have been is likely of little further
consequence. Do take care when having your hands in and about the
substrate, lest there be bits of glass still thereabouts. I would siphon
the area a few times during your normal maintenance. Bob Fenner>
Re: fluorescent tube breaks in my reef tank
Thanks for the
input. I was really worried.
<Ahh! Glad to help ease your mind.
Cheers, BobF> Re:
Microbubbles and no skimmate Part II 10/6/08
Good
Evening all:
<Roger>
Mr. Fenner, just a short line to update you.
First and foremost, do not take this as blame. I have major problems
now. I followed the instructions that you so generously gave me (I am
very appreciative). I administered the first dose of the Vodka. This
made my water cloudy after about twelve hours, and it remained cloudy
for about forty-eight. I then saw some improvement in the quality and my
skimmer was skimming for the first time since the tank was set up, it
was not dark, but I did have a good tower of dry foam. I then dosed it
the second time with the Vodka and four hours later (I just happened to
be standing there) the first fish just fell over dead
<!? Might I
ask, what "brand" of vodka was this?>
(no sign of distress just
instant death) I immediately started water changes and began trying to
move as many as possible to the hospital tank. I only saved three. This
happened extremely quickly and there were no signs of anything being
wrong, other than the cloudy water. The corals started looking very
stressed and the remaining fish showed their first signs and symptoms of
labored breathing. I checked all the chemistry and everything had
remained the same as what I sent you in the previous note, other than
the PH, and it had gone to 7.9 from 8.4 in about two hours.
<Yikes...
too much too fast>
I continued to check the chemistry and after about
two hours, the ammonia spiked to 1.5.
<Perhaps the dying fish>
I
am sure I am now going through another cycle, since I still have ammonia
after several large water changes. I am struggling with great difficulty
to keep the pH at 8.0. I have been adding Reef Buffer, and have
continued to do large water changes. Calcium remains at 400 and DKH is
14, I am concerned about adding any more Reef Buffer because I really do
not wish to have a "snowstorm". The few remaining corals continue to
show extreme stress. Would adding baking soda be more applicable in this
case? Sorry to bother you again, I am just not sure where I go from
here; any help would be greatly appreciated.
Best Regards,
Roger
<Do NOT add any more ethanol period... Some sort of overdose or
poisoning has occurred. I would not feed anything either, until the
ammonia is below 0.5 ppm. I would not add anything to adjust your
biomineral or alkalinity either. Best to (if possible) wait, see if/when
the system restabilizes. Bob Fenner, who wishes he had thrown in a
cautionary note re waiting until the water cleared...>
Para Guard Contamination 6/23/08
Hi crew,
<Hello
Rick! Benjamin here today.>
Presently running a 90 gallon system with
110 lbs of live rock, ocellaris clown, Scopas tang, royal Gramma, green
chromis, dragon goby and Foxface. Refugium/sump with healthy
Chaetomorpha. Present parameters as follows: PH 8.4, SG 1.024, Nitrate
5, Ammonia and nitrite non-detectible.
<Good>
RedOx hovers between
295 and 310. Aqua C skimmer with ozone injection through a the John
Guest fitting. For 10 months after set-up, the system was thriving
(RedOx closer to 360) ... elegance coral, pulsing xenia, devil's hand
and finger coral all thriving. 6 hermits, turbo snails, feather dusters,
worms, shrimp, etc., etc. But then ... For some absolutely unknown
reason, I treated my main tank with Para Guard (synergistic blend of
aldehydes, malachite green and fish protective polymers - as advertised
as basically reef-safe)
<definitely not the case>
for early signs
of ick - if you can believe it just a couple "dots" on the Scopas which
a couple new neon gobies and "Selcon" soaked food seemed to help take
care of - no "scratching, dots, etc." in last couple months (I know,
this has been an expensive lesson - I'm still shaking my head?).
<Ouch. I would never recommend 'proactive' medication, as the
repercussions/stress of the meds may actually stress the fish enough to
cause an infection. Although if you suspected the tang of possessing
WMDs, I guess that's good enough reason for Congress to take the
preemptive route...>
Invertebrates are now gone, live rock looks
dead - small amounts of diatoms on live rock now present but not
infested.
<Malachite green, formalin will do that.>
I've never
missed a 5 gallon weekly water change. Fish continue to do very well -
eat well and appear happy.
<Well, glad they didn't suffer for it.
Sometimes these formaldehyde and malachite medications can really mess
them up too- keep in mind that malachite green is a heavy carcinogen and
vertebrate poison, as well as the fact that formaldehyde at relatively
low concentrations will embalm a specimen almost indefinitely (when
Twinkies, etc are unavailable)>
I added a 2 hermits and a turbo snail
5 days ago, but they slowly deteriorated from the get-go.
<Bad sign.>
Finally my questions - assuming the medication (poison) has regrettably
gotten me to this point, I've been using activated carbon (weekly
changes) over the past month in an attempt to "pull the medication" out
of the system, but the recent snail/crab incident tells me I've still
got problems. 1) How/what can I "test" to determine if my system is
invertebrate "safe"
<The bad news is, you can't really. Your rock
and sand will be slowly leaching the poison back into the water (mostly
the malachite, a dye) for a very, very long time. I'm the sort who would
probably wait decades, or just never try, but if you feel okay about a
canary in the mine shaft a few snails or crabs in another month or two
would be a decent check. Bear in mind you will be able to keep hardy
inverts (arthropods, etc) long before cnidarians.>
2) Assuming I get
to a point where my system is invertebrate safe, by adding some
additional "live rock", will this "reseed" the deserted rock I presently
have.
<With time, yes. The eventual purchase of some top-grade rock
from a LR specialist would help restore macrofauna, but even standard
LFS stuff ought restore your bacteria and crustacean populations,
diversity.>
Greatly appreciate the help ... and fell free to give me
a good boot in the but for my knee-jerk stupidity.
<I suspect you've
booted yourself enough- this is a mistake a lot of us have made, don't
feel too rough on yourself. Tolstoy wrote that "What matters is life,
life alone, the continuous and infinite process of discovering it, not
the discovery itself." Continue discovering, learning, enjoying.>
Rick in Edmonton.
<Benjamin>
Bologna in My Reef Tank 3/29/08
Hi, there I have problem here, my
4 year old son put bologna in my reef tank and there is 3 pieces that I
can't get out. So would you please let me know if this could harm my
fish or corals.
Thanks,
Patricia
<I see no immediate issue, it
should be processed by your reef life (unless they are not fond of
bologna). I would however continue to try and get it out, perhaps if you
have a powerhead you can attach a hose to and blow the pieces to where
you can get at them. Welcome, Scott V.>
Heavy Metal, ferrous discovery, removal 03/19/2008
Crew,
<<Ben>>
Thank you in advance. I was doing my glass cleaning on my 240
reef tonight with my Tiger Shark cleaning magnet when, about 1" above
the sand bed, a small, dime sized thingy leapt from the sand and stuck
to the inner magnet. I pulled it out and although it looked somewhat
rock like, it was more dense than a rock would be and pulled very
strongly on the magnet when held close. Obviously this thing has some
sort of metal in it's composition. Should I be worried? It had to have
come in with the Caribsea sand I used for the tank. Since my rock rests
directly on the bottom of my tank, the vast majority of my sand is
exposed and I can vacuum seal the outer piece of my Tiger Shark (very
powerful) and run it over the sand to see if anything else comes out.
Whada ya think? Thanks,
<<I would certainly check by hovering the Mag
cleaner over the sandbed to remove any other items. I would not be
overly concerned by this>>
Ben
<<Thanks for the questions, A
Nixon>>
Re: Untimely demise... tank poisoning by baby/battery 10/22/07
Thank you for the prompt reply. I do believe I found the culprit, now I
am not sure if there is anything specific I need to do, other than a
water change. I was looking in the sump this morning, the light on it
has been off because it got wet, oops, and saw a reddish orange color.
That piqued my interest, because there is nothing that color in the
tank. I found a AA battery, swollen and exploded (compliments of the 2
year old I'm sure). The substrate there is stained reddish orange as
well, I am assuming I need to remove that. An additional concern now is
that the Scolymia coral is very pale looking, not totally bleached out,
but pale. I am guessing it is related to the pollution as well?
<<Veronica: Wow. A battery is not good. A water change would help a lot
as it will dilute any toxins. If the tank doesn't look better, try doing
more than one. Best of luck, Roy>>
Disaster...no Clue. AP TWP, some sort of catastrophic cascade poisoning
event Hello! 12/9/07
I have a major problem with my
tank and have spent 3 weeks trying to sort it out. I have searched your
site and just can't seem to find anything that relates to my situation.
<Let's see...>
My set up is a 90 gallon with a Pro Clear 150 series
2.
<This wet-dry?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00061UXXC?smid=AEL917WTFL8PV&tag=msnshop-pet-mp-20&linkCode=asn>
The tank has been up and running for over a year now with no problems.
Nitrates, Nitrites and Ammonia all at zero. PH runs about 8.2. I added
some red Gracilaria to the Sump. (After the skimmer below bio ball
before the return) I was running a light on opposite cycle from the main
tank lights as well. A month after adding the Gracilaria I started to
see copods
<No such thing... Copepods>
down there and when I did a
water change they would sometimes go flying out into the tank. A few of
them took up residence around some of my polyps and pulsing xenia. Life
was good in the tank! I did water changed weekly of about 10 gallons.
This went on for a year with no problems or losses.
<Good>
Rather
than purchase water I decided to invest in a Tap Water Filter by
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.
<Mmm, please see WWM... this product is
unworthy... a toy if you will... Not cheap or really functional to
produce clean water>
I did some reading and this was supposed to be a
great product. Recommended by Jack Wattley and all.
<Jack...
Wattley... knows better than to have lent/sold his name here. I will say
no more re>
I mixed up my first 5 gallon batch and decided to test it
first since I wanted to be sure the water was good before adding it to
my tank. Testing pre-salt showed 0 nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and
chlorine. I did note the PH was very low. Around a 5.0 but once I added
the salt mix it came right up to the 8.0 level. I added the 5 gallons
and then mixed the next 5 gallons. Testing again gave the same results.
While I was working on the tank I decided that I would add a little of
the bio active sand to the sump. I placed it down with the Gracilaria to
try and keep the pods going strong.
The next morning it looked like a
war zone. Pulsing xenia was withered away and the mushroom leather
corals were all shriveled up. I tested and found my nitrates 20 nitrites
were at .5.
<Yikes...>
Panic set in so I went and did another 10
gallon water change. Again, testing the water before placing it in the
tank. 24 Hours later my nitrates 20 nitrites were at 3.0 and all coral,
blue leg, emerald green, peppermint and cleaner shrimp were dead.
<Yes... poisoned>
I again did another water change, this time I did
30 gallons. The nitrites came down to .5 and I decided to go and
purchase some Prime since it seemed my tank was in a cycle. Odd thing is
ammonia was 0 or .5 during this whole ordeal.
<Not all microbes
mal-affected evidently>
Day 4 I tested and now the nitrates 20,
nitrites were at 5.0 I lost a chromis ammonia was .05. I did another 30
gallon water change and got nitrites down to 1.0. I decided that perhaps
too many water changes were causing a cycle. I had to go away for 3 days
and the tank just sat. I turned off the lights as to try not to stress
the remaining fish. Upon my return the nitrites were back up, but to
10.0 this time! Nitrates were 40 and believe it or not 2 false Percs,
yellow tail blue tang and lawnmower were still alive. Ok, so the tank is
clear I thought maybe it's my test kit. I got a brand new kit and
tested. Nitrates 40 Nitrites 10.0 and ammonia at .5. Two test kits same
readings.
So a week after using the new water filter and adding the
sand I am in a mess. I did water changes of 10 gallons every day for a
week. That kept the nitrites at about 3.0 all week. I then tried cycle
to see if somehow it would help balance things out. Day 14 I added the
cycle nitrites were 3.0 nitrates at 10. The next morning I was looking
at Nitrates over 200 and nitrites over 10 ! All 4 fish were still alive.
I tried both test kits same readings.
<Yes... a cascade effect...
the nitrogenous materials are/were derived from the rapidly decomposing
biota...>
I know it seems like I am just throwing stuff at the tank
to make something stick but I tried water changes I am starting to think
that it's the water I am using from that filter.
<Likely this is/was
the origin here>
(Perhaps I am being stubborn and I could just go buy
water again but after shelling out the money for the water filter and
testing the water and it being fine I figured that can't be the cause) I
DID test each batch before placing it into the tank and it was fine.
<... for what you were measuring...>
Perhaps my local water becomes
unstable after going through that filter?
<Mmm, not the source water,
no... but possibly the TWP>
I have replaced the filter now twice
since it is only good for about a 100 gallons. My readings were good but
since the package said "up to 150 gallons" I did not want to press my
luck.
<... Let me cut to the proverbial chase. I'd toss the TWP...
and look into, buy a real water filter... either an RO or RO/DI
device...>
So at this point what would you suggest? More water
changes? Just let it sit and run it's course? Light on ? off ? More
prime? More Cycle? Take the sand out of the sump? Trash the water
filter?
<Yes to the second, and last, no to all others>
It's been
about 3 weeks now and the 4 fish are still alive but the Gracilaria lost
it's color completely. I added a little more to the tank to see and it
too lost it's color.
LOST and in desperate need of some direction
here.
Thanks So Much I just know you can give me some help.
Derek
<Please, take your time... and read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/index.htm
the sixth/blue tray on
water... the sections, articles, FAQs files on treatment/filtering. Bob
Fenner>
Fingernail polish reef safe? 12/9/07
Hello. I wear
fingernail polish that is reapplied every 2 weeks. Is it safe to put my
hands in my 72G. reef tank?
<I do think so... Once the chemicals used
are "cured", set, they are inert. When new/"wet", do keep your hands out
of the tanks>
When my husband cleans the tank every week the shrimp
"clean" his fingernails and climb on his arm. Looks like fun! Is it safe
for me to do this?
<Likely so... the smelly solvents that function as
carriers, evaporate, go away with curing, leave behind material that is
non-toxic>
Thanks for the wonderful service you provide. Ellen
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Metal in reef aquaria 12/19/07
Greetings Crew
<Hello Mark.>
I am in the process of starting a new 100 gal reef and would like to get
it right the first time with your help. The lighting is installed, a new
Euro-Reef skimmer is in the sump, and I'm ready for live rock.
<Congratulations>
What I'm not sure about is the use of metallic
objects in reef systems.
The metallic objects I refer to include a
titanium heater, a submersible Mag 12 pump which utilizes stainless
steel screws to fasten the pump chamber to the motor, and an Aqua UV
ultraviolet sterilizer. The sterilizer is my main concern here as it is
equipped with a sleeve wiper actuated by a 1/4" rod about 8" long. All
these items have been used in a previous setup with no appreciable
corrosion so the stainless is of good quality.
I have always made a
point of avoiding metal fasteners and clamps where contact with the
water is likely but these items are supposedly made for this
application.
<Good practice.>
Do I have cause for concern?
<No,
these items can be used no problem.>
Thanks,
Mark P.
<Welcome,
have fun, Scott V.>
Sump Near Oil Furnace - 12/13/07
I have learned a great deal from
your site, thank you. I have not been able to find any mention of what
might be troubling me with my tanks. I have two reef tanks one 72 bow
front in my basement, one 210 on first floor of my home - they run off
the same water system and sump in the basement. The sump, which contains
my protein skimmer, water pumps and heater is in very close proximity of
my oil burning furnace. [Living in Maine - basic necessity.] The sump (
a 45 gallon tote ) is approximately 1 foot away from the furnace. I do
not have a cover on the sump - lots of open water. I use RO water. My
fish are doing great, fat and healthy. My corals are not so great; they
fail to thrive. Do you think it has something to do with the proximity
of the furnace/sump.
<Mmm... might have an influence... I would
likely contact a business in the field of such heat technology, ask what
tools they suggest for testing for contamination here, what compounds
are typically found in association... Perhaps a few calls to a college
with a chemistry department re what they might be able to do for you re
mass spectrophotometry>
My local reefing expert and friend at
AquaCorals in Fairfield, Maine has brainstormed all parameters -
<Mmm, would like to see/hear this...>
thinks all is fine but
questions the
furnace. What do you think?
Jeanine M. Brown
<... Could experiment or just move the sump... try covering it at
least... Bob Fenner>
Water chemistry question... Anomalous invert. SW losses 2/21/08
Hey guys, long time lurker first time e-mailer. I have a 50g mixed
reef with a 20g sump/refuge. My water parameters always test to 0ppm
for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate; phosphates are about 0.05ppm (LFS
test), calcium is between 400 and 450ppm, Alk is 10dkh, lastly my
magnesium is 1350. The tank was upgraded from my 24g nanocube which
ran for 2 years, and now my 50g has been up for about 10 months.
I've been having a bad green hair algae problem and been having a
hard time keeping my Astrea and Mexican Turbos alive for more then a
month.
<Mmm... something... is growing there that is poisoning
the snails...>
I now only have 2 Astraea's, initially I couldn't
figure out why I would lose my Astraea's and Turbos but after
surfing around on WWM I think I'm attributing it to pyramid snails.
<Maybe...>
I see them around the tank and I pick them out by
hand, and now I inspect my two Astraea's and remove the pyramid's
from them.
<Do you see these actually on the dead snails?>
I
don't see the pyramids much anymore. Anyway I did get 2 months ago a
Sixline partially because I wanted to see if it would eat the
pyramids and partially because I like watching them. Anyway he
lasted about 2 weeks and I found him stuck to my maxi-jet 1200 that
I modded for more flow.
<Also likely poisoned...>
I don't know
why he died but he looked great up until I came home and saw him
dead. Anyway because I can't keep snails alive a few weeks after
that I got a sea hare
<Mmm, I would be checking the species, its
biology... too many of these are coldwater, too toxic themselves...>
thinking maybe with the absence of snails or a clam the pyramids
would die. The sea hare did great, he was mowing down the algae but
he lasted 2 weeks as well.
<Something, chemical, biochemical...>
I found him one day behind my rockwork white as a ghost and with his
guts spit out. Lastly a month later I decided to get a tuxedo
urchin. He's been great at eating the algae as well but he just died
today. Is there some type of pest that would take these guys out, or
is there some chemical that both my LFS and my tests aren't looking
for? Oh by the way, I do a water change out of 10g once every week
and a half and for fish I only have 2 ocellaris clowns and they have
been in both tanks since day one and they and my corals don't seem
to be affected at all. This can't just be bad luck can it?
<Again... summat amiss here... Could be a blue-green, other Division
algae, or something else... I would try using a pad of PolyFilter
(please write back re colors you see accumulating on the pad), and
add a good bit of some "other" species of useful algae to your
lighted area of the refugium (Gracilaria or Chaetomorpha are my best
choices)... You need to eliminate whatever the toxicity is here, and
these steps should do it. Bob Fenner>
Re: Water chemistry question... Anomalous invert. SW losses...
Tufa rock 2/21/08
Thank you very much for your
help. I'll pick up some PolyFilter and let you guys know. I do
have some Chaeto in my fuge and it grows fast
<A good sign>
but my fuge is starting to be overcome by the hair algae as
well.
<A bad one... Do you have access to a few hundred power
microscope? I am suspecting that this hair algae is a
Cyanobacteria... no nuclei or other visible endoplasmic
inclusions... See WWM re ID...>
The algae itself is a darker
green and is soft/silky when I pull it out.
<Does it feel
slimy?>
I'm also using about 40 pounds of tufa rock if that
has anything to do with it,
<Erp! Does... See WWM re... use
the search tool and the term... on the "Ask the Crew..." page,
view the cached views... the Tufa rock is VERY likely the source
of trouble here>
the other 30 pounds are Fiji base rocks
transferred from my nano cube. Anyway thank you for your time,
I'll update you in a few days.
<The PolyFilter will help
absorb some of the Tufa issue, but not indefinitely... it needs
to be pulled. BobF>
Re: Water chemistry question... Anomalous invert. SW losses...
Tufa Rock 2/21/08
Aha! Tufa rock, man I wish I
would have read what I just read 10 months ago.
<Ah, you and
I both>
I'm attaching a picture of what the algae looks like
in my tank.
<Nice... except for the...>
I do have to say
that until I got my ATO working in my sump when I was first
setup and cycling the tank my water level ran low and 2 times I
had to top off with tap water because I didn't have an RODI unit
and the grocery store's unit was down for maintenance. The algae
started out as Cyano obviously because of my use of tap water
and after 3 months turned to what you see now in the picture.
It's not really slimy, at least not like what Cyano feels like
but it is kind of close. You can see in the picture that all of
the tufa rock has bad hair algae and non of my established Fiji
rock has it.
<A clue eh?>
I manually pick it out to
battle it, I've gone as far as remove the rocks on the right
side of the tank to scrub them in water from a water change and
then put them back in only to find that the problem got worse.
<More exposed surface area on the Tufa...>
It seems like the
more I pick the algae out the faster it grows back. My dad's
work has an electron microscope that takes pictures he's going
to see if he can bring it home over the weekend because I'll be
up in Cleveland visiting my parents, if not he said I can put
some algae in a test tube and he'll take it to work and email me
the pictures.
<Neat!>
Also to answer a previous question
you asked, I have never seen the so called pyramid snails that I
think I have on a dead Astrea or turbo, but I have seen them on
the live ones. I figured better to be safe then sorry and pick
them out. In my nano-cube they did stay on the glass and algae
all the time but I had a hard time keeping the snails alive
there too, especially Mexican Turbos.
<These may be something
other than Pyramidellids>
I had one live about 8 months but
the replacement one lived 2 or 3 months. The poly-filter is in
my sump, what color would it turn if its a toxic chemical from
the tufa rock? Green?
<We'll see... depends on the nutrients
available, preponderant>
Lastly, my wife and I are closing on
a house tomorrow and will be moving into it on March 2nd.
<Ah, congrats!>
My plans were to first plumb a 50g Rubbermaid
stock tank in our basement and plumb that to the main tank that
would be on the first floor in our family room. My idea for
moving would be to dig my snails out of the sand, and pitch the
sand and start fresh as recommended by my local reef club. To
transport the water I was going to use the orange 5g painter
buckets to get them from my apartment to my new house and setup
my 24g nano until the dust clears in the main tank with the new
sand. If the tufa rock is the culprit, I have about 40lbs in my
main display, if I were to remove it and add 40lbs of Fiji rock
to my main display wouldn't the combination of adding the sand
and rock send my tank into another cycle?
<Quite possibly
so... I'd get the new Fiji LR and cure it ASAP, and move it in
with the big MOVE>
If so should I just keep my nano-cube up
and running to just re-cycle my tank or how would you go about
that whole situation? Also, to clarify, were you referring to my
algae problem being caused by the tufa rock maybe? Or where you
referring to the tufa rock releasing the toxin into my system
killing new additions? Or both?
<Both... or the algae the
Tufa is "sponsoring" in turn producing toxins... The Tufa's got
to go. Bob Fenner>
Re: Water chemistry question... Anomalous invert. SW losses...
Tufa Rock 2/23/08
Just an update, I am going
tomorrow to phishybusiness to pick up about 40 pounds of Eva
live rock and I will cure it in my 24g nanocube. The PolyFilter
pad has started to turn a green/brown color.
Hopefully this
fixes my toxin problem so that I could get some new fish that
I've had my eyes on.
<Ahhh! B> | 
|
|
Toxic tank, Contaminated Calcium Reactor Media 2/12/07
I have had toxic tank syndrome for 8 months now. My pulsing Xenia
starts to turn black in less than 24 hours. All SPS corals had to be
removed from my 180 gallon 5 year old tank. Lost some fish, scooter
blenny, mandarin, Rainford's goby.
<Yikes... so, what have you done
re the toxicity?>
To make a long story short, I changed water
like crazy, searched everything for a metal contamination. Could find
nothing, so I emptied the system completely. Cleaned it all out,
replaced the sand bed, all rock, everything out, and refilled with
natural sea water. After a week, I put a piece of pulsing Xenia in last
night, and this morning the polyps were starting to turn black.
I got mad, again, and the only thing I had not done was to empty my
calcium reactor. I put the media in a bowl and searched it. Using a
magnet, I found small flakes of metal of some sort, laced through the
media!!!!!!!!!
<Yikes...>
I have not idea how it got
there! Not from me! I won't mention a brand name here.
<I wish you
would... My wife, Diana, used to distribute Knop Products in N.
America... their Korallith was/is very pure...>
I will do a 100%
water change as soon as possible. I can not afford to change the rock
and sand bed again! What further steps should I take? Carbon? Poly
filters?
<Yes to both of these... this should do it>
Will my new
rock and sand be ok?
<Very likely yes>
There are no fish or
corals in the tank st this time. All have been moved to other systems.
Help
Richard
<Thank you for relating your experiences...
Will save many others huge headaches and grief. Bob Fenner>
Carnage. Reef livestock losses... env., toxicity? 2/19/07
Hi,
I have a 120 gallon reef tank which I thought was doing pretty
well until yesterday morning when a number of my fish died or were
dying. They looked as if they were starving for oxygen. I lost three
angels, a tang, spotted hawk.
and a marine beta. A very large
wrasse and tomato clown were subdued but are just fine today after an
emergency water exchange.
<Useful data... these would persist longer
than the others lost... due to low O2, other poisoning types>
Indeed the tank looks as beautiful as ever.
<... frightening...>
I went to the local retailer for help with a pre-water exchange water
sample.
The pH was fine, next to no nitrates. dKH was fine, Mg 1200,
Ca 340 to 385 depending on the test kit used. I was unable to get any
good explanation for this occurrence other than there must have been a
sudden change in pH due to excessive CO2.
<Mmm... no,
not likely>
But my morning pH is no different than any other
time. I have no excessive algae to speak of.
Another puzzling
thing; I use the two step calcium replacement, Kent part A and part
B. Lately, when I add the part B I get a snow effect that lasts just a
few minutes.
<... not in your main display... Please...
do such adjustments through water changes... the products added there...
dissolved... ahead of time>
Is this anything to be concerned about?
<All sorts>
And while I'm thinking about it is there a general
rule for the amount of calcium and magnesium to add to a reef tank?
<... None... directly...>
Also, I'm looking for a reliable
calcium test kit. Any recommendations?
<Posted on WWM... LaMotte,
Hach... on the lower end, Salifert>
In any case, I'm at a loss as to
finding out why these fish died. I haven't changed anything other than
getting some better lighting.
<In recent times? Anything else?>
I do water exchanges monthly
<I would do these at least bi-monthly>
including vacuuming the bottom of the tank. Trace minerals are added
consistently.
<Only through water changes...>
I did recently add
a rather large medusa worm which I don't see anymore. I don't know if
it was lost in the carnage or could it possibly have caused this carnage
by dying?
<Yes... this or other possibly seemingly
innocuous animal demise, upset... For instance, sea cucumbers of many
sorts...>
Any input you may have would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ray
<I do think you suffered an internal biological toxicity... but can't
detect what organism/s might be involved from the information
presented... Would proceed slowly, use chemical filtrant/s, make water
chemistry and physics changes outside the system going forward. Bob
Fenner>
Painting a room with a fish tank 2/18/07
Hi WWM Crew,
<Helen>
I have two questions.
The first is
about painting a room with a fish tank. The only other email to you have
that I found with a similar question involved a tank that was
large
and had to be moved anyway, but I'm thinking that my 5 gallon could stay
in the room while painting.
<Yes, likely so>
The problem is I
have no idea what I should be concerned about, what precautions to take
or things to lookout for when painting.
<Most "modern" paints don't
have "that much" in the way of dangerous VOC content... and if the tank
is not too crowded... simply turning off all air-entraining devices (air
pumps, venturi type powerheads...) and covering the tank with a damp
towel... and of course some decent air circulation (painting on a "nice"
day with the windows, doors partly open)... should do it>
The tank
is well covered, being one of those water home acrylic kits sold by
Hagen. It is light enough to move without taking apart, unless I had to
move it out of the room.
Also, I will be upgrading to a 55 gallon
tank in about three months (mom is painting now,
<And I hope you're
helping...>
I will be moving out then). One of the worries I have
about a tank this size is heating the water that I use to replace the
water that is removed during water changing.
<Mmm, for freshwater,
you can just "toss in" some hot water from the tap (is what I do)...
unless your source water is "terrible"... Elsewise, it is strongly
advised nowadays, that folks store water to be changed out... in a
designated "trash can" or such... and using a heater that is readily
unplugged... is a good idea here>
Strangely, although I've been
looking all over the net I can't find any suggestions for this part of
the water change.
I would like as many suggestions as you can
provide.
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
Helen
<Thank you for writing. Bob Fenner> Heater Hazard! 2/27/07
I have (actually had) a 75 gallon reef tank with a variety of soft
corals (zoos, mushrooms, polyps, etc), a Jawfish, blue/red wrasse,
Clarkii clown, Blue goby, and the cleaner crew. It was beautiful! This
past weekend when I came home, my heater was shattered in the tank, the
top of my aquarium was cracked, the plastic was broken away, and there
was a black substance splattered on the wall all the way up to the
ceiling. <Oh boy, sorry to hear.> All the snails and crabs were dead,
all the corals were withdrawn and the wrasse was dead. <Painful loss
I'm sure.> I did an immediate water change, not knowing if there were
any chemicals in the water from the shattered heater, but I lost all the
corals anyway. <Not unexpected unfortunately.> The temperature did
fluctuate and dipped to around 72 degrees. <Left and right hook.> The
heater was not touching anything, and I can't figure out what happened.
<Have seen this before, does happen from time to time, weakness in the
glass gets worse over time with repeated heating and cooling until it
gives way catastrophically.> I always unplug my heater for water changes
and have never had a problem before. <Not really avoidable, sort of a
ticking time bomb.> I immediately removed all the dead creatures. Since
then, I have a consistent ammonia reading in my tank and have done daily
water changes to try to save the fish. <Good.> Do you have any other
suggestions regarding the ammonia?
<Doing all you can currently, the
die off from the LR is probably causing the ammonia spike.>
Obviously I am completely devastated and am contemplating reverting back
to a fish-only system because I can't afford to restock the tank.
<Discouraging for sure, but I encourage you to continue, would have had
the same problem in any tank.> Any suggestions on how to avoid this in
the future? <Avoid the glass heaters, got with one of the titanium
ones.> Do you think there are chemicals in my tank still? <Yes, run
lots of carbon and Poly-Filters.> Was it the temperature change,
electric shock, or chemicals that killed everything? <Yes to all, a
triple whammy.> Are there heaters that don't contain damaging chemicals
or will automatically shut off if there is a problem? <Putting it on a
GFI outlet will help, although the bigger culprit is the metal inside
the heater.> Or are some heaters just doomed to shatter. <All glass
heater have this possibility, go with a titanium one.> Also do you
think my live rock is damaged? <Only time will tell, see how it
recovers. I would bet on it being ok long term.> Or the substrate
filtration? Thanks! Amy
<Sorry to hear of your troubles. Have faith
you will be able to work through this and get back on the right track.>
<Chris>
Heater Hazard! 2/28/07
Thank you for your reply! I
appreciate all your help.
Although frustrating, at least I know I am
doing all I can do.
Amy
<Stay on the path.>
<Chris> Styrofoam, Next Time PVC, perhaps Starboard.
2/20/07
Hello!
<Hi there MJ! Mich here.>
I have
searched high and low using specific search strings for this
question. "Is Styrofoam safe for inside the aquarium?" I have a
200-gallon half cylinder that I placed some blocks of Styrofoam in to
prop up the rockwork for aquascaping purposes. I used 2" rigid wall
insulation for this purpose. The sticker on the insulation says that it
is chemically inert. My fish are healthy and my hermits love
life. Refugium is growing well. Should I worry about this Styrofoam
breaking down over time and releasing nasties into my tank?
<Sounds
like a nice system. To be perfectly honest I don't really know the
answer to this question. I would be a little leery as I have kept this
type of insulation in the basement and over time it gets a little
crumbly and nasty. That being said, if it's not causing you any obvious
problem right now I think I would just leave it alone. RMF comments?
<<Mmm, Styro is chemically inert... but does tend to fall apart too much
to suit me. RMF>>
I do have a suggestion for the future. PVC piping
is commonly used to support rockwork and I think is a better option as
it won't react or breakdown. There are multiple ways of doing this from
actually constructing frames to simply cutting large PVC piece with a
saw. There is also a product called starboard that is used in the hobby
and is know to be inert which is good if you are lining the bottom of
the tank. Good luck! -Mich>
MJ Broken Thermometer
3/29/07
Hey WetWeb Media,
<Hi again.>
Real quick
question I was mixing water today and had one of those floating
thermometers made of glass in the trashcan and when I poured the water
in it broke the thermometer. Should I throw out the water and the trash
can. <Yes to the water, no to the can, just rinse it out very well.>
Because I think the thermometer had mercury in it. <Unlikely, most now
are alcohol based.> I still have the heater and power head. Should I
even throw those out? <Nope, just rinse well.> Or am I being crazy.
<Maybe a little crazy.> Please write back as soon as you can.
Thanks Jeff
<Chris>
I need help, all my fish died – 3/28/07
I'll apologize in
advance for the length of this. I just want to give as much info as
possible.
<No problem.>
I recently had a disaster with my
tank. It's 45 gal, 20 lbs of live rock, (I know it's not enough)
and 1/2" crushed coral substrate.
<Also not enough. A deeper
bed could help you with denitrification.>
I have a
CPR BakPak 2 and Via Aqua canister filter for filtration. The tank
has been set up for 2 years now. I haven't added anything new to
the tank in over 6 months. I had 1 tomato clown, 2 pajama
cardinals, and 1 royal Gramma. There are 3-5 hermit crabs and the
live rock is covered with small feather dusters, green algae, and
little bits of coralline. It also had a couple of spaghetti worms
which died also.
The crabs appear healthy and the feather
dusters, while some larger ones seemed a little stressed, appear
otherwise fine.
<This sounds like a very nice tank. I am sorry
you had a disaster.>
I was in the process of cleaning my
tank. The tank has always had a nitrate problem (usually 20) that
I've not been able to fix
<This is not extremely high given that
you are not trying to keep sensitive invertebrates. A deep sand bed
could help bring this down though. And changing more water is the
other option.>
and occasionally I've used a little Amquel+
before a partial water change. I've never had problems with Amquel+
before. I did use some about 24 hours before I found all of the
fish dead.
<Hmmm…>
I tried the forum first, the
Amquel+ had a strong rotten egg like odor to it which apparently
isn't normal according to some posts.
<This does not
sound normal to me. Rotten egg odor is hydrogen sulfide. Can’t be
good.>
I can tell you the ph in the tank plummeted to 7.4.
<Yikes!!>
I don't have readings for ammonia etc., from the time
I found the fish as my first reaction was to change the water
quickly to save the rest of the tank.
On Monday, the fish seemed
healthy and were eating ok when I fed them before I left for work,
about 12 hours after adding the Amquel+. It was about 11 hours
later I found them all dead. There were no visible signs of any
illness prior to this.
<Illness does not sound
likely. This is environmental.>
So far, I've done 2 partial
water changes and I plan on doing a 3rd this weekend. I've also
added some Seachem reef buffer. I removed and completely cleaned
the CPR BakPak. It is currently the only filtration. I need to
completely replace all the media in the VIA Aqua so for the moment
it's disconnected.
What could have killed the fish and not the
crabs and feather duster?
<It does sound like your Amquel+ was
the culprit. Crabs and annelids can be pretty hardy
sometimes. Fish have such high metabolisms they are very sensitive
to toxins or oxygen depletion. The manufacturer is not sharing the
recipe for this newer product, but lists the composition of original
Amquel as sodium hydroxymethanesulfonate. Assuming this is a
primary component of the new formula as well, It does sound like it
broke down into some very unpleasant compounds, including hydrogen
sulfide. Here is the link to the safety information about the
product:
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/Amquel+/index.htm
Although
they say it is very safe, of course, they also say that
deoxygenation of the water occurs after addition, and this is
certainly one way the fish could be injured. The hydrogen sulfide
and pH drop could also be culprits. I would not add any products
like this to the tank to reduce nitrates. Nitrates are much less
dangerous than these chemicals!>
Is there something I should
test for other than the normal water parameters?
<pH,
alkalinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate should be sufficient. The
Sulphur should not be a problem as long as your pH and hardness are
appropriate, especially since you have diluted with significant
water changes. The water changes should have taken care of any
obscure compounds. >
Do I need new substrate and live rock?
<I would not replace the substrate and rock. You might go ahead and
add some more. >
I plan on waiting at least a few weeks, I'm
afraid to even consider adding any fish until I figure out what went
wrong.
<Yes, once your pH and other parameters are stable, and
if your invertebrates continue to do well, I would add fish back one
at a time. The quarantine period for the fish should give you
plenty of time to assess the stability of the tank. I would not use
Amquel+ in the tank anymore. After a similar fish kill from another
“safe” product that also deoxygenates the water, I have sworn off
adding any proprietary formulations to my no matter how safe anyone
says it is.>
Dawn
<Alex> A
follow-up to "I need help, all my fish died 3/28/07" More on Amquel
(and A.C.E. . ) poss. toxicity 3/31/07
Good
afternoon Crew,
<Nicole>
I just wanted to add to this
question, which Alex answered, in which someone named Dawn relayed
the disaster that her 45 gallon reef tank experienced.
<Please
do>
I myself have noticed this odor with the Amquel+ product,
but when I first bought a bottle of it about a year ago, it had a
similar smell.
The smell seems to have become concentrated as
the product was expended. It leaves a very lasting odor - an
uncapped bottle can quickly smell up a room! This makes me uneasy,
but I do believe it is normal to some extent. Even Prime (in my
opinion the best dechlorinator, the 50 ml dropper bottle makes
dosing very simple - 3 drops per gallon) has a section on the back
where it says:
"Sulfur odor is normal."
<Yes>
Prime,
however, has a very slight odor, in my opinion. The Amquel+ product
definitely does not! I answer fish questions on another site, and
have seen many cases where an addition of Amquel+ or A.C.E. . caused
major disruption of the bio-filter, usually nitrites shooting up sky
high.
<Yes>
I cannot say that it is due to the product
alone, but it certainly was a catalyst. Although both Novalek and
Jungle do offer other fine aquarium products - these particular
ones, I would never recommend to anyone.
<Me neither>
Thanks
for reading this, and for all that you do each day for hobbyists
worldwide!
Nicole
<Thanks much for coming forward... with
this lucid, useful input. Bob Fenner> |
Oxidation of Bromide in SW... via high ORP? 4/11/07
Mr. Fenner,
<Emmanuel>
I work with coral reef fishes. May I
ask your opinion about one specific issue?
<Certainly>
I
have had trouble with our ozonizer. Despite keeping the ORP within a
moderate range (280-320 mV), some of the mortality I have observed could
be related to oxidation of bromide to bromine species (HOBr, OBr-). Do
you have any experience and/or would you know any reliable source of
information on that subject?
<Interesting speculation... I
thought about this last night for a bit... How might one test for this
conversion to toxic halogen? Or, "look up" such information from extant
studies? Perhaps an inquiry to a college chemistry dept., professor. I
don't think this is a practical possibility at this range of RedOx
however.>
Thank you for your collaboration.
Regards,
Emmanuel
<Bob Fenner>
Sick Damsel... actually partial understanding, involvement in the marine
aquarium interest, life... 4/17/04
Hi,
<Hello there>
I have a blue damsel that has had a white spot on his side for a few
months.
We have isolated him in a hospital tank (2.5 gallons) for
the last 1-2 months. Although the spot occasionally looks smaller, it
really has not disappeared. He did have a few small spots on his fins,
but they have gone away. How do we know how long to hospitalize this
fish, and will he get better?
<Mmm... a good question (causing me to
consider...)... Likely this spot is "nothing to worry about"... a bit of
mucus being produced by the fish due to a trauma in recent times
(capture, holding, shipping...) and will "go" with time... For accurate
diagnosis, anesthetizing the fish possibly, excising the spot or some
part of it, microscopic examination, likely with some cursory
staining... perhaps culturing... might reveal the nature better here>
On another note, we have lost about 6 fish in our 50 gallon tank.
<?!>
We have tried to kill the parasites or ich by removing the
hosts, we left the two hermit crabs in there but had no fish in the tank
for over 2 weeks.
<... need more "fallow" time than this...>
We
raised the temperature to about 85, and we have tried numerous
treatments such as copper, table salt, Quick Cure, and API General Cure.
<Oh my!>
We recently bought two more damsel fish. One is still
alive but the other we lost yesterday, he was breathing quickly so and
he was developing a whit line down the center of his back (on the
nervous system?).
<Mmm... no... likely general stress period... You
"have" something very wrong going on in/with this system...>
We
tried to give him a fresh water dip with a dose of the Quick Cure,
<... toxic... the formalin component is a biocide... see WWM re>
but
lost him during the treatment.
<... dangerous to use... for you as
well... Needs to be "extremely" aerated during fish exposure...>
Do you think we need to breach our tank and begin recycling it or is
there some way to kill what is in there?
Linda & Ben
<Uhh... you obviously need a better, fuller understanding of what you
have here, what you're doing... How to begin to help you educate
yourself? I don't know you, your previous experiences... but the dumping
of the chemicals you list, the killing of livestock... leads me to
consider that such a hodge-podge approach to the hobby is resultant from
a lack of reading... or whatever mechanism/s "work" for you... You could
(continue) to "get" advice (from stores, the Net?) and "gad-about" what
you're doing... but... If you want to save time, understand... a good
book or two... or a bunch of reading (start here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/tanktroubleshting.htm
and on to the
linked files above) on the Net/WWM may get you back to "start"... I do
wish I could encourage you to "get into" the hobby sufficiently such
that you would learn first thoroughly what you're up to, the
consequences/alternatives to your choices, non-actions... Bob Fenner>
Toxic tank? Brass fittings, yep. 5/4/07
<Greetings, GrahamT with
you...>
I have had a salt water for over 3 years. I recently moved
and took the opportunity to change my 90 gallon FO tank to a FOWLR. I
basically started over from scratch. Filled the tank with RO/DI water. I
took all the bio balls out of my wet dry and now I have about 90 lbs of
live rock and 40 lbs of live sand. My water parameters are as follows:
SG: 1.023
pH: 8.2
Temp: 80F
<A touch high, but only by one
or two degrees, IMO.>
NH3: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 20
dKH: 10
Ca: 400ppm
The tank has been up for about 4 weeks. The rock was
mostly cured so I saw no ammonia spike, a slight increase in nitrites
and then it went back to 0.
<If you weren't monitoring the ammonia
and nitrite, then you may have started the cycle over again with
semi-cured live rock.>
I figured I was cycled so I added a cleaner
shrimp and an orchid dotty back. About a week later, I added a
Copperband and 2 clowns. When the snails I bought all died, I decided to
buy a refractometer and discovered my SG was about 1.019. I raised it to
1.023. I think I did this too quickly because I have experienced a
series of deaths.
<Possible, yep.>
First it was the shrimp, then
the Copperband, then a clown and then the other clown. These all
happened about one a day. I attributed the deaths to the salinity
change.
<Maybe, but that is a little much for just the salinity to
cause, IMO.>
So yesterday I
added another clown that I found at
the LFS for $10. He seemed fine yesterday and even ate. When I came home
today from work, I found him swimming in the corner above one of the
powerheads and he hasn't moved positions in the tank all night. He just
keeps swimming in the same spot and did not eat like he did the night
before.
<I think you would benefit from taking it easy on the new
additions until you straighten this out.>
So now I am thinking there
must be something toxic in my water?
<Methinks, maybe.>
But what
is weird is that the orchid Dottyback is still alive and he has been in
the water the longest. He seems fine and ate tonight. I can also see the
coralline starting to spread.
<These are indications of something
right, true, but the Dottyback is resilient...>
Any ideas? Should I
do a water change or just drain the tank and start over?
I am
totally stumped...
<No, I think you need to look over the system and
evaluate if there could be a contaminant, and if your basic water
quality parameters are correct.>
I did think of two things while I
was typing this...I installed a check valve on the return line when I
set the system up this time. I couldn't find a plastic one so I used a
metal one...brass probably.
<Ah-HA!>
Could this be leaching
something into the water that would normally be flushed out but since
this is a closed system causing me problems?
<Yup. Don't use any
metal in your system. Titanium and stainless are considered the safest,
but I would definitely lean away from using any metal in plumbing
applications like this.>
Also I notice that in my sump (former wet
dry) there is a little bit of a glossy film on top of the water...could
that be something in the water that is killing everything in the tank?
<Mmm, if you mean it looks like a little bit of soap-scum, then no. That
means you should be skimming your system. If you add some poly filter to
the sump and let some stuck above the waterline, it should take care of
that. I reiterate: get the tests done and stop adding livestock until
you have answers. Remove the brass ASAP!
-GrahamT>
Please help,
Shawn Cigarette smoking -
03/26/2006
Hello, I operate an aquarium maintenance company, many
of our "marine fish only tanks" are in professional offices.
I'm
currently putting in an offer to set up a marine fish only tank in a
restaurant / bar. I've never set up a tank in this sort of environment,
have anyone Wet Web Media had any experience with this?
<Extensive.
I helped start and run a service company of good size for nearly two
decades>
Does the cigarette smoking have any effect on marine fish?
<Oh yes... very negative>
The restaurant will be family orientated,
not like a sports bar.
Thanks for any info into this and of course
your taking the time to reply.
Jim Jesko
<Just the smoke can be
trouble... there are "hookah" like water filter devices you can run any
pumped air through going into such systems... I encourage you to switch
our chemical filtrants (activated carbon likely) once every two weeks or
so. Keep the tank tops sealed as much as practical and way out of reach
of the customers, and staff... tell all they are not to reach into or
place anything into the tanks. Bob Fenner> Big
Mistake...How do I fix it? 100% Silicone, Toxic systems
6/13/06
I hate to bother you as I know you guys are busy helping
people with real problems that can be solved but here goes anyway. I had
a very badly designed sump setup (wet/dry u-tubed to a 10 gallon
refugium u-tubed to a 10 gallon sump)
<Yikes... U-tubes are not to
be trusted...>
that I tore down hoping to build something similar
(no u-tubes, entirely in a 55) using the EPDM baffling I read about
here. Well, after setting it up with the EPDM, I realized that the
baffles were not going to stay in place, water pushing them over. I
quickly used GE Silicone II to silicone the baffles into place. (I did
not notice until way too late that it says "not for use on aquariums").
<Yikes... want to avoid types with "Mildewcides", other additives... Use
only 100%...>
I also only let it dry for about 12 hours.
<Needs 24...>
I have removed the sump completely while I allow the
new silicone to cure. I performed about a 50% water change. All of my
fish seem to be O.K. I have no filtration at all while the silicone is
curing. So, since I have lost every SPS in my tank and all of my soft
corals look terrible and my 10-12" anemone has shriveled up to about 2"
I was wondering what you think I should do to help alleviate the
problems and get my tank ready to house corals again?
<... if it
were me/mine, I'd cut away all the present Silicone and re-do this with
100%... Or, buy a new sump...>
How long should I wait before trying
to add any corals again?
Thanking you in advance for the extreme
wealth of knowledge you provide to me and many other people with this
aquarium obsession.
<Do take the long view here... You don't want to
have mal-lingering dread re toxicity issues... cut out this
"door/window" Silastic and replace it. Bob Fenner>
Acrylic
Nails and Aquariums 7/16/06
Dear Crew,
Can having acrylic
finger nails poison my marine aquarium?
<Yes, make sure they
completely dry before putting your hand in the tank. Better yet would
be elbow length gloves.>
Jenn
<Chris>
Jebo 72 gallon aquarium. Al and SW... toxic
8/21/06
This tank has a tight fitting aluminum hood with
pre-cut holes for filter tubes, pump wires etc. Holes are too small
to accommodate my hang on CPR skimmer.
I don't want to cut hood
to accommodate this skimmer-anyone know of a hang on skimmer that
will work with this type hood?
Thanks, Randy
<... Uhh, more
trouble... aluminum and saltwater don't mix... This tank cannot be
used with this fixture. Bob Fenner> Re: Jebo 72
gallon aquarium, Al issue 8/21/06
Bob thanks for
the heads up. Aluminum components of hood are painted, don't know if
that makes a difference, otherwise plastic tank frame is cut to
accommodate glass hinged lid. Guess I could have custom cut glass
and use my coral life light fixture off of my old 55 gal.
When
you say toxic in what form? Gas, flaking corrosion into tank?
<The last... can be real trouble... Bob Fenner>
Re: Jebo
72 gallon aquarium 8/21/06
Bob, I'm amazed at
your ability to return e-mail so rapidly.
<I key quickly>
You are the only on line resource I trust and rely on for
professional advice. I read and rely on your conscientious marine
aquarist book for most everything-best 50
dollars I
have spent. I will keep an eye on the painted aluminum for any
signs of corrosion.
<Ah, good... I would also employ a pad/unit
of PolyFilter in your filter flow path here>
Found a way to
mount by back mount skimmer, this lid component comes off by
removing two screws and allows mounting space-also less metal to
worry about!
<Very good>
Thanks so much for your valuable
time and advice.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner> |
OOOPPSS latex paint in the aquarium 9/9/06
Ouchimomma,
I guy's love your site, I was just painting and uhhhhh, well I dropped a
paint brush covered in latex paint into my tank..... I just preformed a
full water change to get the paint out. I didn't know what to do!!!!
Anyway, my clown is still swimming around and my corals look fine, but I
want to know if there is anyway I can make there life, or hospis
easier!!!!
Thank you so very very much,
Zach Alexander
<Mmm,
all should be well... latex paints are largely non-toxic... though I
would have done what you did... and/or moved the livestock elsewhere If
I had facilities to do so. Too late to be concerned re using chemical
filtrants to remove "carrier" at this point. Bob Fenner>
Gorilla Glue Reef Safe? 11/22/06
I searched the FAQs, but did
not find the answer.
Forgive me if I overlooked it.
<No
problems, thank you for looking before writing.>
And have a 72gal
reef. For it, I have a 20g polyethylene drum that I plan to store my
makeup water in after it is processed by my RO/DI unit.
Unfortunately I have a continuous leak. I have attempted PVC glue and
silicone. With no success.
The two will not bond with the
polyethylene. I tested super glue on the surface, but it pealed off
also. I tested Gorilla Glue, it pealed off of the smooth surface but
bonded fine with the test portion that have been sanded. My questions
is, is the Gorilla Glue safe to use? The Gorilla Glue Information Pack,
as distributed by the manufacturer, states it is non-toxic. I also
looked at the MSDS sheet. I would like to get a thumbs up or down from
you guys! I have linked (as opposed to attached to lighten you server
load) the information pack and MSDS below.
Thank you for your help!
Information pack as distributed my the company:
http://www.gorillaglue.com/assets/download/GG_brochure.pdf
MSDS:
http://www.newpig.com/en_US/content/current/MSD-V288.pdf;jsessionid=3T2GYWVAQPUT2CTGIQVSFEQKMZCCWJVC
<Well, Duane, you're in luck. People have been using Gorilla Glue for
ages for coral frag placement and propagation purposes. Don't worry
here, if it seals your leak, you're good. However, if you run into a
similar problem ultimately with the Gorilla Glue, perhaps a 2 part
epoxy, left to dry would work? Hope this helps you! -JustinN>
Stuck eel... coat hanger... - 12/29/06
Hello again crew.
<Wayne>
This one I know is not a repeat question.
Today, my
snowflake eel got in my overflow. He seemed stuck, and tired. I waited
for 2 hours for him to come out on his own. He didn't...So I decided to
get him out myself. I used a wire hanger, the kind that's painted.
I thought maybe there would be copper in the hanger? Decided to take
the chance anyway. I got him out after about 30min of fishing. He was
definitely stuck.
Can the wire hanger have any ill effects on my
tank?
WS
<Mmm... don't know... am pretty sure they're made
mainly of steel/iron... the paint, coating? I would be running a pad of
PolyFilter, possibly some GAC in your filter flow path just to be on the
safe side... and adding screening to keep that Eel in place. Bob Fenner>
Help!! Broken Thermometer 12/4/06
Hey everyone!
<Hey ya! Mich here.>
I have somewhat of an emergency!
<OK>
I was tooling around beneath my tank today. I noticed some,
what look to be, rust spots. I had a floating glass thermo that broke
when I moved my tank some time ago. I was sure I got all the beads up,
so I'm not even sure that's what this is from. The spots are on the very
bottom of a 3 to 4 inch aragonite live sand bed. Which means there are
probably more of whatever it is, with in it. What do I do?!
<Leave
it alone.>
I really hope I don't have to tear the whole tank apart.
<I would not.>
I run PolyFilter and carbon all the time. My coral
(softies, one LPS, and a LTA), snails, hermits, shrimp and cucumber are
all doing well.
<Very good.>
No fish.
<That's OK>
There
are serpent stars and scud/Mysis shrimp everywhere. My snails breed
regularly. My water checks fine, I don't know if that would effect what
I test for anyway. Should I hold out and see if there will be any ill
effects?
<Yes. I would not disturb the tank.>
The spots are
small, there are about 15 of them. Right now they are the size of a
pencil point. I am pretty sure it is rust.
<It may be rust, it may
not be. I wouldn't be worried if it is rust. Your corals are not
showing any sign of stress. There are places that actually dose with
iron in order to keep kelp in their tanks. So take a deep breath, relax
and enjoy your tank.>
Thank you so much!!
<You are quite
welcome.> <ps "I"s instead of "i"s please.>
rob
Re: Some Inputs on Dying Snails Query 12/30/06
Hi
everyone!
I just want to comment on the problem of the dying snails
(original query attached below). I had this problem before in my fully
stocked reef tank, everything was ok, except for the gastropods, who
seemed to lose grip and balance, fall down to the gravel, unable to
right themselves and dying after a few days.
I teach
undergraduate invertebrate zoology, and I soon made a connection between
one additive and the gastropod deaths: Magnesium sulfate and Magnesium
chloride. In the lab, either of these compounds is used to slowly
anesthetize and 'relax' aquatic invertebrates to allow for easy
dissection. In my case, magnesium overdose was traced to the poor
quality sea salt I was using at the time ( I know better now). I shifted
to natural seawater for a time, and then used a quality sea salt, and my
snail problems have stopped. Magnesium toxicity may also be brought
about by dosing (or overdosing) on magnesium supplements. It just may
be that certain gastropods are more sensitive to this compound, become
anesthetized, and become so relaxed that they asphyxiate, or otherwise
become vulnerable to predators in the tank. I never did any full scale
experimentation to prove or isolate Magnesium as the culprit, all I'm
saying that it's worth looking into.
Hope this little info helps!
Best regards,
Richard (Manila, Philippines)
<Thank you for this.
BobF> Dead
fish, toxic tank, moving livestock (Tridacna) ASAP 1/5/07
Dearest crew,
<Hi Carla, Mich here.>
Tragedy has struck, and
this reader is frantic. My initial hypothesis is that a powerhead
in my tank jammed/overheated/otherwise malfunctioned, and my
roommate called me at work saying there was an electrical burny
smell in my bedroom, and she was afraid our apt. was burning
down. I instructed her to unplug the tank, and I'd be home in an
hour...
<Wise.>
I returned to find two dead fish (and now
one very dejected girl- I've had them for over a year).
<So
sorry.>
However, as soon as my friend gets here to help me deal
with the bodies (I'm squeamish... how is it that I can butcher a
flounder without a second thought in the kitchen, but not scoop my
little friends into a net?
<Better to get them out ASAP as the
bodies are just further polluting the system.>
Because they were
my little friends, I suppose. ANYWAY...)
<Understandable, but
not helping the remaining animals in your care.>
My thoughts are
now on the remaining Tridacna clam, mushroom polyps, hermit crabs,
etc. still in the toxic water that killed my fish.
<Good
thinking.>
Luckily, I have another tank set up in my living room
(was going to move them all to larger quarters...) which has been
aging for a long while (several months... I'm a procrastinator...
and the move task was daunting and now urgent).
<Yep!>
My
main concern is this- the clam. How can I move it, and the largish
chunk of rock it's anchored itself to, into the new tank without
either exposing it to air or introducing the deadly water from the
old tank?
<Exposure to air will not kill your clam, though I
would try to keep it to a minimum. I would move the entire rock. Do
not remove the clam from the rock. I repeat, do not remove the clam
from the rock. Place the rock and clam in a container with water
from the contaminated tank and then add water from your new
system. Then dump some of the water and add more from the new
system. I would do this process relatively quickly, say within 30
minutes or so. It's ok if a minimum amount of water from your old
system is introduced; just try to minimize the volume.>
A
response ASAP would be wonderful, as you can imagine I'm sweating
over the fate of my remaining wet pets. *sniff*
<Sorry for your
loss. It always hurts to lose a friend, in this case more than
one.>
Thanks ever so much again,
<Good luck and my
condolences. -Mich>
Carla
Re: Dead fish, toxic tank,
moving livestock (Tridacna) ASAP 1/5/07
Thanks so
much for your quick advice!
<Hi Carla, you are most welcome,
sorry for you problems.>
Blooper and Dex have been removed to
bluer waters (i.e...... the dumpster)
<Sorry about Dex and
Blooper. ...bluer isn't the adjective I was thinking of here!>
and I'm moving the live rock and following your clam transferal
instructions. Hadn't planned to remove the clam from his rock, but
am relieved that I don't have to attempt some complicated plastic
bag procedure/underwater move. It's in a bucket next to the new
tank, and I'm quickly but gradually mixing the water.
<Excellent.>
Will let you know how things turn out!
<Please do, include my name in the subject line if you don't mind.>
One of the powerheads was most certainly the culprit, as it smelled
strongly of electrical burnout.
<Happens.>
Will it be safe
to move some/all of the sand to the new tank, or will it contain
residuals of whatever killed my fish (not sure if it was an
electrical shock or a chemical contamination from the powerhead
malfunction)?
<Hard to tell the cause, but I think I would
wait on the sand transferal. Do a couple of large, like 75% or more
water changes. It may be possible to transfer the sand, but I
wouldn't do it anytime within the next month or so. I would watch
and see what kind of die off you experience within this tank and see
if you get regrowth. ...Though being a procrastinator maybe I
should say sometime in the next two weeks so it happens sometime in
the next couple of months...hehehe!>
I'd planned to combine the
sand from the old and new tank to create a deep sandbed... would
like to keep the old sand and its good critters if you think this
would be wise.
<Yes, in general I think this is a good idea,
but would be hesitant to do it immediately for fear of possible
contamination. At most I would take a cupful just to seed the new
tank, this would allow for growth but minimizing potential
complications in the new system.>
I'll be changing the filter
media (Fluval canister) for fresh carbon, Chemi-pure, phos-ban, and
poly filters (if I have any left...). Anything else I should keep
an eye on? Obviously testing the tank regularly for the next couple
days/weeks would be a good idea... and crossing my fingers?
<All
these things, coupled with a large water change or two would be
helpful. Good luck! -Mich> |
Rusty well water, dying snails, need for testing and more reading
1/5/07
Hello! Bob
My name is Karl Douville
<Hello
Karl, My name is Mich and I'll be your WWM Crew member today!>
I am
contacting you because I have a 180-gallon reef fish tank and my tank
does not look the way I always thought it should look like!
<Umm OK,
how did you think it should look?>
It looks pretty healthy but I
know something is just not right!
<OK. And you know this how?>
I started my tank has been running for 10 month including the cycling
period.
<OK, still a very young tank.>
I have had experience
before with the same tank! On city water.
<OK. Yikes, city water!>
I just siphoned my live sand and got a lot of sediments or organic
matter, but I’m not sure if it was a good idea, because I was told to
not stir up the live sand?
<Is good to clean areas of the sandbed,
just not the entire sandbed at one time.>
My nitrates are still up!
About 20 ppm
<Higher than desired.>
I am using deep well
water. (It has rust in it, but I don’t think that is my problem.)
<May want to reconsider this.>
I don’t use R.O. but I did have a
really good ultraviolet with three good quality filters!
<UV will
kill bacterial/microfauna present in water, but will not have any effect
on nitrate levels. RO water should not have any measurable nitrates;
the same cannot be said for well water. Have you tested you well water
for nitrates? How often do you have the wet chemistry of your well
water professionally analyzed?>
I have done lots of test iron, ph,
ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and KH GH are all good, but yet to
figure out my calcium levels because of an expired test kit witch read
way to high to believe. It had no end to the test!
<Time to invest
in a new Calcium kit.>
I have had casualties with snails at the
start and I have not bought anymore
since that. (35 snails
perished)
<That's quite a few.>
The snail would be fine in the
bag but as soon as put them in they would slither around and then start
falling on their backs and I kept flipping them over and over! Some
liked the glass but could not go on the sand or they flipped!
<I
actually suspect you Magnesium levels are too high, possibly having the
effect of a muscle relaxant on your snails. Calcium levels are also
likely to be low. Would be wise to invest in these two tests.>
That’s why I thought of the sand being the problem! And I cleaned it!
<I don't think this is the problem.>
My live sand is 4 inches deep
and layered from big shell on the bottom to medium size in the middle
and finer aragonite on top! There has been no hydrogen sulphite bubbles
or blackish looking sand. There is not plenum, but I put large shells on
the bottom to create natural a plenum.
<Would be better to have a 4
inch bed of consistently fine aragonite sand or a deeper bed of the
mixed grain. Please start reading here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm>
I have seen copepods, arthropods, worms and none threatening bristle
worms (blue and orange) in my sand.
<The threat of bristle worms are
overrated.>
I have 3 cleaner shrimps, several hermit crabs, 2 tomato
clowns, 1 yellow tang, 1 camel shrimp, 1 flame angel, 1 algae blenny ,
assorted mushrooms, small toad stool, some polyps that are doing pretty
good and 1 new giant white carpet anemone which is not doing really
good.
<Watch the anemone, has the potential to have a
large negative effect on your system.>
I hope you can diagnose my
problem!
<Check your magnesium and calcium levels.>
Thank you
for time!
<Welcome, You seem to be missing some key facts here...I
recommend you spend some time reading either on the WWM or perhaps
invest in a book such as The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M.
Fenner. -Mich>
Zinc in epoxy 7/5/05
Hi WWM Crew,
First I would like to
thank you for your help. I recently bought and read (in about 2
days) Bob Fenner's book and am really enjoying the learning process.
I got excited about aquascaping after reading that part of the book
went out to the local hardware store and bought epoxy putty. I ended
up with two kinds. One is Ace brand plumbers epoxy which I think
will be safe, as I found reference to it being used successfully by
others on the web. I ended up liking this one better and bought more
of it. It is the majority of what I used. (About 5 10' sticks.) The
second is PC marine epoxy. This one I am worried about because it
lists zinc sulfide on the materials (5-10% of the composition). I
only used one 5' stick of this. I unfortunately already used both of
them to build a fairly large rock structure for my 55 gal fish and
invert tank. My question to you is: Do you think that the PC epoxy
will be harmful?
<The Zinc is to be avoided... but over some
time it should be of little to no consequence. I would place a pad
of PolyFilter in your filter flow path for now... to remove this
metal as it comes into solution from the Epoxy>
What if I cover
the exposed areas of PC epoxy with the other Ace brand epoxy?
<A
worthwhile suggestion, yes>
And finally, if it should not go in
the tank do you think that breaking down and reusing the rocks
(coral skeleton) that were exposed to it would be OK?
Possibly
with new and extra carbon in the system?
<I do think you are
right here>
I presently have 2 large hang on filters, a UV
filter, new (3 days old) Aqua C remora pro skimmer, and an
undergravel filter. I change 10% of the water twice a week using
Waikiki aquarium filtered water.
<Ah, "the gathering place",
O'ahu>
I tried calling the company and am waiting for a call
back, although not sure they will be able to answer my questions. I
did search this site extensively and although I found reference to a
link regarding epoxy, I could not locate the link.
Thank you so
much. Looking forward to seeing what you have to say.
Elizabeth
<I would not be overly concerned here... with the size, type system,
availability of good source water, use of chemical filtrants... the
Zinc should be a small concern soon. Bob Fenner> Re: zinc in
epoxy 7/6/05
Hi again,
In reference to the attached email
regarding epoxy putty.
I received a call from PC marine. They
assured me that the product, once cured, was harmless in a saltwater
fish tank. The said that once cured that it will not allow any water
entry or react with anything.
They also said that they had given
this advice to others and had them use it successfully. I am still a
little hesitant and would love your opinion.
Thanks!
Elizabeth
<You did get my email from this morning? I am in
agreement with the statements above. This putty should be safe once
cured. Bob Fenner> Re: zinc in epoxy 7/6/05
Hi Bob,
<Elizabeth>
Thank you so much for your response. I was thinking
that I would have to break down my big rock structure that I spent
so long on. For some reason I did not receive your response to my
first email, but I went to WWM and found it.
<Bizarre... the
Net...>
I will buy some poly filters and put my masterpiece in!
<Ah, good... get some help lifting!>
Thank you very much for
what you have done for this hobby. I recommend your book/site to
every person I see in the pet store buying unsuitable livestock.
Aloha,
Elizabeth
<Ahh, thank you for your kind, encouraging
words, good works. Bob Fenner> |
Potential Disaster (HELP!) Real trouble with batteries falling into a
marine sump! 7/14/05
Dear WWM Crew,
I may have
experienced a potential disaster. I had a battery powered air pump
sitting on a shelf near my reef tank. I had left a window open and a
wind came up. The shade on the window blew back and knocked the air
pump into my open plenum sump. The air pump wasn't on and because of
some overhaul maintenance the sump wasn't connected to my reef at the
time that it happened. It may have sat in there several hours while I
was out to dinner. When I found it I pulled the thing out and from the
battery compartment drained a black liquid.
<Yikes>
I grabbed a
cup and dipped a little out before it dissipated. What damage did this
cause? All my equipment in the sump still works but I didn't connect it
back to the main reef. What should I replace? What else (if anything)
can I do? Any help would be appreciated greatly.
Thanks,
Andrew
S.
<I would vacuum, drain all the water out of the sump, add a unit
of Chemi-Pure and PolyFilter and allow the replaced water to recirculate
through this a couple of days, then try placing a "test fish" in the
sump for a few days more... Bob Fenner. Magnetic tank
cleaner/dead tangs 7/13/05
Long time listener, first time
caller...
Last night I used a magnetic tank cleaner for the first
time, and I had quite a bit of algae on the glass (55 gal tank). This
morning, I had 2 dead tangs (1 yellow, 1 yellow-eyed black
tang). Everything else seems to be OK (arrow crab, couple dozen
blue-legged hermits, 2 percula clowns, emerald crab, 2 yellow-tail blue
damselfish). PH, salinity, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia all look
fine. Could the tank cleaning cause the death of the tangs?
<Mmm,
not likely. RMF>
(btw - great site! Sorry for emailing, but I
searched and couldn't find anything in the existing FAQ that matched my
question, but I'm sure you've answered it and I just can't find it)
--Jeff
Never mind... Wasn't the cleaning, just a
coincidence. Ich.
<Not the magnets... RMF>
Live rock
contamination with soap 8/3/05
Hello all, I am a LFS owner and I
am not a marine biologist and have a customer with what I think is a
very serious problem.
<No marine biologists here either, just
dedicated experienced aquarists, but I am quite sure we are only going
to back up what you already know...>
My new customer recently moved
(1 month ago) into my area and bought some fish (Pearlscale butterfly
and Sailfin tang) which had been in my main tank for weeks and were
doing excellent. Within a week he lost both as well as his large
clownfish. (clownfish died first). So being a purchase of 7 days or less
I gave a refund and said to watch for some type of bacterial problem. I
told him to wait a week before buying anymore fish until he could see no
other problems (he still had some damsels).
<Kudos on having such a
generous guarantee! Bacterial problems are rare but I do agree with
your advice, although I do think I would have questioned them more and
tested there water since these fish were established in captivity and
healthy.>
A week later he shows up and ask for 2 more pearlscales as
well as a valentine puffer and a spotted file. Well low and behold a
week later and the Pearlscale are dead. I decided to go see his tank and
could not believe what I was seeing. His live rock which he states is
about 2 years old (4 large pieces) looked to be having a massive die
off, all the hair algae was turning white (about 85%) and his purple was
turning grey. And the tank glass even had a whitish slime on it. I have
never seen anything like this and being I use your sight for my personal
learning I hoped to get your help. <Yikes!! Isn't it amazing that they
didn't realize on their own that it might be a bad idea to add
fish?!?!?>
My first thought was bacterial but also note after
talking in great detail with both him and his wife I found out 2 things.
The tank was torn down, cleaned and reset up 1 month ago. I then pressed
them to explain how it was cleaned. Thinking toxicology I asked if they
used bleach or anything of that nature and was told no, but after a few
more questions I was told they used lite dish detergent to clean off
some of the rock. <Yowza! There is obviously no way to get all of this
stuff out of the porous structure of the rock, and even if it isn't
toxic on it's own, who knows how it is affecting the water chemistry!>
At this point I asked how quickly the white took over the tank and got
no straight answer. Being at a loss as to what to do I did dose their
tank with Maracyn hoping to slow this down if it is bacterial but my gut
tells me its toxicology and figure they should probably clean the
liverock bare with a toothbrush but wished to ask a pro before I tell
them anything else to do.
<It sounds to me that these people knew
they did something wrong, but hoped that it would just go away and
didn't want to fess up to it. I would recommend that you offer to hold
any animals that are still alive at your store (with no guarantee) while
the tank is re-established. All of the equipment should be thoroughly
cleaned with fresh water and the live rock (as well as any other porous
media or substrates like sand, ceramic filter media, filter pads, etc.)
should be discarded and replaced.>
So I am asking you guys since I
think you're pros and have found you to be dead on compared to asking
other LFS owners who I must say I think have no clue and guess at a lot
of there answers. Any ideas are greatly appreciated and a thank you in
advance for any help and for having such a helpful site. Jeff
S. <Thanks for the kind words and good luck with this difficult
situation. AdamC.>
Silica Beads - Late Reply - 08/02/05
Hi Folks,
Have a very beautiful fish only aquarium. The air dryer
for my ozonizer burst open and about 100 beads fell into my sump. I
cannot get them out until tomorrow night (have to buy a water vac). I've
read up and down about the silicates in your FAQ's and all points to the
fact that they aren't toxic (at least for a short time) to my little
friends but do I have the time to wait until tomorrow night?
Best
Regards,
Jeffrey
<<Hello Jeffrey...Sorry for the late reply. As
you've surely surmised by now, the tank will be fine till you can remove
the beads. Regards, EricR>> A Small Piece of Metal In a Large
Volume of Water-Problem? 8/1/05
Hello crew, I hope all is
well. I have a few quick ones. I'm in the setup stage of my tank, and
I was filling up my bio ball chamber with balls, and a small staple from
the shipping bag fell in and has disappeared. Will this staple corrode
and kill my livestock? Maybe I'm just being way too paranoid, but I
would hate to kill a few hundred dollars in fish over a damn staple.
<Not overly paranoid...but no need to worry. One small staple in a large
volume of water will not make too much of a difference.>
Also, I
hooked up my external pump to my bulkhead of my glass sump and filled it
with water. It's 3/4" and the hole is a 1 1/2" which some bulkheads
call for but the ones I bought don't say and the hole seems to be a
little large for this particular one. The bulkhead has a slow leak,
will silicone fix this or should I try a different brand bulkhead?
<I'd be inclined to try a new bulkhead, myself.>
Finally, which do
think will offer better buffering capacity, Florida crushed coral, or
Seaflor special grade? Thank you again. Mike
<Well, Mike- both are
good products, and are equal to the task. For most applications, the
Seaflor Special Grade is a better choice, however. Good luck to you!
Regards, Scott F.>
Aluminum and Saltwater 1016/05
Hi,
I read on one of your replies that aluminum was not compatible with a
saltwater aquarium (i.e. as a support above the aquarium for a light).
Is this because the aluminum is toxic to the fish or because the salt
corrosion will quickly deteriorate the aluminum?
<In my opinion,
aluminum is fine to use outside of the aquarium and away from water
contact. In fact, many commercial lighting fixtures incorporate
aluminum. However, contact with salt water will corrode aluminum and
aluminum can dissolve into the water and is toxic.>
Also, my aquarium
is a 40 gallon FOWLR tank that is only 14" deep and 40" long, and I
would like to add an anemone (LT or Sebae) Would a 250w Metal Halide
Lamp 6" above the water, along with my 65w 50/50 PC light, be overkill?
Thanks for your help, Dustin
<I would not use more than 175w MH in
such a shallow tank. In fact, although I almost recommend halides for
anemones, one or two additional PC's would probably do fine in such a
shallow tank. Best Regards. AdamC.> Additives 10/6/05
Hello, <Hello>
I have a 30 gallon saltwater tank that's 9 months
old.
It has 20 lbs live rock with coralline algae of all colors
growing very well. <Good>
I have a Corallife Aqualite lights (2x65W,
10000K and Blue Actinic).
I have one clown and a red-striped blenny,
10 Astrea snails, 10 blue-legged hermits, 2 common hermits, a big, black
striped brittle star (6in spread out - disk the size of a quarter), a
few tiny brittle stars, and some random brittle worms and other kind of
worms. I have some nice green star polyps that are propagating nicely,
some Zoanthids? (soft coral polyps), Sargasso, green Caulerpa, and red
fern algae stuff. All of these are relatively small.
I have a
powerhead and a hang-on-the-back-BioWheel-filter system (Marineland),
and I have two airstones. pH is right around 7.9-8.1. I do not have a
way of testing anything else, so this might be my problem. Two weeks
ago I stupidly added a multivitamin to my tank on the suggestion from a
website.
Several days later, the first of my three peppermint shrimp
died, then the next day the second, followed by a brittle worm. The
corals closed up and look kind of gangly.
I changed as much water as
possible and cleaned the filters. The last shrimp hung on, but died.
The corals look like they are slowly coming around but they still look
bad. I think the multivitamin did it. Nothing else looks
affected. Other than not adding a multivitamin EVER AGAIN, what can I
do to help out my tank? Are there any problems? The brittle star
spends a lot of time by the corals - is he eating them? <They are
supposedly reef safe although I've read reports they may occasionally
"nibble" on soft coral, but generally reef safe. As to the vitamins,
any possibility you OD'd? Is this vitamin supplement one designed for
marine tanks? If not, then that could be a source of the problem your
having. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks in advance, <You're welcome>
Armand from Georgia
Confusion about copper, ignorance costs
10/18/05
Hey guys, since I can't find an exact answer after
searching the forums I'm emailing you. I know when you use copper it
doesn't kill the parasites hanging in the tank but only prevents them
from going onto the fish from a thickened mucous layer.
<Uh, no>
Does the same go for formalin and malachite green, or do they kill the
parasites (and eggs) through out the tank AND on the fish?
<Both, all
kill intermediate forms while they are active, seeking hosts... not
while on the hosts generally or in encysted "resting" stages>
My
B/F's appetite seems to be suppressed after treating with formalin, is
this normal?
<Oh yes... toxic to the max.>
He was eating pretty
good before I put the formalin in, now he's barely eating. He has thread
like feces also, should I treat for a bacterial infection?
<.....>
And which med is best for that?
<...>
Thanks so much
<Read...
on WWM, elsewhere re... stop poisoning your livestock until you know
what you're doing. Bob Fenner> Nicotine deadly to saltwater fish?
Oh yes, To All Fish 11/3/05
I am a smoker and sjust (just)
started a saltwater tank a couple a mounths (months) ago. (The)
the started fish did just fine but now that am getting some more
expensive fish the are dying. i (I)
<Please people... use your
spelling/grammar checkers to learn proper English!>
have to (two?)
clown fish that haven't died and two pajama fish that do just finr
(fine). i (I) have lost a yellow tang and a Emperor Angel Juv
just this morning and i (I) have last couple fish in last couple
a weeks. (Any) any thought on what might be killing them.(?) (Water)
water has been tested and was ok.
<Nicotine (and a few other
compounds from tobacco) are very toxic to most marine life, all
fishes... do wash your hands, arms thoroughly and still get/use some
elbow length gloves... if the house/office where the tank is has little
new air circulation and air entraining/pumping devices... I would use
in-line air filters as well... Bob Fenner>
Cypermethrin - 12/15/2005
hello there,
<Just skip to the
bottom. Oh, and Hello.>
You have heard of the idiot award, give
it to me!!
We fogged the house this evening for ticks, using
raid max fumigator, the active ingredient is Cypermethrin.
You
guessed it!!
I followed the directions and covered the aquarium
with a sheet. Some of the chemical must have gotten past the sheet
and into the water.
All of the invertebrates are no longer with
us. It seems that the refugium has been wiped out too.
The
snails, fish and corals seem to be o.k.
we lost 2 fire shrimp
,one skunk cleaner and a few hermits,
Luckily there was not much
in the tank, the six line wrasse, Molly miller blenny, serpent star
and few corals seem to be o.k.
The big question is:
Is this
tank now junk? will the chemical dissipate? will the live rock soak
up the chemical.
I am hoping, being that the invertebrates are
the most delicate, the poisoning was slight.
I imagine the
bacteria in the tank has been affected, The refugium was full of
life, copepods, amphipods, spaghetti worms, crabs and many other
inhabitants. Not looking to lively at the moment.
Do you have
any information on anything like this, I hope I am the only one who
has ever emailed such unfortunate news.
I emailed the
manufacturer for any info they may have. I also checked the MSDS and
did a few web searches.
WWM archives have helped with many of my
questions.
If anything is learned from all of this, I hope some
information or a warning of some kind could be passed on to others
I hope someone can learn from my mistake.
any info on this
matter would be appreciated
thanks for your time
Peter
<Peter,
I'll spare you any jokes because this isn't funny at
all. I'll keep looking for more specifics but what I've found really
only has a major concern for contact with water, especially aquatic
life. States that it may cause long term "adverse effects " on them.
Also mentions thermal decomposition products and the release
of hydrogen CYANIDE. There's a contact # but it goes to London.
Hope it will help some in your course of action. I'll chime in again
later with anymore. - Josh
http://www.gharda.com/products/msds/Cypermethrin100EC.PDF>
Re: Cypermethrin on Aquatic Organisms - 12/16/2005
Hello
there,
<Peter. Back now with a little less rush. Wanted to at
least send the small bit of info. I had to help what it could.>
You have heard of the idiot award, give it to me!!
<It's in the
mail my friend!>
We fogged the house this evening for ticks,
using raid max fumigator, the active ingredient is Cypermethrin. You
guessed it!I followed the directions and covered the aquarium with a
sheet.
<In the future I recommend something nonporous>
Some
of the chemical must have gotten past the sheet and into the water.
<If you can breath through it, it can pass.>
All of the
invertebrates are no longer with us. It seems that the refugium has
been wiped out too. The snails, fish and corals seem to be o.k. we
lost 2 fire shrimp ,one skunk cleaner and a few hermits. Luckily
there was not much in the tank, the six line wrasse, molly miller
blenny, serpent star and few corals seem to be o.k. The big question
is:
Is this tank now junk? Will the chemical dissipate? Will the
live rock soak up the chemical.
<Could not find direct reference
for the LR absorption, but it does have a half life in the water.
The effect is worse in closed systems (as with all things), adheres
to suspended organic matter and bottom sediment. Half life in soils
from 30 days to 8 weeks.>
I am hoping, being that the
invertebrates are the most delicate, the poisoning was slight.
<Unfortunately the LC50 (amount of a chemical that will kill 50% of
a test population) is extremely low for aquatic organisms at less
than 1 ppm. More specifically in the range of .00?.>
I imagine the bacteria in the tank has been affected. The refugium
was full of life, copepods, amphipods, spaghetti worms, crabs and
many other inhabitants. Not looking to lively at the moment.
<Yes. LC50 for inverts found to be around .000?>
Do you have any
information on anything like this, I hope I am the only one who has
ever emailed such unfortunate news.
<First I've heard of.>
I
emailed the manufacturer for any info they may have. I also checked
the MSDS and did a few web searches.
<Good follow up.>
WWM
archives have helped with many of my questions. If anything is
learned from all of this, I hope some information or a warning of
some kind could be passed on to others. I hope someone can learn
from my mistake.
<I'm sure many will think twice now.>
Any
info on this matter would be appreciated.
Thanks for your time,
Peter
<You may end up ok here, but I wouldn't risk it. If
possible QT all still living and let the tank run fallow. I think
one suitable sized vessel would be fine as they aren't contagious.
Any adverse effects would probably show in the gills first (strongly
absorbed here). Would eventually look like standard poisoning or
neurological disorder. Keep up pristine water quality and diet, wait
it out. You're probably going to see a bloom of filamentous alga in
the main, and can probably expect a cycle. After at least a month,
though I'd wait the full 8 weeks (or whatever the cycle takes) you
could test the tank with some crabs. I'd give them a week to be
sure. If all is stable at that time, you could gradually add your
fish (not all at once). I hope this will help. In hindsight I
realize the first message I sent was near useless as I'm sure your
research already told you as much. - Josh>
Re:
Cypermethrin on Aquatic Organisms - 12/17/2005
Hello there,
<Hi Peter.>
Thanks you so much for the reply, the information
you sent me was indeed helpful.
<Very glad it was.>
I used
it along with other Google searches for Cypermethrin. It seems that
the chemical effects the central nervous system causing paralysis
and death along with some other nasty side effects along the way to
the end. The product is not water soluble and can be broken down by
aerobic digestion. I am glad to hear that it will leave the system,
that was one of my concerns.
I called the S C Johnson hotline.
In their vast knowledge, I was informed to run filtration (never
would have thought), well anyway they said that would remove the
product from the water.
I went to the LFS and purchased a poly
pad for the sump, I told the lady why I needed it, and once again,
there was that look. After a bit of the third degree and a little
reassuring that the chemical will come out I was on my way.
<At
least she didn't say "Throw in some Cleaner Shrimp and you'll be
fine." Do keep an eye on the PolyFilter for its color change and
remove it promptly when exhausted.>
Now you may call me crazy,
stupid or any other adjective that may fit, but, it is not as bad as
it seems.
<Nah, the award should suffice.>
In total
which really makes no sense to me we lost two Red Leg Hermits, two
Fire Shrimp and 1 Skunk Cleaner. The Brittle Star made a meal of one
of the Fire Shrimp, at the time I thought it to be his last supper.
I removed the other deceased from the tank wondering what else would
be affected. I looked in the refugium and found very little life,
some crabs were lying on the bottom, a bristle worm was out in some
macro doing the funky chicken dance, the spaghetti worms were not
moving, a few dead amphipods and no sign of a copepods.
So now
some time has passed, with the poly pad and aggressive skimming. I
was going to do a large water change and decided against it.
<I'd do it.>
The reason being is the tank is very much alive
now.
<Excellent, a water change would only help, but as it seems
may not be needed.>
In the refugium, copepods and amphipods are
on the move, the spaghetti worms are back to being spaghetti, crabs
are alive and moving around in the macro, I have seen a few other
worms and some crazy looking critter, kind of looks like an orange
slug, the size of a long grain of rice. Maybe the first sign of
mutation.
<Needs at least one reproductive cycle.>
I am
wondering if the chemical had paralyzed some of the inhabitants, not
being concentrated enough to kill.
<Hmm, kind of like an Opium
den I guess.>
Just one of those things I'll never know. I tested
the water, ammonia and nitrite were minimal,
<Not a good sign.
Hope that doesn't get worse. I would do the water change.>
nitrate was elevated as it has been, hoping the deep sand bed in the
refugium will eventually take care of it.
<Keep an eye out for
the beginning of a cycle.>
So it looks like the tank is on its
way back already. I am going to wait before adding new shrimp or
anything else. I don't want to think about the possibility of the
tank crashing. I can purchase live shrimp from the bait store and
use them for guinea pigs, plus get to go fishing with the rest.
I am taking this so far close encounter as a wake up call.
thanks so much for your time and help
<Glad all is going well
thus far.>
Happy holidays
Peter
<And to you. - Josh> |
Metal clamps and marine systems
Hi Guys,
I have a small pump
in my sump that is running my UV sterilizer. I have a stainless steel
hose clamp holding the tubing on to the pump. Will that affect my water
quality, and if so do you have any suggestions.
Thanks,
Stephen
G. Mule
<Such metal clamps can be problematical, or not... depending
on their placement, likelihood of rusting, falling into parts of the
system. I would go with non-metal clamps. Bob Fenner>
PC pin corrosion 1/4/06
How are you guys? <Great>
I have quick question about pin configuration on the Corallife power
compact fixture. Is there any type of substance that you can put on
the pins of a bulb when you change them to prevent the pins from
corroding(?) inside the end caps? <I spray a small amount of WD40 on
mine and wipe off excess. James (Salty Dog)> <<Mmm, this is a local
co... the product is diesel fuel, kerosene and a perfuming agent...
I would NOT spray this around aquariums. RMF>>
Thanks,
Greg
<<I use a smear of Silastic (100% Silicone Sealant)... wipes away
enough for initial contact, allows easy removal. Bob Fenner>>
"PC Pin Corrosion" - 1/6/06
Bob,
Noticed your comment
on this query. My hopes were that no one would actually spray this
stuff over or near the tank realizing what it is composed of. I
spray the pins in my workshop wiping any excess fluid from the pins
before reinstalling in the fixture and back on to the tank. The
Marineland clear silicone oil works well also (used on the "O" rings
in the magnum filters).
<I see>
I do appreciate comments as
such and DO let me know as I do not want to degrade the excellent
information that is provided by the WWM.
Regards,
James
<Will do. BobF> |
Metal Shavings In Reef Tank - 01/08/06
Hello Crew!
<<Howdy! EricR here.>>
It has been a long time since I've
written, because I've been too busy enjoying my reef tank, which has
been running smoothly for one year now.
<<Good to hear...>>
The reason why I'm writing is because I think that I just did
something really stupid.
<<Uh oh>>
I just purchased 6 blue
LED Lunar Lights for a nice moonlight effect in my tank when the
metal halides go off.
<<Ok>>
My canopy has a shelf
approximately 14" above the tank, and it runs the entire length of
the 7' tank. Above the shelf is another 14" of storage space, most
of which is currently empty. The shelves are removable 3/4" thick
plywood panels which rest within a rebate that runs along the inside
perimeter of the solid wood shelf frame. I removed one panel at a
time and screwed the Lunar Lights into place on the floor. I did
this for each panel until I got to the last one. The last panel
holds two metal halide lamp ballasts, and the lights were on, so I
decided to screw the Lunar Light onto the underside of the shelf
with the panel in place. All was going well, until the screw driver
in my electric drill began to slip, and one or two small metal
shavings came off of the inside of the screw head and fell in to the
tank.
<<Of small concern.>>
The quantity of material is
certainly in the milligrams, but I'm not sure if it is enough to
harm my corals, which includes a couple of Acropora, a Pocillopora,
a Montipora, multiple Zoanthids, green star polyps, and a couple of
LPS corals.
<<I don't think you have anything to worry
about. It has been my experience the small amount of material you
mention will have little, if any, affect.>>
The system is
approximately 145 gallons in total, and I change 20 gallons out
every week, religiously.
<<Excellent!>>
Do you think my
corals will be harmed by the dissolution of the metal screw?
<<No...I don't.>>
Are there any steps that I can take to
mitigate any potential toxicity issues?
<<Add some Poly-Filter
to your filter system.>>
Thank you for your consideration.
Lou
<<Regards, EricR>>
Re: Metal Shavings In Reef
Tank - 01/09/06
EricR,
<<Lou>>
Thank you for the
timely response.
<<Very welcome>>
I'll run a Poly-Filter in
my Fluval unit that I run activated carbon in.
<<Excellent>>
Your lack of concern puts me at ease.
<<Really of small concern
in your volume of water...will be fine.>>
Take care,
Lou
<<Regards, EricR>> |
Automatic
feeder in the drink... - 2/4/2006
Dear all, I REALLY NEED
YOU HELP!!!
I've written to you in the past and you've always been a
great help, but I need help like I've never needed before. To start off
with, I have a 30 gal tank stocked with two green Montiporas, one a
plating type with brown polyps and green fluorescence on the skeleton,
the other a branching with the polyps green. Then I have to small Acros,
a white hammer Euphyllia, a number of other softies.
<Very hard to
keep this mix in such a small volume...>
So my problem is that I
went on holiday and set up a battery operated fish feeder suspended from
a shelve over the tank.
I've always done this while I went on
holidays without problems. But this time, when I came home, the shelve
collapsed and the fish feeder fell into the water.
<Yikes>
I
reckon the feeder was in the water a max of 24 hours because I was only
away for one day. All the corals were closed, and the Montis lost their
green, and slime was trailing of the plating Monti. The Discosoma was
tiny, and the Euphyllia was closed. Basically everything was suffering.
So I immediately changed as much water as I could, added carbon and
sodium bicarb because Alk was below normal and started praying!!!! This
happened a week ago. Everything still looks alive, only my xenia has
dissolved. The Monti polyps are still brown as before, but the green
fluorescence covering the hard skeleton is missing, and has a pinkish
colour. The disco is open like usual, and Euphyllia seems to be
expanding slowly. So my question is whether the green will return to the
Montis????
<Possibly>
I'm fearing the worst. I will do a large
water change soon, and really keep parameters good, but I don't know if
it will help. What can you suggest. What obviously happened was the
saltwater affected the batteries in the feeder and some battery contents
started to ooze out.
I'm really concerned, please help if you can
Kind regards,
Chris
<In addition to what you've done, I'd add a
PolyFilter pad in your filter flow path, extend the light period another
couple hours per day, and add a live phytoplankton mix. Bob Fenner>
Metal Clamps/Rust 2/3/06
Hi, <Hello Matt>
I read
all of your comments on metal clamps but I have a real problem as I have
3/4 pipe on my return pump from my wet/dry and every time that I use
plastic clamps they seem to come off which has caused some major
flooding in my house (although I have been there on each occasion
luckily!)<And hopefully the wife wasn't there.>
I purchase some all
stainless clamps and although these may eventually rust, <Depends on the
grade of the stainless.> am I not able to use them at all, is the rust
dangerous?
I am seriously concerned as I cant seem to find a
solution. <I'd just use the stainless clamps. I've used them for
years. If one gets a little rusty replace it, they are not that
expensive. Rust is an acid, a pretty strong one at that to be able to
eat our cars for supper and, in high enough levels would lower your ph
by depleting the buffers. Don't be alarmed by a speck or two if it fell
into the water.>
Thanks in advance for any help! <You're
welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Matt
Incense and no
peppermints 2/2/06
Hi,
<Hello there>
I
Googled the website to confirm that there was no prior discussion of my
question, which I was pretty sure would be the case. Here goes - Have
you ever heard of or had experience with the smoke from incense acting
as some sort of toxin in an aquarium?
<I have not>
I have a 250g
fish-only system with fish that have been very healthy (Sailfin tang,
dogface and porcupine puffer, male/female bird wrasse, Soldierfish,
spotted Hawkfish, and male/female blue jaw triggers). I have observed
some minor (?) behavioral changes the last few weeks that coincide
roughly with my beginning to burn incense in the house (e.g., Sailfin
tang is more territorial, shaking his head, changes shades of color more
frequently; dogface puffer is scratching the sand occasionally, less
boisterous; striped Soldierfish is more animated, anxious). But, the
behavior also coincides with the addition of the male/female pair of
Blue Jaw Triggers (one of which promptly decided to share the
soldierfish's cave).
<These will definitely elicit a change>
The
triggers have been in the tank for 3 weeks now, so I'm not sure if
territoriality should still be an issue. My nitrates do rise between
water changes, but I'm making a good 30% change every 2 or 3 weeks. The
fish all look healthy, no outward signs of disease, and all are very
eager eaters. Should I be worried about some environmental issue or are
the fish just behaving like fish and working things out among
themselves? Thanks for your great help.
Mike
<Interesting to
speculate on such inputs/patterns, consequences. I imagine that all
determinate additions have some... but is it "general", like folks
having larger adrenals in larger cities? With more manifestations of
their secretions? An idea for the pet-fish world is to make/sell
something like a "hookah" arrangement as a means of filtering air going
into captive systems... Have seen such in large/wholesale operations...
and the water turns a ghastly mess in a short while. Bob Fenner>
Light fixture in the sump... 2/1/06
Hi guys (gals). I
bought a little battery powered florescent light not too long ago to put
under my tank above the sump (so I could see down there).
Well,
sometime between last night and now, the light fell into the water.
<Yeeikes!>
I pulled the light out but it was leaking a tannish brown
substance (from around the battery compartment) and a grey substance
(from around the light bulb). I presume that the brown stuff is battery
acid, and I suspect the grey may be phosphorus from the florescent
light.
<... not phosphorus>
Needless to say, I am pretty upset
at myself for this stupidity. I have an anemone that has been deflated
for a few hours. That is pretty much the only invert in the tank that I
am concerned about. I have recently moved all my corals and other
inverts to another tank (fortunately). All my fish seem to be fine so
far.
I did a water change of about 20galons which was all of the
mixed salt water I had available. The tank is a 74gal with 20 gal
sump. I also removed and
replaced all of the filter floss which had
been dyed brownish from the light. I am currently mixing more saltwater
and plan to do another water change when it is ready.
What else do
you recommend that I do and what do you think may have leached into the
water?
<Move all the livestock immediately if you can... use
activated carbon and PolyFilter in your filter flow path>
I'm afraid
that if it was phosphorous, that I will have a massive algae bloom?
<Worse>
And I'm hoping that Alk was high enough to buffer any
battery acid that may have leached. If the tan/brown stuff was also
rust, will that cause problems?
<Yes, likely if much got in the
water>
What are the short and long term ramifications of this
mishap? Thanks for all of your vast knowledge.
Peter
<Do avail
yourself of the chemical filtrants... now! Bob Fenner>
Hi Alk
and hi calcium 3/4/06 A chemical mess
Hi-
<High>
I have a 109 gallon reef tank with many mushrooms, SPS corrals,
<Yee
hah! Head 'em up little doggies!>
two clowns, two wrasses, a large
anemone and lots of reef janitors.
<Union or no?>
It is an
established tank (over 2 years). Everything is doing fine, but I notice
limited growth in coralline and all corals. I had a smaller tank
previously with no substrate and always had issues maintaining Alk, ph
and calcium levels but had extensive coralline and coral growth so I
talked with many experienced aquarists and they recommended a plenum
system for my new tank in order to help maintain ionic balance.
<...
Mmm, better to go with no substrate rather...>
Since I had the
plenum all tests have been relatively normal as you will see below
except my Alk is always hi at 18dkh plus and the calcium is always
around 480-500.
<... define normal>
I read all of
your articles and summarized that not too many aquarists have this issue
and have not had the "snowfall" issue that some others had. Here are my
readings. 18 dKH, calcium 500ppm, phosphates have always been hi-over
5mg/l, salinity at 1.021,
<... should be near/er 1.025>
Ph is
8.4 during day and 8.3 at night, ammonia and nitrite are zero, non
chelated iron is zero, chelated is also around zero but I have been
adding iron weekly so I am thinking my test kit is too old. Nitrate is
around 40ppm
<Way too high>
and the r/o water is at 10ppm
<Your unit needs maintenance, cartridge replacement>
(but I use
Seachem Prime to detoxify). All of my other test kits are new (Salifert
test kits for Alk, ph and calcium)
I noticed that since the Alk and
calcium were hi the amount of skimming debris has been reduced.
<Ahh! Yes>
I use a Rena Filstar Xp3 canister filter, a sand bed
filter hang on filter, 2x250 metal halide lights with two Marine-Glo
actinics, an Aquarium systems hang on protein skimmer and two powerheads
on a aquarium systems wave timer. I use a five stage r/o system and the
water Alk level tested from it is 2.6dkh
<What should this be?>
with a ph of 7.0. I have little algae growth (coralline or green/red)
and the only additives I have been using to try and increase coralline
algae growth is Purple Up from CaribSea and Kent Marine Iron/Manganese.
Other additives are Seachem Prime (only with water changes), Red sea
Salt (again only with water changes) and Wardley's sodium biphosphate
<... not a good idea... among other things, a source of your
phosphate...>
to lower ph/Alk. The hi calcium levels spike when I
use Purple Up but otherwise maintain at 500ppm. I perform a 5 gallon
water change every 3-4 weeks and change filter media every 2 months.
With my old system (without plenum) I would have to change 20-25% water
every week and dose heavily with calcium and buffers to keep my ph, Alk
and calcium normal. I have been told by other aquarists to not change
the water as frequently and this will lower my Alk/calcium levels, but
this is not the case-I actually find my ph and Alk with rise while
calcium stays the same. The only answers I can think of is either my
liverock, base rock (I have over 200lbs) or the substrate of over 2"
thick of crushed coral maybe producing the hi levels of Alk and calcium
and therefore may have to be reduced or start with more water changes
and or adding Wardley's sodium biphosphate. In the past I tried this
but had only a temporary reduction in Alk. What about using acid or
vinegar? What are the dangers of this? Does coralline algae grow better
in lower alkalinity tanks? I was hoping there would be a safe additive
that I could use-can you help?
thanks in advance,
Al Standaert
<Where to start here? You have a sort of "Dead Sea" effect going with
the mix of chemical species present... If this were our only
correspondence, I'd encourage you to re-read what books you have,
worthwhile (accurate, significant, meaningful) parts of the Net... on
marine water chemistry en toto... You can/could do a few things... but
don't know you well enough to gauge whether you have the wherewithal to
look into (sufficiently), stick with a given plan... I'll grant you a
clue though: Simply adding more of anything won't help you here. What do
you want to do... change out the substrate (entirely or almost), large
consecutive water changes to get you (back) to somewhere you can grow
corallines? Read and think this over... Bob Fenner>
Heavy
Metal In Deep Sand!
Hi Crew,
<Hi there! Scott F. with you
today>
I need some help! (what’s new – huh?) While removing a
retainer on my light canopy, the retainer shot into my aquarium. While
trying to dig it out, it got lost under the sand bed. The retainer is
spring steel and contains an amount of metal probably close to that of a
penny. Since the retainer is highly magnetic, I tried to fish it out of
the sand (about 3 ½” deep sand bed) with a strong magnet – with no
success. I have picked up every piece of live rock I thought it could
be under but I am unable to locate the retainer.
Do you have any
additional suggestions for finding a piece of buried steel in a 180g
aquarium with a 3 1/2 “ DSB and live rock?
<I guess a conventional
metal detector wouldn't work under water, huh?>
Worst case – at least
this is not copper; how dangerous would it be if this small piece of
steel is left in the aquarium?
<Well, It's obviously not a perfect
situation, but I suppose that the impact of this piece of metal may be
minimal, given the water volume, especially seeing that it is so small.
On the other hand, if it makes you feel better, you should run
aggressive chemical filtration with activated carbon/PolyFilter, or
other "metal removing" media, in the hopes that any potentially toxic
leaching could be minimized>
Currently this is a FOWLR aquarium but I
am getting ready to add corals and begin keeping a reef. Your advice is
greatly appreciated!--Greg
<Well, short of mounting another dredging
expedition, I suppose that you are just as well served to use the
aforementioned chemical filtration media full-time. Good luck Regards,
Scott F.>
Pump Screw Dangers? (4/13/04)
I was just
looking at my sump, and noticed my new magnum 7 return pump has four
stainless still screws holding a part on? Is this ok? <Most likely>
will they rust...I would think so? <By definition, stainless steel does
not rust. That's why they call it stainless.> Should I replaced them or
cover them with pvc cement or something? <I do not believe this is
necessary.> Wouldn't that be odd they use metal screws? <Plastic screws
are generally weak and easy to strip.> Surely this has come up? <I have
never heard of a problem.> I would think screws would rust and kill the
tank over time? <Again, it's "stainless" steel. Also, rust is an
oxidized iron. Iron is beneficial to marine macroalgae--I add it to my
tank. I am not aware of any documented harm from the metals that make up
stainless steel. Here's a couple of web sites of interest:
http://home.cogeco.ca/~mquill/stainless.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
http://www.stainless-steel-world.net/basicfacts/index.asp
http://www.bssa.org.uk/index.htm (click on "Technical Information"
and then on "About Stainless Steel"
Hope this helps. Steve Allen>
Rust in my Marine Aquarium 5/4/04
Hi .... A quick question. Is
rust dangerous in my marine aquarium?
<yes... metals are dangerous
for many marine organisms in closed aquarium systems>
I have a small
clamp the attaches the hose to a powerhead in my sump. I have noticed
that while the strap is stainless steel, the screw isn't and rust is
rapidly forming. Should I remove the clamp?
<do get a plastic hose
clamp to be safe>
My tank is 6x2x2 with a 4x1.5x1.5 sump (2 thirds
full)
Thanks Steve
<rock on my brother. Anthony>
AIRBORNE AMMONIA ENTERING TANK SYSTEM
Hello all, firstly, I
would like to extend a thanks for all of the work done by the
crew. Secondly, this is not a question so much as a warning. I had a
disturbing situation arise in my 'fish room'. I am in the process of
placing a few corals in a DIY acrylic grow out system. I had been
testing perimeters regularly. The other day, while testing the ammonia
level hit 1.0ppm. I couldn't understand how this could have
happened. There are no fish, just 6 small photosynthetic coral pieces
in roughly 120 gallons, none were in any state of decay. I then tested
a tank that has had several pieces of live rock for several months, this
had 0.5ppm. I then tested my make up and top off water, that hit
1.0. I proceeded to test the water out of the DI unit, 0.0ppm, then the
tap, 0.0. I also cross checked using 3 different test kits. At that
point I concluded it had to be coming in from the air. After some
thought, I recalled that two days earlier I had noticed, through a nasty
aroma, that my grand daughter had neglected the cat litter pan. The pan
is down the hall from my fish room. I put two and two together, I was
injecting the air borne ammonia into all of my water. Since water
changes were out, I immediately put an ionizer/air cleaner in the room,
loaded the tanks with carbon, and placed the filter pads I had been
culturing in a well established aquarium into the tanks. I have not
lost anything as of yet, some things are not looking great, but time
will tell. The moral is if it is in the air, it will find its way into
the tank.
<< Wow, what a story. Here is another example. You can
set up a salt water tank in your backyard. Wait a couple weeks, and
you'll have algae growing in it. The question many people have is where
did that algae come from? And, how can a marine strain find its way to
wherever you are. Well the answer is that tiny little spores from the
ocean are actually carried all the way across the continents in rain
clouds and the like. So I guess just about anything is possible. >>
Enjoy the 4th, God bless America.
Ed
<< Adam B. >>
Brass fittings - lethal for SW creatures 8/2/04
Thanks for your
quick response...but, how do I allow Nitrates?
<usually
by feeding the fishes and corals enough, else by making a sodium nitrate
solution (see Knops "Giant Clams" book, or my "Book of Coral
Propagation" for dose and application guidelines>
My understanding
is that the bacteria that removes Nitrates lives in live rock, not bio
balls,
<possibly>
or in a deep sand bed which I don't have
<very true... great denitrification in deep sand beds over 4">
(2
inches of crushed coral with 10% sand mixed in). Other than the bio
balls I have a Skimmer (400 gal/hr) and the prefilters on the dual
overflows -- I don't use carbon.
<please (!) use carbon faithfully,
or use ozone full time instead... else you will have a see-saw effect
with water clarity from water changes (or not) and aging lamps/changing
lamps. This can be extremely stressful to coral and other photosynthetic
organisms. Crystal clear water is critical and I recommend full time use
of small amounts of carbon, changed weekly>
I will be getting rid of
the bio balls soon. BTW, you are right. The rock is touching the glass.
It sounds like restacking is in order.
<no worries... this is a
common mistake. We have an extensive chapter on live rock and live sand
(including stacking, water flow, etc) in our latest book, "Reef
Invertebrates" [see reviews on Amazon if you like]>
Should I also be
testing regularly for Iodine and Strontium, in addition to the usual
things?
<not so critical... good enough to dose regularly if not
rely on small weekly water changes>
I am at a loss with the coral.
We realized we had plumbed
using brass fittings and thought that
could be a problem with the corals,
<yikes! This is lethal indeed. I
just answered/explained this to a chap on Reef Central. Brass is not
saltwater safe at all>
that maybe copper was leeching from the brass
into the water. We changed to plastic fittings and did a water change
and now detect no copper,
<it is actually bound now into your
calcareous substrates... your rock, sand, shells, etc. Including the
corals skeletons themselves. Ughhh>
but the corals in there are
either totally dead, or unwilling to open again.
<yes... a bad
situation. The problem is/was the brass>
I'm afraid to try any more
coral until I am sure the water will support it. Thanks again for the
help! R/Janet
<Hmmm... this is quite a problem. Please do read into
our archives about purging copper from systems and from calcareous
substrates. You will need to be using quite a bit of poly filters
(carbon too would be nice) for the next couple of months to try to sop
up residuals and some of these liberated from the substrates from the
action of grazing/burrowing species. Anthony>
Lead in the
Water? 7/28/04
Good afternoon "O wise ones".
I have searched
the archives for some help with a problem I have but there
is just no
practical way. I live in the mountains of Northern VA. It would seem
that I have LEAD in
my water. NOT a good thing. But of course when
you type LEAD in the Google
search feature it brings up lead (the
metal) and lead (as in "...a horse to water."). Anyway, we had our well
water tested when we moved in the house approx 4.5 years ago and it was
under 4 ppb (acceptable at the time). A couple of months ago it was
tested again and it came in at 27 ppb! NOT safe for anything. The
samples were taken at the pump output before the house plumbing to rule
it out, and the pipe from the pump to the holding tank is plastic. So
it's something in the groundwater itself. Can't get the State to do
anything about it (but that's a story for another time). We are using 2
activated carbon filters for filtering cooking water and bottled only
for drinking. Now to the question:
Do you know of anywhere that we
can pick up a Lead Testing Kit?
< There are lead testing kits but
none are available through normal aquarium channels. I would recommend
contacting your local county health department for a kit recommendation.
Good carbon will remove 85 % of the lead depending on the grade of
carbon.>
I have been keeping 6 freshwater tanks for the past 3 years
and all seems fine, but am planning to set up a 150 GAL Marine tank
soon. Not crazy about an RO unit as it wastes mucho water. Looking for
a DI system but having no luck. Mostly want to test the water before the
filters and after to see if it will be safe for my family to drink (#1
priority) and also to see if it is safe for marine fish/inverts/corals.
Any idea what the "acceptable" levels would be in an aquarium
environment?
< Depends on the pH. The lower the pH the more soluble
the lead will be and the bigger problem for the fish.-Chuck>
Thank
you for your time. Your commitment and dedication to this addiction
(oops: Hobby) have helped me more than you know. You ALL are much
appreciated! Tom Ant spray and fish 7/28/04
Hello-quick question<OK< sure it's quick though? Mike D here!>, I have a
huge ant problem in my kitchen<Like in the movie "Them?" I've heard
about Texas ants>. My tank is a small 15 gal saltwater tank and it is
set up right next to the kitchen. The apt. association sets off ant
bombs to take care of the problem<OK, first off ant bombs or bombs of
any sort rarely work. To get rid of ants you need to put out ant bait
that they carry back to the nest and feed to the queen. You might want
to pass that information on to them. Lee chance of a law suit from an
allergic reaction of dead fish as well **grin>, How can I get these ants
killed and keep my fish alive from the ant bomb?<This can be a serious
problem as most pesticides are deadly to fish, with far less than one
drop capable of decimating everything. My best suggestion is to cover
the tank with a plastic bag while it's being treated, well weighted at
the bottom. Don't forget to wrap the pump in a plastic bag as well, with
he air lines secured with rubber bands. Seriously, I'd tell them about
the ant bait as it's the only thing that actually works>
Puffer coughing blood / Rust contamination?
If you have some
insight into the following challenge, we would greatly appreciate
your feedback.
<Okay>
We have had a 90 gallon saltwater tank
for 2.5 years. For 2 years, all was fine. In the past 6 months, we
first lost a Niger Trigger (the small fish), a Fire Clown (med) two
months later, and now our Dog-faced Puffer (largest) is ill.
The
Puffer has been sitting on the bottom of the tank for 2 weeks and
not eating. She appears to be "coughing" red blood strands.
<Yikes!>
We tested for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and ph, and
all were within range. The only thing we can figure is that the
hardware on the canopy has rusted and the rust have flaked into the
tank.
<Real trouble>
Could rust cause the demise of our
fish, and particularly, the symptoms displayed by our Puffer? We
are replacing the hinges with stainless steel tonight.
Thank
you,
<DO avail yourself of the singular product called
"PolyFilter"... NOW... this will pull out the ferrous ion (iron) in
your water... and you should see improvement in your livestock's
health (and color on the filter pad) almost immediately. Bob Fenner> | 
|
Metals/Saltwater
I read a book on fish and it mentioned that you
should use non metallic in marine aquariums. What is non metallic and
why shouldn't I use it?
<"Should I use it". The answer is in the
word. Non metallic, anything not made of metal. Anything metallic will
rust in saltwater with the exception of stainless steel and then only
the better grades.>
I've got a 50 gallon marine aquarium with 2
clownfish, a yellow tang, regal tang, Naso tang, powder blue tang, a
cleaner wrasse and a cleaner shrimp and boxer shrimp. I haven't yet got
any live rock or corals just Tufa rock at the moment. How many snails
and crabs do you suggest I buy and what kind, to eat the left over food
and waste? I would get about 20 turbo snails, 20 blue leg hermits, and a
couple emerald crabs.
<James (Salty Dog)> Stainless steel
Thanks for your help in the past. One more quick question: Is a
stainless steel hose clamp a bad idea in a salt tank?
<Very bad idea.
Look for all-plastic or nylon. Bob Fenner> Live
rock metals contamination? 2/22/05
Thanks in advance for your
help with this problem.
My question in brief:
I suspect my 75 gal.
live rock/invertebrate/fish tank may have been exposed to contaminants
in the incoming water over its first 18 months of existence. I've
recently started using RODI water and filtering with metal removing
resins and PolyFilter, but worry that my live rock and sand has
contaminants that will continue to leach into the water. Question is,
how do I know if this is a problem, and can I do anything about it?
<seems unlikely... and what little may be, I think a PolyFilter or the
like would mop up the residuals nicely>
More background:
For the
first year and a half, I used water from one or the other of two wells
that supply my house, and some of this water also came through a water
softener. Though my two clownfish have always looked fine, a BT anemone
and a few soft corals (toadstool, xenia) slowly began to look unhappy. I
had not noticed initially, but the bristleworms had disappeared from the
tank, and the number of snails had fallen drastically. Once, a couple
months ago, I had noticed that the anemone and corals looked distinctly
worse after a bigger than normal water change, but thought it was
because this change (about 10%) was too big. More recently, I had
noticed that two snails were looking distinctly stressed immediately
after a 5% water change. My son told me that snail death was likely an
indication of metals contamination.
<can be, yes... they are
sensitive>
At this point (about a month ago now), I put metal
removing resin and a PolyFilter in a Fluval 404 and began using only
RODI water. The snails initially looked better with the filtering, but
more recently I have not seen any snails. The anemone and corals started
to look better too, but in the last few days, the anemone does not eat
the food I offer (chiefly Silversides). Yesterday I found a dead crab in
the tank.
<yikes... that's a bad sign :p>
So how can I tell if my
live rock and sand is now a problem?
<we can't test for what we
don't know exists. Hmmm... more clearly, I hope: do get an assay done of
your source water (for your safety as well as this issue) to know what
kind of metals to test for in this water>
Is there anything I can do
about it, if it is a problem? What does it mean that the resin and
PolyFilter initially seemed to improve things, but the improvement
appears to be slipping away after a month (neither the resin nor
PolyFilter has been changed in this time)? Thanks, Tom
<you are on
the right path my friend... do test that source water and continue to
use Polyfilters. Very fine and appropriate here. Anthony> Live
rock metals contamination? III 2/27/05
Thanks, again, Anthony.
<always welcome, mate>
We're clearly in agreement that my tap water
is a problem for inverts and that I should use RO/DI water, which I
starting using about a month ago.
<very good to read/hear>
Now I'd
like to cycle back to the earlier question: What about the live rock and
substrate?
<may be safe for all life... but even if "bad", will
typically only be so for the invertebrates that have soft tissue in
contact with the rocks like anemones, snails, some starfish, etc>
If
I'd treated with copper intentionally, I'd know the answer -- the live
rock and substrate is not OK for any inverts.
<little or none of this
copper makes it back into the water column. The carbonate substrates
bind the copper>
But there's more uncertainty here about how much
copper got into my tank, for these reasons:
1. My test indicating
0.30 ppm copper in the tap water is a test of total copper. I learned
elsewhere on your site that a therapeutic dose, expressed as total
copper, is 1.5-2.0 ppm. So my tap water is presumably not as lethal as
one might think based on the .20-.30 ppm therapeutic dose (chelated
copper) that is commonly cited.
<actually... many sensitive fishes
start suffering/dying at 0.20... drumfish, dragonets, some dwarf angels,
etc>
2. I also read on your site that "cupric ion, Cu++, basically as
copper sulfate, CuSO4 which due to its acidic nature, tends to "fall
out", precipitate in alkaline seawater, quickly." So, could much or all
of the copper in my source water have precipitated out during aging of
the salt water (making top-off water the primary source of copper going
into the tank)?
<perhaps yes>
3. My PolyFilters have never turned
blue.
4. I've lost a lot of inverts, but not all, in the 18 months
the tank has had inverts. Yesterday I found the Atlantic Hairy Triton
(Cymatium pileare) still alive. The Xenia is still alive. The Toadstool
Leather looks reasonably good. The are a few Amphipods and a few small
worms (baby Bristleworms?). The algae (Caulerpa, Halimeda, and nuisance)
seem quite happy.
5. There is reason to suspect other problems
contributed to the loss of inverts --- you expressed alarm about the
water softener (it does use salt),
<yes... the salt exchanges impart
chlorides that accumulate over time... a concern with the improper use
of calcium chloride as a staple, for example, rather than a fix for
calcium problems>
...suspicion about the limestone acid neutralizer,
and a reaction I could not decipher about source water from a pH 5.8
well that had sat idle for 6 months (even though this water was made
into salt water and aged at least 24 hours).
<the acidity of the
source water is concerning>
Your original e-mail suggested the live
rock might be OK with the switch to RO/DI source water, and use of
PolyFilter, and Toxic Metal Sponge. Do you still think that's true?
<yes my friend>
Is there anything else I could do better, beyond
doing bigger water changes (which I'll start today)?
<you are clearly
well-read and prepared here... stay the course :)>
How should I go
about re-stocking the tank with inverts?
<you cold try to introduce
live rock from this tank into the QT tank you use to test the
issue/matter. Easily removed and water changes done in QT is there is
any doubt of the safety of the display rock>
Again, many thanks. Tom
<best of luck! Anthony> Home Depot killed my inverts
;-) Dangers of metal poisoning
All,
No question here, just a
story and a thank you. I have a 70gal tank that's about 6 months
old. I got back into the hobby after a 10 year break. I had a 30gal
then and I definitely agree with your advice that bigger is better; this
tank just seems much more stable and easier to care for. In any case,
your site has been a lot of help in getting me (back) up to speed.
I
had snails, shrimp, and some other inverts in the tank along with a
modest load of fish. About 2 months ago, the inverts started dying
(mostly disappearing; empty shells, etc.). At first I thought somebody
in the tank was eating them, but I reasonably quickly moved on to think
water quality, but everything was testing fine.
After some
additional reading on your site, I picked up a PolyFilter to see if
something chemical was the problem. After the first night, it was
bright blue, so I did a copper test to confirm and sure enough it was
pretty high.
The only source I could think of was a
brief time when I had treated a fish in another tank with copper; I
wondered if I could have done it by reusing a net or something, but it
seemed far-fetched given the number of water changes since then.
Back to WWM to look for more ideas only to find out in one of the FAQs
that brass is 90% copper and that it leaches. When I plumbed my sump,
protein skimmer and outboard carbon filter, my LFS didn't have the right
fittings so I picked some up at Home Depot, 3 of which were brass (and 2
of those were sitting underwater in the sump). It never occurred to me
that this was a problem and I wouldn't have ever figured it out w/o WWM
to look at. So, the brass is gone, the PolyFilter is doing its thing,
and I'm looking forward to having inverts again sometime soon. BTW, I
highly recommend that people keep a PolyFilter around if only for its
diagnostic value. I had no reason to be testing for copper and never
would have thought of it.
Thanks again for all the work that all of
you put into this site. I think there are two reasons that people give
up on this hobby: either something goes wrong that they can't figure out
or something right doesn't happen quickly enough (lack of patience). By
posting all of the info and FAQs, and answering questions, you're doing
more to advance the hobby than anyone.
-John
<Thanks for the
story - sorry about the loss of inverts. It's never a good idea to use
metal for any fittings, especially underwater. I will post this as a
warning to others! M. Maddox>
PS: Congrats on Reef Invertebrates;
got it last week and it's great.
<An excellent book> Toxic
fumes - How to Handle Reef System While Refinishing Hardwood Floors
Hi crew,
Please can you give me some urgent advice. I am having
a hardwood floor finished in the room adjoining the one where I keep my
beautiful marine fish tank. We have managed to find a finishing product
which is less toxic than the ones that are normally used, but the
solvent is still fairly toxic. It is impossible to move the tank out of
the room and my corals have firmly attached themselves to the live rock,
so removing them is not really an option.
My LFS has suggested
turning off the protein skimmer for the half day it will take to paint
the floor, totally covering the tank with heavy plastic, and leading a
pipe from an air pump outside the window into the tank to aerate the
water. I could switch off the lights in that time to stop the
temperature of the water rising too high - its winter here so outside
temperature is not an issue. Do you have some further advice for me?
Any help will be much appreciated because my tank has been stable for
months and I would hate to upset the whole balance.
Many thanks.
<What your dealer suggests sounds like a workable plan, Sharon. James
(Salty Dog)> Check Valve
<Hello>
I
purchased a check valve from an online aquatic retailer for my
saltwater setup. The one I received is a spring type. I inquired into
it's safety due to it's application and I was told it would be fine
since the insides were stainless steel. I'm looking for a second
opinion, any words of wisdom to pass along would be greatly
appreciated.
Nick
<Nick, stainless steel is a great metal for
freshwater but it does corrode faster in saltwater, and in a captive
system I would look for either a titanium spring model or find a sealed
check valve that immerses the stainless steel springs in oil. There are
several different ways to make them, and most industrial supply stores
will have such things if the LFS in your area do not have them. If you
must use the check valve you have now please watch it closely as over a
few months or weeks depending on the metal, it may rust and will start
killing fish and corals.>
<Justin (Jager)> Broken
Hydrometer...What Now? 4.26.05
I Was using my Hydrometer to test
the salinity today and it broke inside my tank. The Alcohol was not
released but some of the little silver balls or weights sunk into the
gravel. I do not have any fish yet because I am still in the two week
waiting period. What should I do ? I know this is probably lead so I
siphoned all I cold find. Please
Help !!!!
<Hi Harrison, I would
remove all the substrate, and wash it down with freshwater, making sure
that all the heavy metals are gone. Heavy metals are capable of
poisoning your fish, so do your best to get every little bit. Good
luck, Ryan>
Inline Air Filter
Hi Bob, James and Crew,
I have been reading Bob's book, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Great
resource for a newbie like myself. A couple months ago I wrote about my
concern of smoking in house and wood stove. I appreciate James and Bob's
response.
Smoking and Wood Stove
Hello WWM Crew,
I'm a newbie and have been researching for two
months. I am ready to take the plunge. I'm planning a 90 or 120 gallon
tank, wet/dry filter and protein skimmer, etc. I plan to start with a
FOWLR and hope to add corals at a later time. I've heard some horror
stories about using scented candles, aerosols and non-aquarium sponges.
I have a wood stove (same room) and my wife smokes. A friend told me
that people smoking in the house will kill the fish over time. Is this
true? Is the wood stove an issue?
<Well, I smoke fine cigars
in the same room as my tank. I haven't lost anything yet. If you want to
be on the safe side use Polyfilters, Chemi-Pure or a good grade of
carbon. As far as the wood stove, I really don't see
where that is a problem. James (Salty Dog)><<Relative to
other sources of pollution... tough call... I would wash your hands,
arms before placing them in your tanks. RMF>
In the book Bob notes
that tobacco smoke is a concern and strongly recommends having an inline
air filter.
I am planning a 180 RR tank with 100g sump/skimmer and
40g refuge in the basement. I will start with a FOWLR tank and plan to
proceed to a reef tank. I will have canopy on tank.
Bob, can you
expand on what you mean by an 'inline air filter' and on any other
precautions for smokers I should consider. <Steve, basically an inline
air filter is a small cartridge with nipples on each end for connection
between the air pump and air stone. Not too many people use air pumps
these days. Skimmers are venturi driven and the UGF is almost a thing
of the past. I guess you could attach a inline filter to the venturi
inlet of the skimmer. Getting one of the new air purifiers such as
"Sharper Image" brand would work well. No filters are required. They
are a little pricey but work well. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks, Steve
- Spray Paint in Reef Tank Water -
I’m looking for a little
emergency follow-up guidance. I don’t know what we were thinking, but my
wife and I were using spray paint in our house. Normally we tight seal
our 90 gallon reef tank whenever we do anything that might even
potentially cause fumes. But we weren’t thinking. Anyway, after a while
the tank popped into my mind and I rushed over to start to seal it: too
late. There was a film of red paint at the top of the water. We
immediately turned the filter, skimmer, and power heads off and began to
skim with measuring cups. We skimmed 15 gallons a ½ cup at a time. I
called my LFS and they direct me to call Poly-bio-marine. I did that and
they recommended using coconut carbon (there was none in the entire
Phoenix area as far as I could tell, so I bought Kent carbon as a
second-best (I hope) and their PolyFilter. Now 3 hours, with a partial
water change and these media added to my Eheim canister filter, I’m
hoping that the damage was caught in time. <Me too.>
Now to my
questions: (1) Is there anything else or something different that you
recommend doing to try to mitigate damages? <No, it sounds like you're
on the proper course.> (2) What levels should I now be
monitoring/supplementing now that I’ve added the PolyFilter and the
carbon? <I'd be paying attention to the color the PolyFilter turns -
this is really the best item to combat random chemicals in your tank -
the color will tell you what it's picking up. Have a replacement pad
ready should it change rapidly. Carbon I'd be switching out every other
day until things seem to have returned to normal.> (3) Is there anything
else that I should consider beyond never spray painting in the house
again? <Wet towels over the tank will let you spray paint in the house -
I don't want to spend any time berating you over this - it sounds like
you've been through enough stress and learned your lesson. You just need
to always take that tank into account before you go crazy with the glass
cleaner for instance.>
Thanks for your help. I’m sorry to bother you
with a question that would never have been an issue had I just thought
before I started. <No worries. Sometimes it takes experiences like this
to get us to really think about the consequences of our actions before
we act. Is really a win-win in the long run.>
-Jacob
<Cheers, J
-- > Nitrite Test Solution 12/9/05
Hello,
<Hello
Byungho>
I accidentally added Nitrite Test Solution liquid to my
saltwater tank. Currently I have hermit crab and live rock inside
the tank. Are they safe from the hydrochloric acid? Please let me know
and thank you for your help.
<Not completely safe. Depending on how
much solution got in the tank and how large the tank is, you may
experience a pH and alkalinity drop. I'd do at least a 20% water change.
James (Salty Dog)>
<<And drop a PolyFilter in there, ASAP!
Marina>> Metal part in reef system 10/6/05
Hi crew
at WetWebMedia,
<Hello there!>
I have an unusual question. I
have recently installed halides on my canopy <this is probably your
problem>, however, while I was doing that, the Phillips tip of my
screwdriver fell in the tank. Instead of recovering the metal piece, I
decided not to bother and left it in there. Now, the past 4 days I've
been getting a tin/bronze or kind of brown coloration on my
sand/substrate <sounds like the start of an algal or diatom bloom>. Do
you think it's possible the screwdriver tip is leaching? Will it create
any problems with the fish or corals if left inside the tank? It'd
require to partially tear up the tank to find and recover it. Any ideas
would greatly be appreciated.
<Well, it seems to me that the
increase in light has fueled this. Is your temp. elevated as well? Not
uncommon when upgrading lighting, indicative of excess
nutrients/organics. I don't believe the metal would cause this so
quickly, but it should be removed if possible. Try attaching a magnet
to something long and go fishin'.>
Thanks,
<Quite welcome. -
Josh>
Dimitris.
Re: Metal part in reef system
10/6/05
Thanks for replying.
<Gladly.>
The tank's temp is
at 82 F. Very hot in FL recently and my A/C plus a 8 inch fan is the
only means of cooling the system.
I was thinking about attaching the
magnet and try to recover it, but I didn't see exactly where it fell. I
have 150 lbs of live rock in a 157 gallons acrylic tank. I am just
concerned in case any chemicals are leached into the water/tank, that's
all. I will do some water changes to address the diatom problem. The
screwdriver tip has been in the tank for 2 weeks now. I
tried
looking for it in the over flow/tank, but I couldn't find it. I'll try
the magnet thing ASAP.
<Sounds good. I wouldn't be too worried
unless the tip was already badly rusted or covered in
chemicals/cleaners. Try to work the tank in grids so you can take some
breaks, the tip should be heavy enough to stay put. - Josh>
Dimitris
Metal object contamination 7/4/05
Hi!
I was cutting something
on the top of my 90 gal reef tank yesterday and a small bit of the
cutter's (exacto) blade broke and fell into the tank. The piece is about
1 or 2 square millimeter. There is 135lbs of LR in the tank and a 5"
fine DSB so there is no way I can recover it.
<Actually...
ferrous... should be able to be fished out with a magnet>
Should I
be worried about the piece of metal rusting there?
Thanks!
Dominique
<Not likely a problem in this size system, LR... Bob
Fenner>
Reef tank frustration (alkalinity,
toxicity, invert.s...)
Dear Bob,
<cheers, love... Anthony
Calfo in your service>
I hope you can help me with this one. Actually
I'm embarrassed to even be asking for help as I am by trade a
professional aquarist, working for an aquarium service company for over
15 years, with 4 years prior experience in general fishkeeping before
that.
<no worries at all... impossible to be an expert on all
things. And a pleasure to learn a lifetime long>
I was there at the
inception of the reef keeping hobby!!!! So here it goes, and please
don't tell anyone.
<nobody but the thousands of daily FAQ readers>
I have a 35 gallon reef tank with live sand and live rock. It has 2
internal powerheads with connecting sponge filters, and the back filter
is an Aquaclear 500 that has a sponge and carbon. I do 15% water changes
weekly, sometimes more recently because of my problems. My water
chemistry is as follows: pH 8.3 Temp 76F Salinity 1.021 KH 20 and
Nitrate 10 ppm. I have 0 Nitrites and 0 Phosphates. I know the KH is a
little high, which has just happened recently to add to my problems.
<your dKH is actually sky high and endangers your system for a
precipitous fallout. Please do water changes until you get closer to
11-12 dKH>
And the problem is, any invertebrate I put into the tank
seems to go into a coma. They don't die they just act like they are
drugged or something, and a leg of my serpent star fell off. It's
insane!!! I deal with reef tanks all the time and have never run across
this.
<just curious... have you tested your magnesium or manganese
levels or used Crystal Sea salt mix?>
I have 2 fish, 1 Royal Gramma
and 1 Yellow tail blue devil both of which are very happy and healthy.
<indeed.. all different tolerances than inverts. Still... do consider
using a PolyFilter to check for color change and indication of a
contaminant>
I checked for copper also which only had very slight
traces, probably coming from the pipes in the house.
<strange...
should be zero. Definitely consider regular use of Polyfilters in the
system>
I have even gone so far a to have a $160.00 water test done
on my water which comes from a deep well. That tested out good except
for higher than normal levels of Manganese, which they said was not
harmful. But could this be poisoning my inverts?
<Bingo!... they
were wrong and you win the hairy Kewpie doll that bares an unsettling
resemblance to Danny DeVito>
After I put the crabs, starfish or
snails in the tank they seem to be ok for several hours until they just
slow down and stop moving. Their not dead just not moving, however some
do die. I am totally frustrated and emotionally upset, I love these
animals and take pride in my good husbandry.
<understood and agreed,
my dear>
Something is eluding me, even my boss can't figure it out. I
hope you have some ideas. Any help will be greatly appreciated !!!
Sincerely,
Deborah
<indeed...such invertebrates have great
sensitivity to metals of all kinds where fish are more tolerant. The
Polyfilters are great for absorbing metals. Do consider pretreating
water to screen it. Best regards, Anthony>
Cheney
Wells, Maine
Water filter and brass fitting
Hi everyone-
<<Hi... JasonC
here..>>
I was hoping you could give me some advice on a water filter
system I have. <<Is this filtration for the tank or water purification
for mix water?>>
Is it ok to have a few brass fittings in a water
filter system for my 125gal FOWLER aquarium water? Two of them are on
the output side of the filter. <<As long as the brass doesn't come in
contact with salt water, you will probably be fine. The salt water will
have a corrosive effect and will leach some metals into the water
passing through it. If these fittings are for your tank - don't do
it.>>
I could not find the fitting needed in pvc. <<Check the
following URLs and see if you can't find the parts in PVC if this is for
your tank:
http://www.usplastic.com and http://www.plumbingsupply.com
>>
Thank you again Den Tank problems since place tented for
termites
hi bob (or one of bob's minions). <<Minion JasonC
here...>> You are truly the hobby's best friend.
My place was tented
for termites 2 weeks ago. I removed all fish and L. rock (leaving sand
and water) and shut system down. Oh, and for the record a minion
recommended taking tank out. Then I let tank run for
3 days before
restocking. Added rock and small guys first, then big fish 3 days later.
I've got UV, P. skimmer and carbon all in sump. Bioballs in the
overflow.
Some problems since, but I think they're more the result of
the place that kept my fish than anything termite related. <<Or
both...>> Oh, and like an idiot I didn't fresh dip any fish upon return,
something I ALWAYS did after every purchase (after reading TCMA).
The
problems were as follows.
RS Sailfin scuffed around snout (net
related?)
Sohal scuffed even worse (same area) and had what looked
like a small pinkish pimple on right fin (could it have been
lymphsomething or other)
Happy to report that those guys now seem
healed. <<Oh good.>>
My tank has 2 cleaner shrimp and a cleaner
wrasse (all over a year old) and they've just put in for overtime.
May even form union!
Now for the first time ever in my tank a fish,
my blue tang, is showing ich, and my Queen angel seems lethargic, less
colorful, with some faint blotches. Both spend a lot of time over by
shrimp.
Tank temp is around 80, which I'll raise a few degrees.
Salinity around 1.023, which I'll start to lower today. How much fresh
water in and salt water out to get a 125 gal from .023 to .018 and over
how
many days should I take to reach it. Also how do I get it back
up, and when. <<By adding extra-salty [1.025-1.030] water slowly, over
many days. When is hard to say.>>
I might also throw in a neon goby
(I've had 2 in past but they only lasted ~ six months) before taking
more drastic measures. I'd sure appreciate your thoughts on all this.
Thanks.
KEITH
<<Keith, my thinking is thus - many times problems
that present themselves as parasitic are actually induced by stress.
Treating the problem as parasitic would only increase the stress, and
eventually there is no battle to win - the fish give out. I would really
consider the possibility that there are chemical contagions [can we call
them that? - nasty organophosphates and the like] which are terribly bad
for people let alone fish, remaining in your tank. This is one of the
reasons they tent the house. I would pick up a Poly-Filter [name brand]
or two and run these in the circulation path of your system. Make sure
there's nothing in the water that will foil all other efforts to bring
about a cure. Then you can work at whatever parasitic problems remain
with the typical therapies. Cheers, J -- >> Minion Jason C,
termite tank update
Hey Jason, <<Hi...>>
Wow, has sh## been
going south in tank since I last wrote about fish being returned after
tenting. Still think it was brought back from where fish were kept (one
fish didn't even go back in my tank, I gave it to my dad, and it died in
two days). <<Interesting.>>
My Tank deaths include cardinal, bi color
blenny, Gramma, coral beauty, diamond goby. <<Sorry to hear of your
losses.>>
I lowered salinity to 1.018 and the remaining fish seem to
have recovered. No more sign of ich, though my queen still looks like it
has what could be a skin fluke.
Questions
How long should I keep
my salinity at 1.018?? <<Not too long... I thought when we left off
last, you were going to quarantine and treat these fish. I've personally
never had any long term luck with 'just' lowering the salinity. You'll
get much better results from running the tank fallow during this
hyposalinity period. A typical fallow period should last about six weeks
- treatment with hyposalinity shouldn't go on for more than one or two
weeks. You'll begin to cause more problems with stress if you continue
too long.>>
How long should I wait before adding fish? <<Well, if you
brought one home today and quarantined it for a month, you'd likely be
in good shape by then.>>
Will ich come back? Never had it before in
19 months. <<Ich can always come back... in fact, it's almost worth
saying that you can never be rid of it without harsh chemical
treatments. What you can do is always quarantine, and do everything you
can to keep the fish healthy and stress free. Usually in these cases,
even if there is ich, the fish can deal with it on their own terms and
usually do just fine. If there are continued sources of stress, then the
fish's immune system becomes compromised, and it makes things hard for
them to deal with - they get ich, the ich reproduces and they get more
ich and things get ugly from there.>>
Thanks, KEITH
<<Cheers, J --
>> minion Jason C...PolyFilter only?
Hi minion Jason C.
<<Hi...>>
Thanks for rapid response. When you suggested poly filter
for termite related fish and ich question earlier...does that mean
"Only", or would you still raise temp and lower salinity? <<I would work
on one thing at a time in the main display. If you have separate
quarantine tanks at your disposal, you could potentially try and treat
the ich there, but... the name of the game at this point should be
stress elimination - increased temperature and lowered salinity will not
really help reduce stress so much. As for ich treatment, these actually
work better with the fish out of the tank - speeds up the life cycle of
the parasite, which could make them more virulent depending on the state
of the system. Try the Poly Filter for a couple of days - if you find
the thing turning colors quickly, then you know you've got contamination
problems - if it stays white or turns brown from organic matter, work on
the ich.>>
Cause I just bumped up thermometer 2 degrees and took out
5 gal of salt water and replaced w fresh water. Wondering how green
Bubbletip will react to changes. <<Oh... I didn't notice that inhabitant
before - I would think "not well" - invertebrates don't do well in low
salinity. The shrimp "might" make it through 1.018 but all bets are off
for the anemone. Perhaps try instead a regimen of pH-adjusted,
freshwater dips for the fish.>>
Of interest--a hermit crab and small
snail were accidentally left in tank during tenting AND BOTH SURVIVED!
Cool, huh? <<Well - maybe... I mean, if everything else were hating it
and these were the only things that survived... not so cool then. In my
mind there's just too many reasons to be concerned about the
pesticides.>>
Also, the blue tang and Queen angel are both looking
better than they did yesterday. So am I probably, I might add. <<I know
the feeling.>> They're both constantly over at the shrimp station.
<<That would be a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say... or perhaps
she isn't saying that so much anymore.>>
Oh yeah, and how do we know
you're not just some neighbor kid of Bob's?
<<Uhh... you don't ;-)
Because I live in Massachusetts? Or what if I was a Mira Mesa
neighborhood punk - what then? Cheers, J -- >> Possible metal
poisoning?
Hello All!
I was wondering about something...we had
a brass t-bar pipe on the top of the tank, and it fell into the main
display, along the back wall. It was there for about three days, before
we realized it was missing. Could this be the reason my polyps, Xenia,
and torch are all shrunk in? Did the brass poison the water? I've done a
40 gal water change (tank is 140 with 40 gal refugium) but this hasn't
seem to have helped. I tested for the usual - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate,
all are zero (well, nitrate only slightly pink -
heehee) and ph is
8.2 - 8.4. Calcium may be a little high at 450. Otherwise, everything is
fine, but plants are still shrinking: daisies, mushrooms, Xenia, torch
coral, and Devil's Hand.
Thank you for any help you can give! -Cathy
in Texas
<Alright Kathy, this could have caused your problem. Brass
contains copper compounds which can be problematic. Also, you make no
mention of carbonate alkalinity, but you should test and maintain Alk.
For possible problems involving metal contamination I would suggest
Poly Bio-Marine Poly filter and water changes.
Hope this
helps! Craig>
Sudden death of Tang and Mandarin
I 'had' a yellow tang. He
had been in my aquarium for about 2 months. All of a sudden, he
started jerking back and forth. Then, he jetted from one side of
the aquarium to the other, flipped on his side and was dead
instantly. No gradual thing, no prolonged distress. He just
suddenly died.
What could have happened? It was like a sudden
heart attack or something.
<not likely a heart attack... and not
likely a disease either. Definitely sounds like a response to a
toxin in the water or a skewed physical parameter. Common household
toxins include underarm anti-perspirant (dipped your freshly caked
pit lately?) and anything fragrantly fumous sprayed recently
(aerosol air freshener, burnt Teflon coated pan, paint stripper,
etc). Fumous agents easily get absorbed into the water... often
effect fishes but not inverts>
Then, an hour later, my anemone
ate my mandarin goby. Unreal!
<although the scaleless mandarin
is never recommended with anemones (an unnatural mix that usually
ends up with the mandarin getting eaten within the year)... the
death of the mandarin tonight with the tang makes you wonder if the
mandarin wasn't stressed and dying/dead by the same factors as the
tang. My suggestion is a full water test, then a large proper water
change (temperature and salinity adjusted, and a good dose of
activated carbon (change after days/one week)>
Thanks M. Linkous
Bluefield, WV
<best regards, Anthony Calfo>Re: sudden death
of tang
Thanks for the quick response. That is probably the
reason! Air Freshener.... My wife is crazy about that. We had just
put a plug-in unit in the day before.
<to be specific... the
plug-in gels that warm up and dissolve slowly seem to be harmless.
The dangerous variety can be spray aerosols (of any kind)>
All of
my parameters are OK.... PH, salinity, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite. I
gave it a fresh batch of carbon. How often should I change the
carbon? (Monthly). I have a Pro Magnum canister filter.
<for
routine use of carbon, I prefer one small portion weekly instead of
4 portions monthly>
Thanks again for your immediate response.
Michael
<our great pleasure... kindly, Anthony> |
A Change For The Worse?
I have just discovered this site
while searching the Internet for answers to a problem I am currently
dealing with. I've spent several hours reading many of your
reader's questions and have found them most interesting and some
very beneficial.
<We're glad that you find the site useful!>
I
have recently upgraded my marine setup from a 58gal glass tank to a
100 gal acrylic tank.
<A nice upgrade!>
The original setup was
11 years old and has mainly been fish only. I completed my
migration a couple months back without incident. My current setup
includes a sand substrate (about 3" thick) (50lbs from original
tank and 50lbs of new), 20lbs of live rock, and 50lbs or so of base
rock. Lighting includes 4 - 48" fluorescent (2 actinic 03 and 2
full spectrum). Inhabitants include blue throat trigger, Huma
trigger, panther grouper, yellowtail blue damsel, tomato clown,
purple tang, 2 curlicue anemones, some green mushrooms, some polyps,
a rock/flower
anemone and a few snails. The majority of the fish
were in my original tank for about 2 years. The damsel has been
there for 7 years and the purple tang and most of the inverts are
fairly new and have been in the tank for 6 to 9mos.
<Nice mix of
fishes- but I gotta tell ya- it's really gonna get crowded in there
in the near future...You have some fishes that can get quite large,
and unload considerable metabolic waste in the process...Keep up
with those water changes and other maintenance!>
I have a
home-made sump with bio-balls, blue filter pad, and polyester pad.
<Clean and/or change those pads regularly, okay?>
Venturi protein
skimmer in the sump powered by a Mag 500gph. I also have a couple
gallons of bio balls in the overflow. Since the migration,
everything has looked great. Fish doing well, inverts open and very
full. I regularly add iodine, trace elements and stress zyme. I
Usually do a 5 gallon water change every 4 to 5 days.
<Excellent!>
Over the last couple of weeks I have been fighting
green algae growing on the sand and tank surfaces. I have also
noticed many bubbles originating from the sand and rocks (I saw a
problem similar to this from a reader in your toxic FAQ). I
just
assumed it was CO2 from the algae growing on the sand. Every other
day, I wipe down the tank surfaces with an acrylic pad and stir up
the sand. When I stir the sand I did smell an egg odor which I
assumed was H2S.
<Not good, if that's what it was...>
Within
the last week this odor is no longer present and the water has the
usual salty smell. The bubbles from the sand have also
decreased. A couple days ago I noticed my blue throat trigger
wobbling some and breathing faster than normal. The next day all of
the fish were hiding and the purple tang was laying on the bottom
also breathing fast. I ran all the tests and found nothing. I also
took a sample to my local marine dealer and his tests matched mine
(PH 8.4, NO2, NO3 and NH4 at or near 0, S.G. 1.022 and water temp
74F). My plan of action was to add an air stone directly to the
tank and I did a 15gal water change. Within 8 hours, the inverts
looked markedly better and the purple tang looked and acted normal
again (I never figured he would recover based on the way he looked
earlier).
<Good thought/action>
However, the blue throat was
still suffering. I did another 10 gal water change today. The
inverts are almost back to normal and all fish except the blue
throat look good and ate well today. The blue throat is still
laying on the bottom with triggers extended. His eyes look clear
but are sunken. His abdomen is also starting to thin. His overall
color looks good but fins are starting to look tattered. His
breathing also seems to be normal. I did a
fresh water dip for
4 minutes but have not seen much improvement. He is still in the
main tank but isolated in a clear polycarb container with holes
drilled for water flow. I think my tank water flow is inadequate.
<That is a distinct possibility...another excellent hunch on your
part!>
The water movement is not nearly as quick as what I had in
my 58. I am using a Mag 700gph to return the water from the sump
and the output of the sump is divided between 2 returns which are
each split again between 2 centipede returns in the tank. I also
removed a small power head I had in the 58.
<Brisk circulation is
important to the types of fishes that you have in this tank, for a
variety of reasons...I'd do what I could to kick things up a bit>
My questions are: 1) any hope for the blue throat (I hate to lose
this specimen because they are not very common and he was such a
healthy fish)?;
<Well, in the absence of any other signs of
disease, we may have to assume that some type of metabolite
poisoning may be a factor. Hard to be sure from here...I'd keep up
the water quality and circulation/aeration enhancements and hope for
the best>
2) Any clues as to the sudden change in the tank (there
has been no pesticide treatment in the house, no smokers and no
chemical vapors that I am aware of)?
<Just a theory here. Did the
bubbles that you noticed "coming from the sand" seem to originate
under the surface? I'm thinking that maybe you were observing the
normal denitrification that occurs in sand beds, and you may have
disrupted the process by stirring the sand, possibly releasing some
toxic metabolites in the process...?>
3) Is my substrate too
thick causing the buildup of gas?;
<Frankly, if it's fine sand
that you're using, you may want to go a bit deeper. And I would not
disturb more than say, the top 1/2" of the sand. Let the sand bed do
its work>
4) Do I need to increase my pump size or add powerheads
inside the aquarium (I really wanted to prevent the power heads for
aesthetic reasons)?
<Well, perhaps you need more water movement,
including some disturbance at the surface of the water to create
better gas exchange. You don't have to use powerheads; you could use
external pumps in a closed loop linked to static returns or rotating
devices, such as Sea Swirls, for better distribution of currents>
Thanks in advance and great website! Scott
<Well, Scott- you made
some great observations and some nice adjustments. Just keep
exploring your options to enhance the circulation and gas exchange
here. Keep up the excellent water change schedule, put your protein
skimmer into overdrive. Be prepared to find larger quarters for your
fish as they grow (and they will!). Hang in there! Regards, Scott F>
Re: Sudden change in fish and invert behavior
Last night I
did make another change. While putting together my homemade filter
(a couple months ago), I glued two containers together with a
household adhesive called "Goop" which after some reading contains
"toluene". Upon researching the mfgs website, they recommend not
using this product if it comes in contact with food or drinking
water. I know ... STUPID move on my part! However, to my defense,
I did see that the product was waterproof so I figured it would be
safe (should have checked it out first!). Anyway, I have removed
the parts with the glue and am now waiting to see if things
improve. The reason I am suspecting this as a problem is that the
containers I glued together are starting to come apart which might
indicate that the glue is dissolving. The anemones were starting to
withdraw again yesterday before I removed the contaminated parts and
the fish were not as active as they were this weekend after the
water changes. So after removing the parts, I changed out my carbon
with fresh and replaced the polyester pads. I also did another 5
gallon water change. Hopefully things will look better tonight when
I get home. I did call the glue mfg support number and am waiting
for a return call. I'll keep you posted and thanks for the
advice. I am also sending a URL in a separate e-mail to a site
where I have pictures of my old and new tank and homemade filter.
<Sounds good and you get an "A" for quality detective work! David
Dowless>
Thanks,
Scott |
Re:
Exterminated
Afternoon Fellas,
Got home to my apartment
yesterday to find the exterminator's business card sitting on my kitchen
counter... like a death certificate. So, okay, its my fault. I knew he
was coming... didn't know when, but I knew it... and forgot. Therefore
I didn't protect the tank in any way.
<Ohh>
I've got a 5 month
old 55G FOWLR (hopefully will upgrade to a reef one day) which currently
only holds 2 Damsels (taking it slow). Earlier that day, I had what
I'll simply call a "skimmer issue" (Not worth getting into... but just
picture water-soaked smoke-fuming power outlets... its been a tough
week) I was working on cleaning all of this up... but then had to go to
work... leaving the hood of the tank off. So clearly the surface of the
water had no protection what-so-ever from the insecticides. Its been
about 24 hours however, and nothing is dead. And if it applies... I
have a crappy Sea-clone and emperor 400 filter... crappy... but hey...
its only 2 damsels.
I've consulted the FAQs... but the questions that
deal with this issue are more about prevention rather than recovery. So
here's my questions: I haven't been able to get in touch with the
exterminator... but if I do.. are there any specific question I should
ask that might help in the recovery process?
<What did they do? What
did they use? Are they familiar with the materials' effects on aquarium
life?>
If all the fish are currently alive, does that mean I'm in the
clear?
<Likely so>
If they do die, is there much more I can do
outside of water changes and carbon?
<Not really>
Any
suggestions? Will I still be able to one day upgrade to a reef or have
I done some kind of permanent damage here? Do my fish hate me?
<Can't tell>
Thanks so much. I'm very appreciative for the answer to
this specific question... and the answers to my other 7 thousand
questions which had already been asked and posted on your site. Its a
fantastic resource.
Sincerely, Rob
<Thank you, Bob Fenner>
Stainless steel
I'm wondering if it is ok to run stainless in
reef tank. well ill tell you what I'm doing. I just came across a new
Culligan drinking fountains the ones that chill&heat .some one dropped
it broke the holder for the water .so it leaks water at top, other wise
perfect so I took it, customized it. it had a 2gal.stanliss bull that
water went in and chilled. so had a brilliant idea so broke out tig
wilder turned bull into perisherpot like device. no other metals in
system. George tested, put small in pump I can chill and heat no problem
I'm using a CAtm 3ooo sump pump in 5 gal. bucket. with a Honeywell
digital temperature control wired in cooler. less then 2 min. 37 degree
water heat just as fast. now on 55 gallon barrel 10 1/2 mm 37dere water
. been holding 80 degree water 48hours now .played with some more
designed to fit under tank hook up in series with pluming. what to know
if stainless steal ok before I attach to system. I also have another
project need some knowledge .ill ask latter..
<Mmm, you could use
this chiller with an exchange coil of some sort but not exposed directly
to seawater... it will rust and pollute the seawater if it comes in
direct contact. Bob Fenner> Tenting for termites
Hi.
<Hi Dave, Don here today>
I have read The Conscientious Marine
Aquarist, and I thought it was excellent. I have not set up my 125
gallon tank yet, but I have a couple of questions. If I set up my tank
and then need to tent my house for termites, what is the recommended
procedure? If I enclose the whole structure (oak stand, acrylic tank,
oak hood, under cabinet sump, etc.) in heavy gauge plastic sheeting and
make sure it is sealed, is anything protected at all?
If I remove the
fish, will the water be contaminated, and will the inhabitants of the
live rock die, and possibly the fish if I add them back?
If I have
the house tented with the new tank and cabinet inside before I start to
set it up - no water or anything else - will the stand or the acrylic
tank absorb anything that will later be toxic to the future inhabitants?
<Sorry Dave, but the easy answer is NO. Basically, the tank cannot be
subjected to this. Read here for more
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/toxictkfaqsii.htm>
I thought it would
be good for the oak stand and hood to get a coat of paste wax before I
set up the tank. Is this inadvisable, or can it be done if enough time
elapses before water is added to allow the solvents to evaporate?
<Hmmm, the stand maybe but I would not chance the hood>
Thanks for
listening to a newbie. I'm sure that you are busy, but it would be nice
to get your expert advice before I make a dumb mistake.
Thank you for
your contributions towards influencing conscientious aquarists (by the
way, exactly how is that word pronounced?).
<See here for help with
than www.m-w.com. Don>
Dave Re: Tenting for termites
Thanks for the reply Don, much appreciated. One clarification: Do I
understand you to say that even the bare, empty acrylic tank and empty
oak stand should not be exposed to the termite house tenting
treatment? Do the materials retain the toxins that can be released into
the water after the tank is filled later?
<I don't know about
retaining toxins, but do you want to chance it? I wouldn't. If you
decide to leave it in place, then seal it up as tight as you can>
Thanks again.
<Good luck, Don>
Dave Major Crisis! --
Ammonia-Tainted Salt? -- Need advice ASAP to save fish.
Crew:
<Hi Steve, Craig here.>
I have been struggling with a mysterious
ammonia spike for nearly two weeks now. I have attached at the end of
this e-mail my previous communication with ScottF about this for
background. I initially found the brittle star alive. The ammonia spikes
continued despite frequent use of Amquel & AmmoLock and water changes of
20% per day. In fact, the ammonia just seemed to get higher. I have
begun to fear that my biofilter has died. On Monday, I pulled the LR and
found all of my brittle stars dead or dying, so I pulled them all.
(Unfortunately, I had not read the Amquel fine print to learn that it
lowers the pH--got down to 7.5--probably what killed the stars.) I cut
way back on feedings. Today, the fish were obviously not acting
normally--rather lethargic. All my snails are dead or dying. My Red Sea
ammonia test kit read at least 8! Nitrite 0.2.
<Sounds like dead or
dying animals breaking down to ammonia, now to nitrite. Quite toxic.>
While preparing to move my fish out of the tank into an 18G Rubbermaid
container, I decided to check my newly-prepared water (made from R/O
from my LFS and Red Sea salt to a SG of 1.035 & pH 8.4).
<One, this
is a good move to find the cause of ammonia. Second, is this a typo? Do
you mean 1.025 SG? If 1.035 this is a big problem. Red Sea Salt mixes
to 1.023, 8.3 pH and 2.5 mEq/L Alk. Mixing to 1.025 is fine. Did you add
buffer or calcium to this ordinarily lower level salt mix?>
It tested
positive for ammonia at 0.5! I tested the R/O water with a FW kit and
ammonia was zero. I then opened a new container of Red Sea salt and
mixed it with R/O water and it tests zero.
<0.5 wouldn't be the cause
of the 8 in your main. It isn't acceptable, but it would be utilized by
your biofilter capacity if all else was normal. This could have caused
your problem by killing or stressing your inhabitants or simply been one
cause, amongst other larger ones. What type of hydrometer are you using?
Check plastic hydrometers with a decent glass model and hopefully the
above SG is an error, or we've found a good part of the problem,
elevated SG.>
My conclusion is thus that somehow the other container
of salt that just ran out was tainted with something that caused it to
have ammonia. Is this possible?
<Certainly, either at home, in
transit or in manufacture. More likely the first rather than the later,
although not impossible with salts in any event.>
As I try to
understand this disastrous chain of events, the only thing I can figure
out is that I have constantly been adding ammonia to my tank with each
water change since I started using the now-empty container (55 lbs)
several weeks ago. Interestingly, I was having a lot of problems with
ammonia in my QT using the same salt. If this Red Sea salt is the cause
of this crisis, I will never buy that brand again. From now on, I'll be
testing any water I add to my tank. BTW, the RedOx has been running
200-260 despite running my Aquazone 100 full-bore 24/7. It was easily
kept at 350 running at 75 before this started.
Now what do I do? I
have added a lot of AmmoLock & Amquel to the tank. Currently tests at
RedOx=260, pH=7.7, ammonia=8.0. Since the fish look OK right now & I
need to get some sleep, I changed out 15 gallons (total system capacity
is 100) with water testing no ammonia. I put in some HBH ammonia pads
into my power filter. Do these actually work? Will re-check in AM. If
still elevated, should I take the fish out (lots of work removing LR to
get at them)? I would keep them in a Rubbermaid tub while doing massive
changes on the main tank. I'm still concerned about my biofilter. Would
Fritz-Zyme help get things back in shape faster? I am very worried about
my fish. Any other ideas/suggestions?
<I would stop all these
additives, they complicate the issue with their chemical reactions. I
would first check the SG issue and mix to 1.025, checked with a reliable
(not plastic) hydrometer. I would test that water for ammonia, and
finding none at all, would QT my fish and any other critters I could
save in a proper size Rubbermaid. Then find and remove all know dead
materials from the main tank, refill with enough new water to have a
decent ammonia level and recycle the main, which has obviously had a
biocapacity event leading to high ammonia/nitrite, and low RedOx. This
may have been exasperated by all the ammo additives and ozone.
I
would stop the ozone and additives and run a clean system to cycle,
perhaps with a known quality salt, like Instant Ocean or Tropic Marin,
and use it for the water changes in both the cycling tank and the
Rubbermaid QT as it will have ammo/nitrite soon enough as well from the
fish, but is manageable. I would run fresh carbon in the filters and
make sure there is nothing there to produce ammonia in any way. Lots of
work, but the main should cycle fairly quickly if you have resolved the
sources, water, possible salt, dead animals, overfeeding, lost
biocapacity, filters. The presence of nitrites suggests a couple of
weeks. Don't rush and test with good test kits to verify. Best wishes,
Craig> Re: Major Crisis! -- Ammonia-Tainted Salt? -- Need
advice ASAP to save fish.
It was a typo. The SG is 1.025. I use a
refractometer that cost me $120. The ammonia is still very high in the
main tank & the fish do not look happy. I am warming the water in the
Rubbermaid right now. I have another 18G tank that I will fill to split
the fish between while I fix the problem in the main tank. I will be
changing brands on salt shortly.
<Sounds good Steve, sorry to hear of
your troubles. Let us know if we can be of further assistance. Craig>
Paint fumes
My wife wants to paint the room that my tank is in
and I'm worried that the fumes might kill the inhabitants. Is it unsafe,
and if so, is their anything I can do short of moving the tank?
Thanks, Eric
<Most modern water based paints are alright, oil would
be a problem. As a normal precaution I would turn off all air intakes
(powerhead injectors, air pumps, skimmers, wet/dry filters, etc.) and
cover the tank with a damp towel(s) while the actual painting is
happening. Best to wait for a good warm day with plenty of ventilation,
perhaps an exhaust fan to remove the paint fumes. Craig> -
Drywall / Joint Compound -- Cloudy Water -
Thanks again for this
service that you guys provide to us! <Is a pleasure to serve.>
I have
a question regarding my initial setup, I have a tank that is in wall and
viewable on both sides. During the renovation drywall dust and joint
compound fell into the tank. I have cleaned out a good portion of it
before putting the initial water into the system but was told by my
aquarium guy that the rest of it would be ok and filtered out.
Well
the white clouds in the water have since coated the insides of the clear
vinyl hoses running between the tank and sump. Because it wouldn't
settle out, I have drained out and wiped down the entire system (except
for the hoses) and refilled.
The water was obviously very clear when
the tank was filled, but it then clouded up (residue in hoses) and is
slowly being filtered out. But it has been a week now that the residual
cloudiness is not clearing. I am at my wits end now, could you suggest
how to clear this water up? <You might see if your 'aquarium guy' has
access to a diatom filter - these are capable of removing very small
particle sizes and would likely polish your water pretty well. You might
also try some activated carbon to see if that filtration method will
catch some of this dust.> I plan on having a reef tank so water quality
is a must!
New setup
150g Perfecto 48"x24"x30" WxDxH tank
Amiracle XL Mudd Sump in basement (approx 35g?) (14.5' head)
Amiracle
(CPR style hang-on overflow) with a Rio 2600 rejuvenation
venturi
powerhead to check valve on top of overflow.
(trying to make 2 Durso
standpipes)
Gorman Rupp 510
1" SeaSwirl return
2 x 175 wt MH
2 x 65 wt Ultra actinic PC
Thank you.
- Cloudy and Frustrated
<Be patient... you will need this trait over and over again while
developing this system. Cheers, J -- > Potential Metal
Contaminants
Hey Guys and Gals,
First of all, your website is
amazing. The wealth of knowledge that you provide for everyone is truly
invaluable and I'd like to thank you for providing it. I have two quick
and related questions that I can't seem to find the answer for. First
of all, I have a Mag drive 12. On the packaging it says that it can be
used submerged. However, holding part of the casing together are a
number or metal screws. If I submerge this in the sump of my marine
tank, do you think they could corrode and leach contaminants?
<If you
are concerned, cover the screw heads with 100% silicon.>
Also, I'm in
the design phase of my tank and I'm working on the plumbing aspect
currently. I'm trying to work out a way that if the power goes out
water won't siphon back into my sump. I'd like to have some of the pump
return outlets below the water level in the display tank and I'm not
totally confident in check valves. With that, I was thinking about
installing a solenoid sprinkler gate. However, I noticed that there is
a metal part inside the plastic casing. I'm not sure of what type of
metal it is, but I'm concerned that it might corrode as well. What are
your thoughts on this?
<I have never seen the sprinkler gate so the
best I could say is contact the manufacturer. Instead, I would drill a
small hole (1/8") in the return pipe just below the water line of the
tank. Then when the power goes out, the hole will break the siphon when
the water goes below it. Hope this helps, Don>
Thanks, Derek
Food dye
Ok, I'm going to take a chance and ask what may be
considered a dumb question (if there is such a thing). Is it ok to use
food dye in a tank with no livestock (except LS/LR) to see how the water
flow is in my 90 gallon tank? I'm thinking this might help me better
position powerheads and inflows.
<Yes, safe... and a good idea. Have
seen such use in limnology classes, demonstrations in relation to
thermoclines, other phenomena in aquariums>
Thanks so much for the
great website and books.
Mark
<Thank you for your kind,
encouraging words. Bob Fenner> Fumes
Hello,
My
apartment complex does yearly carpet cleaning. When they do this the
fumes from the detergents--or whatever it is--are very strong and
overpowering. I could barely breathe last time. I did not have my salt
tank set up then, so I am wondering about this being a problem for the
fish. Do you think it might? Anything I might do to cut down on possible
bad things....?
<It could certainly have an effect. I would, when the
carpet is being cleaned, make sure that the protein skimmer is off and
the tank and sump are covered snugly.>
Thanks,
Lance
<best,
Chris> - Wrong Hose -
<Hello, JasonC here...>
Well
I've just experienced my first, and hopefully last, sudden die off of
fishes. <I'm sorry to hear this.> Actually 2 of 8 fish and the rest
seeming a little stressed. Inverts and corals (all soft or mushroom)
seem to be mostly unaffected. Anyway the circumstances leading up to
this go as follows. Late last week the pump running my skimmer decided
to stop working. Seeing this I checked into my LFS's to see about a
replacement. Well they all wanted A LOT of money for the Rio 2100 so I
ordered from an internet seller hoping it would arrive in a timely
fashion, which it did. Since I was ordering I decided to help my
circulation by adding a SCWD mechanical wave maker. To the point, when I
received the gear yesterday I immediately got the skimmer running again
and decided to hook up the SCWD. I used auto heater hose (new) as I had
some around. I know this was brand new and I rinsed as well in plain tap
water. Is this hose leeching something into my water or is this an
effect of the skimmer not running for almost a week? <I'd put my money
on the hose.> I did a small water change while the skimmer wasn't
running and nitrates are only reading .2 with a Salifert kit. I also
took a sample to the LFS today and they could not find any ammonia,
nitrites, nitrates or phos. I'm confused. This is the same type of hose
used to hook up a dishwasher or washing machine just without the metal
ends. <Neither typically have seawater running through them...> I would
think this is safe. <Nope.> Is it, or do I have to use some special,
ultra mark-up "aquarium hose"? <Any hose suitable for food or beverage
service - vinyl, etc. I would not use black rubber hose. Cheers, J -- >
- Follow-up: Wrong Hose -
Thanks. I think it was the hose as when
I took it out you could almost see an immediate difference in
respiration. Much better. Although I did lose my tang as well :(
<Sorry to hear about the Tang. At least it's a mistake you won't make
twice. Cheers, J -- > It's The Water...(Unfortunately)!
Hello Wet Guys,
<Scott F. dripping here today>
I have 2 brittle
stars and both have a cut on their body. I battled a condition in my
tank a week ago with not washing out a sump before I bought it and I
think a chemical got introduced into my system. The starfish don't move
much anymore and it looks like some of their guts are hanging out. I
have made 2 large 50% water changes with 2 smaller 50% water changes.
The fish breathing heavy but have recovered. I have worked my butt off
on this tank for the last week but I suppose my work isn't over. What do
you think this is a result of have you heard of starfish doing this
before?
<Well, usually when a starfish appears to be eviscerated, it
is an extremely serious problem from which the animal may not recover.
The best suggestion I could make is to keep outstanding water quality,
keep an eye out for possible infection (use antibiotics if necessary),
and observe the animal carefully>
Also I have run about 64 ozs of
carbon over the last week. I hope I don't have to replace all of my live
rock and live sand. any help would be appreciated. Jason
<Well,
Jason, it's hard to say. It really depends what the chemical introduced
was. Compounds like copper can be removed with chemical filtration media
such as PolyFilter, aggressive water changes, and the passage of time,
although it may be bound up in the rocks and substrate for many, many
months. Testing would reveal the possible extent of the problem . Other
chemical compounds, such as household cleaners, etc., can be removed
through the aforementioned methods as well. Just be patient, and keep
working at it. Don't give up. Regards, Scott F> Lava rock
Hello - I've just bought and read Fenner's TCMA. I'm concerned about the
possible slow leaching of various 'bad' things from some kinds of lava
that he mentions could cause slow, chronic poisoning of my reef
critters.<yes, have heard of this before>
Great. I read this just
after I used about 15 lbs of a very porous, rough pumice-like 'bowl
rock' as a foundation for my Fiji Live Rock. The LFS staff insisted that
it was safe for salt water usage...but you know how that can go
sometimes.
Can you tell me (please) a.) what exactly leaches into the
water with this problem, and b.) how to test for it?<Personally I do not
know exactly what elements, etc "leach"
out from the live rock. But I
have heard that this does occur.>
I almost yanked this entire lava
foundation out of the tank as soon as I read this ... but if you knew
just how long I spent getting all the Fiji LR to balance on this lava,
and having the whole thing look very sharp indeed (not to mention very
stable for a non-epoxied or otherwise secured arrangement), you would
understand that I don't want to impulsively do this.
<I agree, I know
how long it takes to aquascape an aquarium. Try aquascaping a 180 gal
aquarium with 200-300lbs of LR. takes hours to do :(>
Any further
advice would be most appreciated.<If it were me I would remove this lava
rock post-haste to be on the safe side. Wouldn't want all of your
livestock to mysteriously die one day because of a few pieces of
rock. IanB>
Cheers,
SLC Canopy Paint - 9/24/03
Can
you suggest a paint for the inside of a light hood over an open reef
tank?
<tub&tile or swimming pool 2-part epoxies work very well and
dry hard/non-toxic. Else, any baby safe latex paint that you coat with
polyurethane will be fine if above water>
I have some bathroom paint
lying around and was hoping to use it. The problem is it contains a
mildewcide.
<alas no... it is very toxic to aquatic life because of
the anti-fouling agents as you have suspected>
I was hoping to use it
if I sealed it with a few clear coats of polyurethane.
<not worth
the risk>
Is this even all that critical, since most of the surface
area of the hood will be covered with reflectors for the new T-5 lights?
<agreed... but still not worth the risk.>
Get that next book going, I
am out of good reading material.
<writing it as we speak <G>.>
Thanks as always, Ken
<thank you, my friend... Anthony>
Broken Hydrometer
<Hello! Ryan with you today>
My hydrometer
broke while I was doing a water change. <Ouch!> I think not of the
weight balls got in to the aquarium but it is hard to tell. <That's
good, weight balls are usually composed of lead.> The hydrometer had
this red liquid (alcohol?) for the thermometer. The place where it broke
was in the changing water tank. That had a really oil like odor after
wards. All my fish appear to be ok. Any recommendations I am not quite
sure what to do?
<Watch your livestock very carefully for signs of
stress, and prepare quarantine containers now. Run some extra carbon,
perform a 10 gallon water change every day for a week. "Dilution is the
key to pollution!" At the first sign of stress (most likely heavy
breathing) quarantine your affected animals. Best of luck!>
My tank
is a 175 gal Marine set up with 80 to 90 pounds of life rock and a wet
and dry filter
Thanks Toxic Trouble?
Hi Scott, how
are you doing, hope you're doing great.
<Can't complain!>
If you
remember I wrote you about a month ago, telling you about the near
tragedy with my clown trigger. Well, every thing was fine, every body
was happy, till I purchased the protein skimmer.
<Uh-oh..>
If you
can remember, I told you that the skimmer barely fit, in fact the
skimmer pump was not totally horizontal in the ground, it was about
45degrees inclined, so as you can imagine, I had to put more water in
the wet/dry filter, because I was afraid that the skimmer pump did not
get water and burn up.
<A good move on your part>
And it was fine
working for about a week, but I wanted to arrange all of the parts to be
place as their supposed to go, so I put the pump totally horizontal
(sitting on the floor perfectly), but now the PVC elbow which connected
the body of the skimmer with the skimmer pump didn't reach, So that day
my plumber was in the office and I told him to help me build a
connection made of PVC to join the skimmer body and the pump. it was a
little bit difficult building that connection, so He recommended a black
car radiator house (made of material like rubber tire), MISTAKE,
MISTAKE, MISTAKE!!!!, It fit so well and the skimmer was skimming so
perfectly, that I thought that nothing could go wrong. I was very WRONG,
the next morning, My clown trigger and my puffer were DEAD. and my
Miniatus grouper, and my eel were very sick, I call Immediately the
owner of the octopus's garden store in San Diego (Ron), to give me some
advice, I didn't know if it was better to take my 2 live fishes home or
not. He recommended to do a 30% water change, so I did, for 3
consecutive days.
<Another good move on your part...>
The fish
look much better now, in fact the eel ate yesterday and today, but the
Miniatus is not eating, since Saturday, well at least I haven't seen him
eat.
<It's hard to say what went wrong...Did you monitor water
parameters? I cannot imagine that the skimmer could cause some kind of
"crash" in the system...>
Now I am afraid to turn the skimmer on, I
all ready went to purchase at aquatic warehouse some the proper house
for the skimmer it is a connection with 2 PVC elbows, and flexible PVC,
that fit perfectly and the skimming work perfectly and is all properly
install. I all ready wash the skimmer, and I notice that every time I
turn the skimmer on the eel goes above the pump return, as if it was not
receiving enough oxygen, or maybe he likes it there, but the eel never
spend time in that spot of the tank before the incident.
<Curious...>
Question, If the skimmer is to big, could it affect the oxygen return of
the fishes????
<I doubt it...Skimmers generally assist in oxygenating
an aquarium...I wonder if the hose contained some kind of toxic
compound? Try some activated carbon and Poly Filter to help remove any
potential toxic substances>
What is your advice on how to feed the
Miniatus grouper???
<My best advice here would be to continue
attempting to feed the fish with a variety of meaty seafoods, in the
hope of enticing him to eat...Don't give up- if he is healthy, he'll
start to feed again! Do monitor water parameters to assure that
everything is up to par in there...>
Inside the wet dry filter, does
it affect the way the venturi pump of the skimmer is pointing (point to
the carbon filter or to the return).
What other observations and
recommendations can you give me??? Thank you for the advice, I am sure
the thing that cause all of the problems is the radiator house, If you
have other opinions please let me know.
<As we both mentioned, I
would look at the radiator hose as a potential source of toxin- either
from the composition of the hose itself, or from some chemical that may
have been in it previously...>
As always thanks for your advice, time
and attention.
att. Juan Santos
<Sorry to hear of this trouble,
Juan...I hope that things start looking better- keep up the good work.
Regards, Scott F.> Paint in My Tank
well I was
remodeling the master bedroom this weekend. I used a paint sprayer on
the walls. I knew there would be quite a bit of fall out so I was sure
to keep the bedroom door closed and the windows open, so that none of it
would drift into the living room where the Reef tank is. Well,
apparently that didn't work. Later that night I noticed some fall out on
the center brace of my tank and my euro-reef skimmer
<great skimmers
that is all I use>
was going nuts. (I had to lower the outlet tube
all the way down to keep it from over flowing the collection cup).
<
that is normal when something has been introduced to the aquarium. I
would throw some new carbon and a PolyFilter just in case>
My tank is
primarily SPS and amazingly they have showed no ill effects from the
situation they are in. full polyp extension and feeding at night) All
water param.s are fine. am 0 trite 0 trates < 5 Ph 8.1 dKH 11
A 420.
I assumed that all of this fall out increased the surface area of the
water in my tank and that is why the skimmer is going crazy, so I did
a10% water change last night (I painted on Sunday.) Well, I woke up this
morning and my skimmer is still going nuts. I need to know what I should
do? should I be worried? thanks in advance you have been very helpful
in the past.
<In my experience euro-reef they will settle down on
there own. you can try pulling skimmer out and rinse the whole thing out
with fresh water. As long as the corals look good I would not worry.
Hope this helps Mike H>
Jason Auringer Petroleum Distillate
Contamination -
Dear Crew Members,
I am a computer activist
and have many cooling fans the same room as my 30 gallon marine setup. I
regularly oil these fans with a valve oil that states on the label,
ingestion may be harmful, contains petroleum distillates. I don't think
there could be more than 5 drops on a fan at any given time. I awoke
yesterday morning to find one of the fans fell off a shelf into a ten
gallon tank I am using to keep brine shrimp, this was after I had fed my
fish from the tank, possibly ten/ml of the water containing shrimp from
the 10 G tank. When I awoke this morning, there is a dull coat on the
top of my water in my 30 G tank, looks very much like oil. <This may not
be related... tanks often have an oily sheen on the surface.> I have a
damsel that has grown to be rather large, the kind with five black
stripes, this tank has been in great constant operation for over a year.
The damsel appears very white and yellow in color except of course for
his black stripes. He was VERY eager to eat as much as he could. Also
some white mucous was protruding from his vent. The other fish have net
yet woken up after about an hour, but I can see that they all are
breathing properly. <If it's that early in the day, then what you are
seeing on your damsel is likely just it's night pattern. Many fish's
colors fade while they are sleeping.> Do you think they are poisoned
with distillates? <Probably not... would expect a more adverse reaction
if so.> There could only be a fraction of a drop, my anemones, (bubble
tip) are doing very very well, but my urchin is moving very slowly.
<I've never seen an urchin move fast.> What should I do? <Run some
activated carbon in your filtration loop, keep up the observation.>
thanks so much, --Jim
<Cheers, J -- > - Petroleum
Distillate Contamination, Follow-up -
Activated carbon has been
running for 5 hours now, In both my penguin 330 and my Fluval 204, oily
sheen has disappeared and fish appear normal. My damsels night pattern
is almost completely black though and this morning it was very bright
white, and usually my other fish wake up quickly. Hopefully everything
is ok. <I think it will be.> Thanks so much for your quick response and
accurate information, WWM is definitely the best most sincere place on
the net to find information about marine aquariums. <My pleasure.>
thanks again --Jim
<Cheers, J -- > Heavy metals...
including ferrous, in a marine system
Hi, I have asked you guys
questions before, but this one takes the cake. I have a 55 gal, 4
months, 11 LR, skimmer, Penguin 330, all levels very good, no
copper. Ok, in the past I have asked questions in reference to water
filters since my DS reading is over 500 coming out of the tap. I had
some misconceptions about resin filters and I didn't understand at the
time that if a filter is spent that it actually rendered worse water
then to begin with. I didn't have a DS meter at the time and I was
actually replacing my tank water with water that had a DS of 560 or
more. Oooh!!! Well the interesting thing is that my fish didn't seem to
notice. I have Chromis, Goby's, Blennies, Damsels, and a horseshoe crab.
I bought a chocolate chip starfish and even though he was in
the water from hell he lived for almost a month. The one that I bought
to replace him only lived a few days, I tried hermit crabs, they only
lasted a few days. The fish are fine, and I think the horseshoe is also.
I am a little confused.
A breakdown of my questions: A. The
gunk that I mistakenly dumped in my tank, is it filtered out by the
filter as I have been told or is it just present?
<little or none is
taken out by the filter feeders here. Do consider water changes to
dilute all with better quality source water>
B. Is there a way to
find out if there is heavy metals in your tank?
<using a PolyFilter
will help here by changing color to indicate what if any metals were
absorbed>
I haven't seen any tests for that and since all my other
tests are fine, I figure that has to be what is killing the inverts.
C. This is a really strange question. I use a magnetic glass
cleaner and I noticed chunks of substrate that were stuck to it.
<yikes - ahhh... seems to me some metal contamination in your sand>
It appears that I have pieces of iron in the crushed aragonite that I
used. I am not sure how much, I am going to try to see how much I can
pick up. Is this normal?
<not normal... and it is a serious threat if
not the cause for your invertebrates deaths>
If I had a high iron
content in the initial water I started out with, could it form iron
chunks as I am finding?
<not likely. Your metals in the sand are
more likely (and not entirely uncommon) a contaminant in the sand.
Sifting out with the magnet will likely be good enough though. You may
not have to remove the substrate. Anthony> It's In The
Bag...Or Is It?
Greetings Gentlemen and Happy New Year,
<Same
to you! Scott F. here today!>
I am back to the hobby after about 25
yrs and have been back in for about 6 months, lurking in your fabulous
site for about 5 months.
<Glad to hear that! Sounds like you're well
into the fray again!>
My dilemma; 3 days ago I placed 2 felt-type
bags over my returns in the sump to control bubbles, worked like a
charm. Last evening I noticed a general closing up of my inverts, fish
were fine. I noticed a post in a faq about these types of bags
"harboring nitrifying bacteria" and no further info on this effect. I
did a 20% water change and I noticed a slightly different odor to the
water. This morning the inverts were at about 85% and again fish were
fine (just hungry!) parameters throughout the issue were:
PH 8.2
Sal 1.023
Temp 77
NH3 0
NO2 0
NO3 0
Ca 350
PO3 .25
SET UP:
175 bow front, corner overflows
40 sump, 3 powerheads and
wavemaker
~250lbs of LR,2 inches of live Arag
ASM Euro-clone
skimmer, (about 1-2 cups a week)
PC lites 4 daylight, 4 Actinic
FISH: pair Perculas, flame angel, yellow tang, purple tang, Sailfin
tang, Banggai
INVERTS: Torch, Octo-Bubble, Zoanthus, Sun Polyps, Star
Polyps, Goniopora know, I know), BTA (again, I know), purple mushrooms,
Green Mushrooms, colt, fox and open brain.
Everyone was doing great
until the bags. Could a negative effect manifest itself so quickly? and
if so, cause the above reaction from my charges? Regards, Walter
<Well, Walter, it could be a number of things. There is the outside
possibility that the filter bags were not rinsed before use, and that
some type of toxin was discharged into the water. Perhaps it was "used"
previously for some other application, and some kind of toxic compound
was retained in the bags. It is also possible, however remote- that the
flow rate has been compromised somehow, creating a drop in oxygen...Way
out there, but in the realm of possibility...With your animals on the
way to recovery, I'd continue to monitor water parameters and keep a
close eye on things...Hang in there!>
PS: I make it a point to
patronize your sponsors, your commitment and breath of knowledge are
second to none in this game.
<Thank you so much for the kind words
and support! We enjoy bringing this site to you, and are happy to be
able to share with our fellow hobbyists! Good Luck! Regards, Scott F>
Toxic Tank Situation
lost another new fish, 4 days. all existing
livestock healthy and active.
every time I put a new specimen in
it's like dumping it in the love canal.
no visible signs of stress
or disease.
<Yes, and now perhaps it is time for me to offer a more
complete, satisfying response to your toxic water situation.
Irrespective of its origins your "tank has a problem" that can/should be
addressed in a systematic fashion, ahead of your trying any more
livestock in the way of fishes.
If it were me, mine, I would engage
a few successive (with a few days apart) largish (20-25% each time)
water changes with pre-mixed water, gravel vacuuming the tank's gravel
in the process. Do hold off on any/all additives, especially the panacea
"ich" remedy you've been using... and place two units (containers) of
either Chemipure or equivalent activated carbon in your sump/filter flow
path... let's wait a couple of weeks during this process, and after,
place a couple (as in two) of sturdy Damsels (Dascyllus aruanus,
melanurus... Chrysiptera cyanea...) and see how they fare... along with
a "cleaner shrimp of the genus Lysmata"... show this note to your
friends at the NJ super shop and they will know what I'm about... Stick
with me Pat, the aquatic world is soon to be yours. Bob Fenner>
A Residual Problem, I Think Best To Re-Start...
Hi Bob,
Its me
again with a new question (concerning marines). I have a new tank
(approx. two months) with a regal damsel in it. While this fish has
survived up to now, no other fish did. The symptoms are rapid. The
newcomer will immediately start to shrink (like losing water) and will
die in a matter of hours (one day the most). Although I am sure this is
some sort of osmoregulation dysfunction still I do not understand why
the damsel survives and feeds normally. I did a mistake and added a
heavy metal solution a long time ago but then I changed the whole water
2-3 times. What do you think ??
Thanks, George
<Well, many
Damselfishes are tough, tougher than most other commonly kept marines...
and I think you have a malingering metal situation... If it were me, I'd
dump the system, replace the gravel and any other material you can't
clean up/off with a mild acidic solution (dilute vinegar should do...)
and start again fresh... Keeping, replacing the Damsel after the job is
done. Be chatting. Bob Fenner> Floating thermometer (broken...
metal ball-ballast in tank...)
Mr. Fenner:
A floating
thermometer broke in my salt water reef aquarium and I think some of the
metal beads may still be in my aquarium. Should I be especially worried?
If this could lead to a disastrous consequences, what should I do to
remedy this problem?
Thanks, Vince
<Yes to being worried...
perhaps lead, maybe ferrous... at any length, bad news... if it were my
tank, I'd siphon out all the possible gravel areas and CAREFULLY sort
through (sort of like rice, beans, what have you, ahead of cooking for
rocks, sticks...) and then rinse it before replacing (freshwater is fine
here). Bob Fenner> Paint Fumes
Hi Bob,
I am
considering some renovation work on the interior of my house which would
include re painting the walls. I am concerned that the fumes may be
harmful to my 110 gallon emerging reef tank. Obviously I'm aware of not
letting any paint splatter/drip into the water but what about the fumes?
Are the fumes something I should worry about? Is one type of paint
(water base latex or oil base or other type) less "dangerous" than any
other.
<Mmm, yes... some paints have more VOC's... especially some
of the oil-based enamels, stains... but no great danger given a couple
of easy preventative measures... Right about "painting time" for the
room area (if can be closed off by doors, towels at the base...) cover
your tank/s with damp towels, turn off all air-entraining devices like
powerheads, Venturi-type skimmers, and "bubblers"... Provide new air
circulation as you're painting, after... and all should be fine...>
I
have a feeling I'm worrying too much.
As always thank you so much for
your expert opinion.
<You're welcome. If you'd like to "practice"
your painting... I do have a few projects here... Bob "Huck Finn"
Fenner> Brass valve
Hi Bob
<Steven today.>
I just
finished setting up my 100g tank that I will be stocking with coral and
fish. I stocked the tank so far with 150lb of live rock and 2" of live
sand about 5 days ago. Everything is going great, I am now waiting for
the tank to finish cycling. Last night I panicked after reading about
the effects of copper on reef tanks and realized I had installed a brass
electric solenoid for my top-off water between my RO unit and the sump.
When I installed the valve I knew that copper and reefs don't mix but I
did not think that brass on the top-off side would have any effect,
especially since a lot of people use tap water that probably runs
through copper pipes.
I removed the valve immediately, do you think I
will have any problems with copper in my tank with the top-off running
for the past 5 days? I am planning on getting a copper test kit today
and I was thinking of doing a premature 20% water change.
<Jim, I am
unclear about something. Was the brass valve submerged or even near the
saltwater or was it merely connected to your RO unit far away from the
saltwater? I think it was the latter. In that case, you are probably OK,
but I would definitely get another valve and test the tank water.
-Steven Pro>
Thanks, Jim Paint fumes and fish tanks
Hi Bob Fenner (or however is answering the emails today),
I just
bought a house and have some painting to do in the living room before we
move all of our stuff in (saltwater fish tanks included). Of course I
will NOT be painting while the tanks are in the room (there will be
nothing in the house while I am painting), but how long should I wait to
set the tanks up in the living room after painting? I know the fumes
stick around for a while and was wondering is this is a concern with
fish tanks. Any suggests?
Thanks for any advice you might have!
Have a good day.
Jana
<With water-based products a day should be
fine. Oil-based ones I'd hold off a good two, three days. Bob Fenner>
Paint Fumes
Good morning my helpful friends,
<cheerio! Anthony
Calfo in your service>
Well after spending what seems like the whole
winter setting up and building the wall and area around the reef
tank.....whew!...we have to paint. The rest of the house is not standing
up to the clean beauty of the reef tank...not by a long shot...the fish
are complaining about their digs.... I keep hearing horror stories about
paint fumes.. .
<generally a big deal... anything strongly fumous is
a concern with pets/fish>
so any advice, once again is appreciated.
I would love to Bin the knots on the new wood around the tank and
frankly have some places all over the house that need that...Bin is
alcohol based and fast drying but scary...what do you think?
<clearly
known to cause fish deaths... personal experience here. A little at a
time though in a very well ventilated room I could live with... just not
painting sheer walls>
After that, all the paint that I will use is
latex.
<generally safe>
But I need to paint a lot. Due to the
fact that spring is here already the marathon painting that I had
intended to do this winter will not happen, summer is not the time that
landscapers do home improvements, but a room or so a weekend might be
possible. It is not possible to close the tank off from the rest of the
house. I read about the wet towel over the tank (tank and sump)
<generally a great idea>
but I'm not sure how long to leave them
on....suppose for instance that we're painting all day in an adjoining
room or in the room that the tank is in? I don't feel comfortable
leaving the tank off for all that time....and it sounds like leaving the
pumps off is also important....
<you can run an airstone or two from
an air pump set outside feeding a long line of tubing to the tank...
also close the doors in this room only, open the windows and have a
large inhalant and exhalent fan in each window>
I should mention that
the tank is really built into the wall but of course the air has to come
from somewhere and before I get too wacky about pumping fresh air around
the darn thing I'm hoping that there is hope for live fish with latex
paint.
<again.... latex is generally safe in well ventilated spaces.
Do run heavy carbon and Polyfilters during and afterwards...change
carbon frequently (before and after)>
It seems like no matter how
hard I try to find the answers to these questions on my own I still keep
relying on you guys. Thanks again for
being there. Helene
<no
worries...best regards, Anthony> Live Rock, Protein Skimmers,
Hypo, and general setup
Dear WWM Crew,
<Anthony Calfo with the
follow up>
Steven - thanks for your recent ideas about what caused my
wipe-out and how to avert it in the future. Upon searching the tank for
contamination sources, I did find that my magnet wall-cleaner was
leaking and allowing rusting metal (iron?) to get into the tank. I'm
sure this was a contributor to lack-of-health in the tank.
<not good
indeed>
I'll be using water changes and PolyFilter to get rid of the
contaminants. For now the tank has stabilized and a few of my fish are
still alive and back to normal.
<very good to hear!>
I'll also be
changing how I conduct quarantine tanks to Bob's typical recommendations
of using main-tank water and filter media to fill the quarantine. After
I've concluded a quarantine with nothing coming down the pipeline, I
plan to shutdown the quarantine and bleach the equipment.
<OK...agreed. Simply keep a sponge filter running in your display sump
or tank at all times for a ready, mature biological filter on demand>
What isn't clear to me is how to deal with live rock. Certain
invertebrates and fish will need a live rock to keep them happy, and
perhaps to provide some extra biological filtration in quarantine. What
is the process to safely return the live rock to my main tank? Is the
process any different if the quarantined fish developed a disease while
there?
<with or without disease... 4 weeks without any expressed
disease symptoms (as in after a disease occurred, counting from the
first day the fish looked healed in that tank on) and the rock will have
cleared customs <G>>
Other questions...I'll be using
hypo/fixer/thiosulfate as my dechlorinator. The hypo powder packaging
says that once mixed the solution is only good for two months. From my
photography days I know that fixer can go bad and get exhausted. For the
purposes of dechlorinating water, how long can the solution be kept?
<it is a good habit to mix solutions and supplements that can be used in
2 to 4 months. Over 6 months is generally to be avoided. It is all so
quick to mix, please do use small, fresh portions>
I have a 60 gallon
tank with no sump, but about 60 pounds of live rock and a Prizm protein
skimmer. This site, my lack of skim, and my algae problems tell me that
the Prizm is completely inadequate.
<BINGO... kewpie doll for you!>
As recommended by this site, I'm thinking of going to the Aqua Medic
Turboflotor 1000 Multi. I know the Turboflotor 1000 is generally
recommended, but how about the 'multi' version that can be a hang-on?
<agreed about the brand... but I have no experience with the Multi. Do
also consider Aqua C hang on model... very efficient and slim line>
If I go to a non-hang on skimmer, can they be plumbed alone without a
sump?
<most not easily except for Tunze rail mount models. Do
consider a sump in the future... they are so very functional and
useful!>
My setup is about three months old. Please take a look at my
setup and see if in general it seems sane...
Inhabitants: 3 green
Chromis, 1 pajama cardinal, 12 red-leg hermit crabs, 2 Mithrax crabs, 2
queen conches, 1 sand-sifting star, 1 green abalone, 1 cleaner shrimp
<nice selection of peaceful livestock... and I really LOVE the
abalone!!! They are great algae eaters>
Substrate: 2" of sugar-sized
aragonite substrate with a little Aragamax live mixed in
<this will
become a nutrient sink in time and fuel nasty nuisance algae. It is not
deep enough to be anoxic for denitrification but too deep to be fully
aerobic. I say ideally 3 inches or more (5+ for great nitrate control)
or simply have 1/2 inch or less. Bob and I differ on this point for the
record>
60 pounds Fiji live rock
4 55W Power Compact lights, 7200K
and 10000K
2 160GPH Powerheads
1 125GPH Powerhead
<you can
definitely use more water flow for coral and reef invertebrates... more
like 600-800 GPH turnover)
Protein Skimmer - Prizm, but to be
upgraded
<soon! Money well spent!>
Millennium 2000 hang-on power
filter
2 150W Heaters of course
Temperature: 79 deg F
pH: 8.3
Alkalinity: 3-5 mEq/L
Salinity: 1.023-1.024 S.G.
Nitrate, Nitrite,
Ammonia: 0
Phosphate: 0.03 mg/L
<Hmmmm.... pushing high on
phosphates... do test source water and discover the nature and severity
of this accumulation. .04+ is an algae bloom for most folks>
Calcium:
385 ppm
Algae: brown micro and green hair, no Macroalgae. Thanks for
all the tremendously helpful information! Mark Belding
<best regards,
Anthony> Q. My Question this time is that all of my snails died.
I installed a set of brass Quick Disconnects to my filter line to
make it easier to remove and clean. About five days later I noticed some
of my snails on their back and not trying to get up. I touched them and
they would move, but very slow. A few days later they were dead, they
smelled very bad. One anomaly to this is: I have three, three spot black
damsels, that look great and are swimming well. In fact their color is
better than it was a week prior. All Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and
salinity are in spec.
Any Ideas????? Heavy metals? or Cu poisoning?
I asked my local marine shop, they had no clue.
Thank you again
A.
Yikesville! Yes, get the lead and the brass out and remove those
fittings! Brass is an alloy of Copper (about 90%) and zinc... both toxic
to marine life. Both heavy and toxic... btw, your damsels may be looking
brighter because, yes, they are being poisoned. Remove the disconnects,
and change a bunch of water, maybe add some PolyFilter, and say thanks.
Bob Fenner, who can't believe the bit about the local marine shop; go
elsewhere! Can't figure out what it wrong
Hello,
We
have a 150 gallon tank that is about 6 months old. After going
through the maturation process we tried to stock it with fish, we would
add the fish and they would be fine for about a week and then die. We
keep a close eye on the ammonia, pH, nitrate, and nitrite, all were zero
when we added them and it was zero when the died. Every time we add fish
they look really healthy eat good and swim with no problems, but with in
a week to 14 days they all die. What are we doing wrong? We have read
several books can't find anything to help. It seems the only thing that
I can keep alive is a pacific cleaner shrimp, and he looks kind of small
in this big tank all by himself.
Thank You, M. Pinkston
<Somewhere, somehow something chronically to acutely toxic has made/is
making its way into your tank. A few ideas come to mind. Ammoniated
"window" cleaners being sprayed around, soaps/detergents coming into
contact with your water (through a communal bucket, sponge...), "tramp"
metal sneaking in through your gravel, décor (some "lava" rocks cause
this, and often an iron test kit will reveal it), even a metal
thermometer... any metal contact... I know it must be discouraging (to
put it mildly) to keep losing your fish... so I would make the big move:
Dump the tank, remove the gravel, clean and dry it, spread it out and
look for signs of metal introduction. Re-set up the tank, add some live
rock (this will really help) and put the shrimp back in. Wait about a
month and introduce some fishes. If the new fishes seem to be going
sideways, add some PolyFilter in your filter flow path and get back to
me about what color it changes...Bob Fenner> Broken
Hydrometer...What Now? 4.26.05
I was using my Hydrometer to test
the salinity today and it broke inside my tank. The Alcohol was not
released but some of the little silver balls or weights sunk into the
gravel. I do not have any fish yet because I am still in the two week
waiting period. What should I do ? I know this is probably lead so I
siphoned all I cold find. Please Help !!!!
<Hi Harrison, I would
remove all the substrate, and wash it down with freshwater, making sure
that all the heavy metals are gone. Heavy metals are capable of
poisoning your fish, so do your best to get every little bit. Good
luck, Ryan>
PC bulb broke.. parts in tank 8/14/05
Hi Crew,
<<Hi - Ted here>>
Sorry... I don't feel like I have
time to search the FAQs on this one. I just had a SunPaq 6700/10000K
dual daylight bulb break over my 125 reef tank. It appears that tube
was filled with Argon and some of the bulb shards fell into my tank.
I'm concerned about the phosphor, et.
al., leaching into the tank. I
removed the shards ASAP but there a few small pieces I haven't been able
to get out yet. I also posted to the 911 board but it looks like it's a
little slow. I'm stressing out because I don't know the composition of
the phosphor, or it's toxicity.
Fortunately the tank was
mostly covered (the shards fell in through a hole in the top). Please
pardon my brevity (between checking the board and writing this I've been
cleaning all the tiny shards of the top of the tank and mixing some
water). Any suggestions? Anyone know the probability of and/or
toxicity of Argon and Phosphor in a reef tank?
Right now the tank is
only a FOWLR w/light bio load.
<<I would not be overly concerned. I
would remove the shards as best you can and run carbon to remove the
chemicals introduced.>>
Thanks
Tom
<<You're welcome and good
luck - Ted>>
|
|
