I need help.

[PufferGuy]

I am at a complete loss right now... over the course of a week my tank pretty much completely crashed and i have absolutely NO idea why. My tank has been perfectly fine untill this last wednesday when i first started to notice a few things that looked suspicious like the fish scratching themselves on the rocks. Since then, all but 2 of my fish have died and they all look like they got ick, they scratched on the rocks, had really "faded"/white fins. Also, since then, my algae has gone CRAZY... i have a TON of cyno (red/maroon) algae on the sand.

The tank looked GREAT monday when i last looked at the tank really closely. The last addition was 2 corals, one of which is now pretty much dead, i forget the name but theres a thread about it in the tank showcase. These were added 2 weeks ago (the 7th). The last addition before that was a longspine urchin. (added a week before the corals).

I tested the water and everything looks good. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates. Anyone have any idea what might have caused this and/or what i could do? I've pretty much accepted that my clown i have left is going to die soon because he really doesnt look good at all. Aside from him, i have a 6line wrasse and a white ribbon eel both of which ate well today and look like nothing is wrong. My GBTA is also acting strange, he is in a hole in one of the rocks with the tentacles not exposed to light even though the light was on... is this normal?

As of right now, i moved a powerhead to blow over the sand to hopefully take care of the algae. I also turned off the lights and am gonna keep them off for a couple of days. Lastly, i got 5 nassarius snails to stir up the sand.

 

[stagofdoom]

It could possibly be the anemone, if he has died it could wipe out your whole tank. Thats the only thing I can think that could have done it.

 

[Bifferwine]

I also suspect the anemone. It seems this is what usually happens when an anemone starts to get sick... They tend to take out the entire tank with them. They release their toxins into the water. Can you get to the anemone? How long has it been since you've seen it? Do you know if it's still alive?

 

[yote]

+1 Stag and Biff
The anemone was my first thought also.

 

[PufferGuy]

i can see the anemone, it's alive, i know that, it just doesnt come out very often. I can take it out and am thinking about it but i just didnt know if it could be something else.

 

[yote]

HAve you checked the tank for stray voltage?

 

[PufferGuy]

Thats what the nem looks like now, when he is out. I have not checked for stray voltage, i dont exactly know how but i dont think thats the problem... the reason i say that is because my other corals, 6line and eel are acting/looking perfectly normal
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...69298541625_1500930697_30630909_1238558_n.jpg

 

[yote]

I hate to say it.But either your camera makes it look more white,or that anemone is trying to bleach.
And yeah,stray voltage can do your tank that way.It'll kill some fish while others act perfectly normal.I'm not saying thats the cause,just saying its possible.It'd be worth it to check it at least.
Just pick up a cheap voltmeter from wal-mart,lowes,or any hardware store.Set it on 120ac,stick the black probe in the ground on an outlet and the red probe tip in the tank water.If it reads any voltage at all,start unplugging power heads and stuff one piece at a time untill your not getting a reading.

 

[PufferGuy]

what does it mean if an anemone is trying to bleach?? The camera does make it look much worse but it does look kinda faded... also, the tips of the tentacles look greedish but the bases look more brown/tan... is this normal?

the more i think about it the more i regred getting an anemone... i might just have to take it out.

 

[yote]

Anemones use the zooxanthellae the same as corals do.To much light will cause them to bleach,just the same as not enough light.When they bleach,they have to be fed regularly to keep them from starving to death.

 

[messiah023]

Everyone's got you covered.
My first thought was the voltage too.....but that doesn't explain the algae breakout....
Are you using new water? Did you check for phosphates?

You have (3) things to check into :

1.) Voltage
2.) Anemone
3.) Phosphates or "bad" water.....maybe the RO filter was bad?

Let us know.

 

[PufferGuy]

i definitely dont think i have too much light... i have a 4bulb T5 fixture with like 156watts... i will check the voltage this week, just have to swing by walmart to get a meter. I did a couple of water changes, about 5 gals each. One was with about a gallon of RO water (i get all my water from LFS) to bring salinity down a bit.