Help Please

7designs · #1 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 06:40 PM

OK where to start?

About the environment:
35G tank with 10G sump

As you know I had High Nitrates. So I have been doing water changes. Last night I put in the redone sump which works out much better and added a quiet one 2200 return pump instead of the maxijet 1200 it had.

I then topped the sump back up with water from the same batch I have been using all week for water changes.

The new return pump was to much return put I did not have a valve to cut it back(I do now) so for the night I directed it so it was not as bad. It did kick up some sand overnight.

Now I am dealing with a micro-bubble issue but will get it fixed soon.

The Problem:
My fish are stressed and hiding. My mushrooms have shrunken up. My cucumber is not looking well and my starfish came out of the rocks and he never does that with the lights on. Nothing has died that I have seen. Shrimp, snails and crabs all look OK.

What could be causing this.

What you are going to ask:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: Still High 160
pH 8.4
KH: 180
Temp 79.5 a little higher then normal (was 78.6 last night)
Salinity: 1.024 (1.026 last night)

I brought the salinity back down slowly over a few hours.

The question:
What the hell is going on?

The thought(question 2):
Could the livestock be stressed from the change in sump or the stiring up of water the return pump caused? They did eat last night, I offered them a small amount of brine shrimp to calm them down? Was there to much flow?

Weird thing:
The cucumber seems to do better in the sump.

redfishsc · #2 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 06:55 PM

I haven't followed your thread on the nitrate issue, but 160 sounds to me like you either have a faulty test kit (have you corroborated this with an LFS or a second brand name test kit?)....... or you have some source of nitrogen getting into the tank.

At 160ppm, your animals may be having a hard time assimilating oxygen.

Try hitting the tank with some Prime to see if it helps, but DO NOT overdose the stuff b/c it can actually decrease oxygen content in the water. If it's nitrate causing the issue, it may help detoxify it (not eliminate it though).

Next thought-- check your tank with a multimeter for stray voltage. I think you know how to do that given your aptitude

. Do you have a grounding probe, by the way? These can turn that stray voltage into stray current... which really sucks.

I only say this b/c I once used a 9v battery and some insulated wire to kill a few aiptasias (kinda worked) but when I hit the with the battery, every shrimp in the tank came out almost as if they smelled food, but acted funny. Nothing crazy but just weird and confused.

7designs · #3 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 06:59 PM

I have checked it with 2 test kits. It has been high nitrate for a while, so it is not causing the drastic change in livestock. I will check the stray voltage, cause I did add a new pump.

redfishsc · #4 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:01 PM

The maxijets, IMO, are the worst. I get usually around 6-10 volts in my tank, but I just ignore it. I can shut off my maxijets one by one, and the voltage drops by 2v or so per pump.

I get nearly 0 with only the Quiet One 4000 running in the skimmer and the Rio return pump.

foresteronw · #5 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:02 PM

A salinity jump can stress the heck out of things. Going from 1.024 to 1.026 is stressful but goign from 1.024 to 1.026 then back to 1.024 in the matter of hours could be what stressed them out. I don't think it would kill them but it will stress them out.

7designs · #6 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foresteronw

A salinity jump can stress the heck out of things. Going from 1.024 to 1.026 is stressful but goign from 1.024 to 1.026 then back to 1.024 in the matter of hours could be what stressed them out. I don't think it would kill them but it will stress them out.

They where stressed going from 1.024 to 1.026. So I bet stresses when going back down.

7designs · #7 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redfishsc

Next thought-- check your tank with a multimeter for stray voltage. I think you know how to do that given your aptitude

. Do you have a grounding probe, by the way? These can turn that stray voltage into stray current... which really sucks.

.02 volts peek stays around .00

redfishsc · #8 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:14 PM

Not an issue then.

I dunno... just keep an eye on the system and see what happens, I guess.

LKGRenegade22 · #9 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:19 PM

If you stirred up the sandbed you have found your problem. And just a side note anytime my nitrates get at or around 80 my corals don't open. The few times I have stirred by sandbed I got a nice spike of nitrates and some unhappy inhabitants.

7designs · #10 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKGRenegade22

If you stirred up the sandbed you have found your problem. And just a side note anytime my nitrates get at or around 80 my corals don't open. The few times I have stirred by sandbed I got a nice spike of nitrates and some unhappy inhabitants.

The tank has only had the sand bed for a couple months now, is that still an issue? Not sure how established it is.

And my corals have been open lately. Just seems everything stressed all of a sudden.