Tanks wiped out? Help Please

Maybe I have more than one issue going on, Nothing to lose now, the two I have left are in the 39 gal and doing fine, I can rip the whole thing down if need be but would hate to lose my live rock. Guess tomorrow well drain her down strip all the substrate clean the rocks, add new water sand and go from there. My only fear there is that some type of contaiment got in the system and my live rock is posion don't know anything for sure.
 
How about testing it out with just a piece of the old live rock and some fish? That way, if there's a contaminant on your rocks you'll know it without having to use all the rock.
 
Not that I know of.
Your only other option would be to replace the sand and start over.I doubt that your rock would hold what ever it is since your still seeing pods and worms.
 
Ok ty I took a couple of pics this morning the first is my tank a month ago after we did the 45gal change second is from today maybe pics will trigger something.
saltwateraqu002.jpg

90gl1508001.jpg
 
It seams extremely strange to me that you still have pods and snails living in the tank, but fish cannot survive. Pods are on the bottom of the food chain and one of the most delicate life forms in the tank. Their population will grow and decline based on available nutrients in the tank.

Are you using an RO/DI unit for water changes?

Did you recently purchase a new bucket of salt? Perhaps it is contaminated. Try new salt from a different source or manufacturer.

Are you dosing anything in the tank? Iodine? Reef Buffer or pH buffer? How much? How often? Are you dosing anything that you can't test for? Maybe Purple Up or some other snake oil to promote coraline growth?
 
The only thing living in the tank are two baby snails born in it about 3 months ago, not using any chemicals, until after the first 40 gal change when my LFS pointed out that my ph from my RO/DI unit was at 7.4, started using Marine Buffer 1/4 tsp per 5 gal in top off and new salt water mixes to help with that. Just put in all new filters as my ro/di was about 2 yrs old so we changed all the filters to rule it out as part of the trouble. With all the water changes we have gone through about 3-4 bags of Reef Crystal salt over the past 4 weeks.
 
I don't know what else to say. I think everyone else already hit on all the major points. I'm also beginning to think your only option is to start over.

Good luck, and if you ever do figure out what is causing the problem, please post back and let us know.
 
Rcpilot said:
I don't know what else to say. I think everyone else already hit on all the major points. I'm also beginning to think your only option is to start over.

Good luck, and if you ever do figure out what is causing the problem, please post back and let us know.
Click to expand...

I am sorry if I gave you the impression that my only opion is to start over, that is not so. I really do not have an opion which is why I am looking for advise,just want to correct this hopefully w/o losing my live rock. I am going out today to buy the test kits I do not have, and have already bought two bags of sand, if I am doing something wrong I do not want to repeat the mistake. Don't want to do all this and then find out my rock is contaimating my tank. I am sorry if I have been a bother. I am just at a loss about what to do was hoping the pics would help. If we ever do figure out the cause I will be sure to post it.
 
I don't know if this was brought up, but worth a check since nothing else can be found, but have you checked the temp. Maybe your having a heater malfunction and the tank is getting too hot or too cold, also check for stray voltage.
 
TY Bobby yes it was I just replaced the heater as I broke it building the fuge in the sump (after all the distaster) Still trying to find a way of checking the voltage thing.Looking through a Foster catolog now to see if there is anything out there to help with that.
 
Yep, I noticed you didn't have a lot of water movement at the surface. It's a good idea to have several powerheads aimed at the surface, making a ripple, to mix air and water.

If it is a dissolved oxygen problem, I have no idea why things would have started dying all of a sudden, but it's worth a shot at testing for it. If a $20 test can save you the hassle and money of starting all over from scratch, at least...
 
TY I will correct the position of the powerheads to get more top movement. Do you think we should also have one at the bottom, I can buy a new for that and put two at the top and one or two at the bottom if that would help. I am heading out to the LFS, We have three within a 20 min radius. I will call first and see who has what I need.
 
I don't have any powerheads at the bottom of my tank. I have six Koralia #3s and four returns from the sump, and all of them are at the top. Just a couple cheapo MaxiJet powerheads could do the trick for you, they run around $12.
 
Hmm,Hadn't even thought of dissolved oxygen.
What ever you find out with it,let us know.As for being a bother,your not.Were all here to try to help each other out when we can and learn as much as we can.Plus questions like yours helps us up our post count.:mrgreen:
 
Ok Got most of the test kits ya'll said here are the readings
KH 10, Phospate 0, Nitrate 20(went back up) from12, nitrite 0 ammo. 0 calc way high took 36 drops highest on chart was 26, Oxygen 5mg salt 1.023 temp at 76. Could not find a kit for the alkanity silicate or iodine.
 
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