I am at wits end...

[carfac]

The last couple months have been nothing but trouble. I had an ammonia spike round about August, that devastated most of my aquarium. My clowns and anenome survived, but all crabs, snails, clams, etc died.

I spent a week and a half doing 10-15 gallon water changes DAILY on a 24 gallon tank. I pulled everything, washed it in SW, and replaced. I added a HOB skimmer. Got things back to normal it seemed.

I added a new fish a couple weeks ago, a pretty goby. Disappeared after 3 days. Then things went wacky again- my skimmer is filling up 2+ times a day. Could NOT find a trace of the fish. I grabbed a couple more crabs and snails, just in case there was some "clean up" needed. I probably have 3-5 of the sand burrowing snails, 5 red and 8 blue leggers, an emerald, 10 or so of the triangular shelled snails and a coulple margaritas and bumble bees total.

Last week I EMPTIED the darn aquarium, down to 1/2 inch of water at one point. All new (yes, RO!) water. Blew off all the rocks and things in a separate bucket as I put them back in. Pulled ALL shells of anything that did not move for 5 minutes.

Still got that ammonia after another week. Still filling up my skimmer 2 (or more) times a day. My Acroporia is bleaching. I do not see a mad rush of snails to the top of the water, but there always seems to be one or two there.

Just ran out of ammonia tester, so I cannot give an accurate measure.

The stuff in my skimmer is very watery (though it is set to the highest level). There is some brown/green stuff in it, but it pours out very readily. It is a Remora HOB nano model.

I am lost as to what to do now.

Dave

[Rue]

Oh dear...not good...

Are you rushing the tank? Messing with it too much? I noticed mine was quite slow to mature, but I try to stay 'out' of it except for my weekly maintenance.

[carfac]

It is 1 and a half years old. After the die off in August, I waited until ammonia was stable, then I added snails/crabs (the first batch). I added the acro a few weeks after, just because I wanted to add some more interest. The fish added in Oct- that is all I ahve done since August (plus the additional clean up I mentioned in the first post after the fish dissapeared).

I do seem to have a LOT of sponges- white/pink ones that look like large ameboes, and black sponges. I know sponges can be spunky, but I smelled them when I tried to clean things up- no rank smell. No rank smell anywhere, honestly...

[Sk8r]

Sheesh! Carfac, I know it's a turnkey system, but please describe it in great detail or provide pic of your equipment. Something is causing a nitrate/ammonia phenomenon that's quite out of line. This should not happen.

Have you got bioballs? Sponges [non-living]? Filters? All these are known problems. Depth of sand? Amount of live rock? Are you allowing flow-through in your rock arrangement [good thing]? Light type? Period?

Are you running carbon?

The sponge growth means that there's a lot of 'food' running around in your system. It's feeding on something. What are you feeding, and how often?

Anytime you get a bloom of something means it loves the conditions, and sponges usually thrive on phyto, but it may equally signal not-good for something else.

WHere is your tank situated re windows, outside light? Temp range? etc.

[carfac]

OK, first here is a picture- just took it:

http://www.animatedword.com/aqar.jpg

# filter areas. First is empty (has the pump to power the Remora, and that is it). Second, has Chemi-Pure (charcoal) and Purigen. Cleaned EVERY week. I rotate through 2 Purigens, replacing them every 3 months or so. (The Purigen out of rotation gets bleach for a day, then rinsed for 6 days). Charcoal gets rinsed and put back in- again, replaced every 2-3 months or so.

Bay 2 also has a heater.

Bay three is return pump that goes to the rotaing water thing, which you should see in the picture. I put a BIG pump in there, I think it is a Magjet 3 or 5 or something- NOT a maxijet. It is BIG!

I make my own food- shrimp, scallops, mussels, reef chili, frozen mysis shrimp, etc, all pureed, frozen, and small amounts thawed for use. I put in what would be about 1/4 of a frozen cube or so a day, maybe a bit less.

Tank is between a window and a door to the outside, both have shutters that are usually closed. the windows face East, and not a whole lot of direct light ever hits the aquarium itself.

I have some of that red Phosphate-grabbing stuff, maybe I should get some of that on there?

You can see the acro, upper left. I think you can see it bleaching there. There is a Kenya Tree next to it, centered- do NOT confuse that with the acro.

Lights are MH 175 watt. On 12 hours a day.

Sand is 1-2 inches deep.

Ask me anything I have left out.

[Sk8r]

Your structure looks good, corals look happy. It's a very pretty tank.
Phosphate not too likely: no great algae presence. Coralline good: should be enough magnesium, indicating good alk and cal, I'd hope.
Only thing I can think of is the food may be a bit rich: your rock structure is such that if any gets swept in there, it might not get dealt with, and that would be an instant problem. How is your bristleworm population? Many would be good. Try getting some of those guys in there if you don't see them regularly. I'd like around one per gallon...they're a bit more ammonia-tolerant than snails.
Your light situation is about like mine. SHould be ok there. Somewhere in here, however, is a nitrate factory, which is leading to the ammonia.

Your kenya tree got the acro, also the zoa helped: those aren't compatible. But that's minor: if you're seeing ammonia, that's just not right, and that alone would have been instant death to the acro---that poor thing was hosed from all sides.

[carfac]

More pictures- I rushed the first one- these have better white balance (adjusted to 10K)

http://www.animatedword.com/aqar1.jpg

Acro bleaching

http://www.animatedword.com/aqar2.jpg

Anenome looks OK here, but he does periodically ball all up and get REAL small. ****es off the Clowns!

http://www.animatedword.com/aqar3.jpg

Brain is thriving.

[Sk8r]

How's the alkalinity? 8.3-9.3?

[Sk8r]

The zoas balling up next the nem are just being annoyed. That's contact irritation. It's really a pretty mild nem, or none would be open. Possibly, however, the irritation is also going the other way and the zoas are bothering the nem by 'spitting' at it. Softies can do that.

Do you have Amquel? That's a fairly safe means of lowering ammonia fast. I've used it with sps and had no ill effect.

Try to keep that alk reading in line: that's more critical with softies than many think. They can get annoyed about that.

Definitely they'll all be annoyed about the ammonia though. If we can get some critter, be it a brittle star or a pack of worms, to get into that rock pile and be sure every atom of food gets used that will surely help.

[carfac]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11348367#post11348367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
Your structure looks good, corals look happy. It's a very pretty tank.

Thank you!


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11348367#post11348367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r Coralline good: should be enough magnesium, indicating good alk and cal, I'd hope.

Ca is 450-48- good there. I ahve always had slightly low alk- I use Tropic Marin, which seems low. I supliments with 2 part 2 time or so a week. pH varies from 7.8 in the morning to 8.1 before lights out.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11348367#post11348367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r Only thing I can think of is the food may be a bit rich.

So cut the amount, thin it more, or feed every 2 days?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11348367#post11348367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r your rock structure is such that if any gets swept in there, it might not get dealt with, and that would be an instant problem.

You can't see it because of that giant anenome, but there is a big cave in there. Water is not directed at it specifically, but it is open through. There are a lot more openings than apperant.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11348367#post11348367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r How is your bristleworm population?

Not sure. Are those the tube sort of things I see in the sand? The seem encrusted with sand? Usually have a couple feelers that come out?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11348367#post11348367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r Somewhere in here, however, is a nitrate factory, which is leading to the ammonia.

Hence my FRUSTRATION!!!! Darn it, I have tried everything I can think of, try to do it right. This ran great for the first year, until the crash in Aug. Since then, it is the most touchy system.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11348367#post11348367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r Your kenya tree got the acro, also the zoa helped: those aren't compatible. But that's minor: if you're seeing ammonia, that's just not right, and that alone would have been instant death to the acro---that poor thing was hosed from all sides.

Is there hope for the acro? If I move it back, strip back the Zoa, think I can get him back?

Side note, wheb I got that acro, I discovered a crab in him. In 2 months, he has NEVER left the acro. Can't get a good look at him, just see his silver eyes. Any ideas????

I would like to save the acro, any hints?

Thanks !

Dave

[Sk8r]

Crab is ok. Probably an acro crab, nice hitchhiker. Put the acro in the sand, to the side, away from everybody: light won't be as good but he won't be at war. If he lives, then get a piece of branch coral and some ICgel and make him a pedestal where he's safe and elevated, even if you have to attach him to the back wall. Sometimes they will re-encrust. But he'll be touchy.

Bristleworm is a worm with bristles down the side, pink/orange/reddish/black combos, can be huge, best size under 5". Ask your lfs for a couple and if you have too much food, you will rapidly have a LOT of worms. OR a black and white brittle star. That would be an alternative. That nem is plugging up your only underneath ventilation, the rascall, and the clowns, being clowns, will be shoving more food into it. The worms or star could get in that stack to clean up, besides being an interesting lot of inverts. Do not get a green serpent star---they're fish-eaters. But the others could help you out. For right now, lessen feeding, like every 2 days, see if tests improve.

This is Sam, my late-lamented bristleworm---lost him in the move.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/Sk8r10/sept06010.jpg

[carfac]

OK, I moved the acro out front left, moved the clam back. I have branch coral now, I CAN get him up higher and out of the way, now.

I will try to get them worms today, too.

Thanks Sk8r!

[carfac]

http://www.animatedword.com/aqar4.jpg

OK,acro up on stilts, by himself. Just below intake, should be good flow. He looks worse than I was thinking....

http://www.animatedword.com/aqar5.jpg

This is one of those pink/white what-I-think-are-sponges. Looks like something out of Star Trek!

[carfac]

Just picked up a brittle star- hope I got the right one- sort of tan and black, with a BIG black star on the "body".

[Frick-n-Frags]

double check your ammonia readings on some other test kit just to cover that base.

that acro looks mostly RTN'd. do you have a frag friend you can frag off some healthy ends to?