# Wipe out!!!!



## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

urrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggg.. this is more rant than advice seeking but feel free to respond.. you were warned....

so all this progress is going great and i got my sump parts all set to put together and fine tune and get running... so i go to work all looks great in the morning... i get home and it look like a nuclear war took place in my tank.. my new anemone is all balled up my mushroom looks shrunk all the zoa's look like trash all shriveled and puffed at odd spots the only things that seem ok are my damsel and the two big stars.. for now!!!
so i am freaking out i call my fisguy at home and ask for help he thinks something either provoked the anemone or it was hunting and released to much stinging enzyme... man i am ripped... so i yank his but out and put him in a 2 gallon untill i can discover if in fact the thing is alive or dead and do a MAJOR water change (test before and after and my water reads perfect!! what the {explitive} is that?!?!?!!?)
so a little cloudy ness still but not so bad (BTW the anemone was alive and i traded it to my fish guy so no its not back in the tank) ... sump is on line and i now have the skimmer doin its thing and all seem like its going well....again for now..
so today things look fare... much clearer but my damsel looks a but stressed and gaspy corals still look like butt and i think thewy are a lost cause.... run out for a little return home damsel upside down and my brittle starfish looks like it wrestled with a blender!!!!!!!!! all the legs are off and in segments all over my tank @!#$%^!$!#*&$*^%^%!*#$& WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT..... so again we dive in start to remove the remains and its like turning to jello in our hands and falling apart man i really angery at this point ... figure untill i can be sure everything is perfect i can not let the damsel suffer so i put her down (freezer method i can not bear the thought of doing this fish any harm more than its already been through) found that a few of my wonderful (sarcasm) crabs have been wiping out my snails and stealing the shells over the last few days..... man i am so frusterated i wanna really scream!!!!!!! i refuse to give up but i think i need a little guidance here... so in my tank at this moment are one sand sifting starfish and about four crabs and my rock and sand....

water reads
No2 =0
nh3 = 0
calcium = 480ppm
ph = 8.6
KH = 15

temp steady 82 F


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## trukgirl (Jan 28, 2010)

I obviously have no advice... but... 

AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!! Oh NO!!! :redmad: I'm sorry!!!


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## willieturnip (Aug 30, 2009)

I'm not sure what to advise, apart from heavy skimming and large water changes each day. Maybe get a filter running on it with loads of the fine polishing floss? Run some carbon?

All I can say is that I never recommend an anemone in a "normal" tank. They just don't do well in captivity at all, for so many reasons.

Yet another reason why QT tanks are SO important. At this stage you could just chuck everything in there and it would be safe as houses.


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

how awful.:-(


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

thank you all.... i am at this moment just letting everything ride as the tank seems to have cleared up and my corals appear to be trying... i have the feeling i may have another cycle (maturity) phase coming on as it looks like i lost most of my pods and everything looks like it did back at the beginning.... so for now i wait....... i am running some carbon and i am out of floss ATM... 
not to be argumentative but as these were the first additions to the tank other than inverts i was under the impression that going with out the QT would be ok ... i was proven wrong and i can admit that however... i honestly think that there was some sort of battle in there and a QT period would have only postponed the inevitable conclusion that i just reached.... 
as for Anemone's doing well in captivity i can not address that the research i did (and i did some just not enough apparently) pointed to easy care and no major issues..... again lesson learned

i guess the only question i really have at this moment aside from those asked is do you all think my tank has a chance to spring back from this if left alone? i obviously do not want to add chemicals and at this point all appears clear and running smoothly.... barring one last loss i noted this morning of my large feather duster....
will my rock be able to re-populate? my sand? or do i have to mark this up as a $500 experiment that went horribly horribly wrong? man i can not even grasp that last one .... be honest is there hope?


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## njudson (May 21, 2009)

I think your tank still has a chance to be great but you need to slow down. Let things go for a few weeks without adding anything and try to get the parameters under control. With a little patience you should be fine!


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

i am planning on waiting ... as far as parameters everything reads perfect from day one no issues at all!!! everything on target and on time until this garbage... so just let it rock then? i mean no pods nothing but crabs snails and sand sifter..... should i add a new piece of live rock? or just wait and see what comes back?


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## njudson (May 21, 2009)

I'm no expert but I would just wait it out. I'm a big fan of keeping things simple.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

thanks.. i will.. at this point it can not really get a lot worse.. if its a total loss of stock i have a great pile of base rock to start over with right? LOL i need to laugh just now.... any way thanks again


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

well i lost the sand sifter tonight.. no logical reason .. water still reading perfect parameters all the water is clear the skimmer is doing a wonderful job and pulling all the nasties out.... just wondering if i should go ahead and invest in an other piece of LR and toss it in to get the ball rolling again....


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

Throw a bag of activated carbon in the sump and wait a few weeks to throw any more LR in there. Let's just make sure that you don't have a relapse before you throw more rock in...


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

i tossed a bag in yesterday or the day before... the wife and i were talking and had the idea that perhaps some of the toxins have leached into the sand (well settled into the sand really) so our thought was to shut down the sump . put the few critters we have left in the refugium, then vacuum off the top of the sand then add about 20 pounds of new live sand and mix it like crazy.. let that settle.... rework the rock and again let everything settle.. get the sump flow back on and after a week or two add a bit of LR so total time would be 3-4 weeks but doing things to make the environment better in the process...what are your thoughts of this plan???

oh hey BTW we found the feather duster had abandoned his tube and we saw him on the sand this morning we carefully picked him up in a specimen container, target feed him with some marine green water, then placed him in the refugium to settle down and rebuild his tube... this is a sign that there is hope yet (in my eyes at least)


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

well i think i am going to start a new thread unless any one has any suggestions or advice left for here.. thanks to all .......


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## Diesel007 (Jun 5, 2010)

Hello,
I definitely think your water temp is too high. I would have it no higher than 78 deg. for a reef setup. You might need a water chiller if the temp does not go down.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

i have always kept my tanks at high temp.... not trying to be argumentative just stating my preference.... in fact after adding te sump the temp has fallen to the 78 degree mark over the last few days and seems to be holding stable... i intend to keep it there for now until i get everything growing again... then back to 80-82 the main reason for this is that the few degrees higher temp promots growth and helps things take off a bit faster... not to mention if i do begin to get a problem in my system i see it faster and treatment is a bit quicker.... i do the same in my FW set ups with fantastic results.... this wipe out was a result of a poor stocking choice on my part and a lesson well learned LOL 
Research research research just as i advise others LOL


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

It will come as no big surprise that I agree with Wake. I would not add any more live rock or sand at this time. In addition, I would keep the sump running, using fresh activated carbon every 3rd day for a couple of weeks. It wouldn't hurt to do a 5 gallon water change daily until you start to see things "perk up". 

In some ways you are very fortunate that your stocking level was not higher. And I do agree with your final conclusion, that it was just a poor choice in livestock (the anemone) that resulted in your situation. It is very frustrating that in the year 2010 we would actually have people recommending anemones as being easy to keep in captivity. They are exceedingly difficult in the hands of most hobbyists and really need someone with an extremely keen eye for picking healthy livestock. I am not personally confident in my ability to do this, and would suggest that very few people need to consider an anemone for their tank.

Any chance you could post some updated pictures here in this thread? I am actually going to set the alarm on my cell phone to go off in 8 hours to remind me to check back in on this. I've been rather distracted with other things lately.... my apologies to all.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

wow thanks pasfur .... yeah things are on the rise at this point and the pods are coming back fast!!!!!!!!!! i did make a post about a rebound and as soon as the time permits i will take and post some pix.... 
i ran a full spectrum of tests yesterday and again my readings are stable (as posted in the other thread) put in my last carbon last week and need to buy some more.... skimmer pulling great stuff out and the water looks great......
i only have 5 crabs left at this point and three corals that are appearing to do well... i will get those pix and do an update soon....


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Here is the new thread: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-aquarium/aahhhh-signs-rebound-44548/

We can just close this one to not create 2 conversations on the same situation.


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