Major problem looking for help.... - Page 2

paweis · 10-18-2006, 11:08 PM

Hope this works

paweis · 10-18-2006, 11:11 PM

So, is this cyanobacteria?

paweis · 10-18-2006, 11:13 PM

Here's the whole pitiful tank (which used to be beautiful). What I don't understand is why nothing will live but the brain coral and some of the other coral but not hermit crabs, fish, or snails anymore. Ever since they all died off they won't live in it anymore.

paweis · 10-19-2006, 02:48 AM

Here's a picture that shows all the bubbles that keep forming.

paweis · 10-19-2006, 11:20 AM

I hope someone can look at my pictures posted and tell for sure if it is cyanobacteria that we are dealing with because maybe we are going down the wrong path. Otherwise he has done pretty much everything suggested I believe and continues to do so. Would this be enough to make the tank inhabitable for living creatures but not the coral?
Pam

paweis · 10-19-2006, 05:33 PM

Well, my son came home and hooked up another protein skimmer so now he has two on his tank temporarily to hopefully pull more bad stuff out. He also started running his cannister filter (Eniem?) with carbon to see if it would help the situation any.

Pam

Loman · 10-19-2006, 05:57 PM

I do not have any good suggestions to offer. Given the level of growth in the tank I would expect some water quality issues. I would also expect the corals to die before the fish. Hopefully Aaron or TOmmy will have some good ideas.

paweis · 10-19-2006, 06:33 PM

The living open brain coral and the polyp looking corals and a few others lived through it all even when EVERYTHING was dying, crabs, snails, fish, urchins, tubeworms,.....

One thing we noticed he was doing that is questionable is this. We had an old pond pump (used prior to this in a freshwater garden pond) that he cleaned up and ran lots of water through. Then he used it to pump the water from his mixed water to his tank after water changes. The hoses he used had a brass fitting. I wonder if any of those factors could contribute to this problem he is having with his tank.

(There are two problems. One the cyanobacteria (if that is what is in my picture??) and two, something in the water that killed hermit crabs and snails when he added them a month ago. THe water tests are fine although he is going to retest tomorrow.

I'm sorry to be such a bother.

Pam

Tommy Gun · 10-19-2006, 07:20 PM

I wouldn't really know where to start with this tank, I mean, I can now completely see your frustrations and I would very discouraged. However, anything can happen so I wouldnt give up.

If this was my tank and I was baffled like you, I would certainly invest in the largest and most complete liquid test kit I could get my hands on. I would test for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, calcium, Iron (free and non free), copper, salinity, and whatever else there is. I have the master test kit by Nutrafin and these are all the tests included in the kit. I would start myself a diary and record every one of these tests and any others I could find on a daily basis. This would at least give you the best idea of the water quality in the tank. I would also test and retest my water change water before I put it in the tank and then record the changes after the water change.

I dont know much about saltwater except from the few good experiences I have been lucky enough to have with my tank and the stuff I have read on forums like this and from some books I bought. My experiences with dealing with cynobacteria in freshwater were basically easy to clear up and it only took a couple weeks to get the junk completely out of the tank through a bunch of water changes. I would use the antiboitic erythromyacin (sp?) to the maximum recomended doses and time frames. This stuff looks very much like the growth I had in my FW tank, sort of stringy and slimy and just growing every where. Like I said, it is a very simple life form and shouldnt be that hard to get rid of. If it isnt cynobacteria, then I have no idea what it is.

I think your best bet is to just spend the money on test kits and get yourself set up for doing some really strong (strong meaning very well planned and healthy) water changes. I would try my best to get the RO water wastes out of the tank and replace them with the good RO water that your unit will produce for you.

Other than that, I really hope that Aaron or someone who knows a lot more about saltwater problems can get ahold of your pictures and give you some answers. I dont think you could over skim your tank, so the more the merrier. The same with filtration. I might also try a 'black out' but of course whatever is left alive in the tank now, will most likely not make it through a black out.

I feel really bad for you and hope you can figure something out. I will research some things for you as well.

Tommy Gun · 10-19-2006, 07:37 PM

You can learn alot about cynobacteria (red slime algea) from this article:

References - Cyanobacteria, Blue Green Algae, Slime algae, red slime algae

Make sure you keep paging forward as all the information is really really good.