In need of help... URGENT !!!!!!!!!!!

[JaSoMi]

Hi,

I'm usually a lurker but today, I need help.

I have a RedSea Max. I've been having problems with my heater and am in process of getting my warranty to issue me a new one. However, the issue is this.

Yesterday morning around 10 my water temp. was pretty low, hovering around 70-71 so I set my heater at 72-73 to raise it a bit and left at 11:30 a.m. for the day with my kids to the park. I came back home around 7 p.m. and the temperature was at 85 !!!!!!!!!! I freaked out, shut off my heater, lights and let it gradually cool down. I checked on it this morning at 10 (15 hours later from when the heater was shut off) and my temp. is at 74 and holding steady.

HOWEVER -

I have 3 frogspawns that are completely closed...
I have 2 big xenias that are completely "shrivelled" up...
I have 1 huge reen star polyp that is closed...

My fish are alive and eating good.

My pH is at 8.0, salinity is at 1.026, ammonia is almost 0, nitrate is 0, nitrate is 0.

Are all my corals dead??? 

I took pictured but can't figure how to post them so you'll have to rely on my post.

I'm sooooooooo discouraged..................

Please help.

[JaSoMi]

Oh and the water looks... hard to explain... white... like foggy white...

And there is only 1 fish I can't find, but I think he may be hiding... a firefish.

[groupie02]

to add your pictures, simply click on the + Additional Options... link below the text box when posting. You will see an Attach: area where you can browse for your picture files.

If you can, do a water change and run some carbon on your tank to help with the water quality. I would also try to figure out if the heater is the issue or the thermometer used to check the temperature.

Hope this helps.

[fishdaddy]

with your corals being closed it is just (a defense)they are just protecting them self's, they should come back,with the cloudy water sounds like a algae bloom keep you lights off for a day or two do a water change and run some carbon,with some luck things should be back to norm in a few days

[Hookup]

Agreed with fishdaddy... based on what you've said I would "guess" that during the cold/hot swing, possibly the firefish died, rotted, and the increase in temp caused the white-cloud (algae bloom).  Keep lights off for 24hrs, run carbon to be safe.  I wouldn't worry bout your coral just yet.  Definitely not a good thing that happened, but nothing you can do now other than fix the issue and stabilize the temp.

BTW, I keep my temp at 79-81deg.  74 deg seems on the lower end of what is recommended.

[Julie]

How high is ammonia?  The white cloudy water could be due to ammonia, meaning the tank is going to cycle. 

[beertech]

You didn't mention a clam, but if you have one, the cloudy white water could be a result of the clam spawning as a reaction to the sudden temp changes. They start pulsing and release a milky liquid as a last ditch attempt to procreate before they die.   I had this happen once, but the temp swing was more drastic in the heat of summer, (76 at night to 90 day) and the clam didn't survive.  I did a few major water changes to clear up the water, and everything else was fine.  I wouldn't worry too much about your corals, they are just responding to the temp and lighting changes, and will likely open up when things are stable again. 

Gord

[FishPassion]

Do you have an anemone in there?

[JaSoMi]

Here is what we have:

2 firefish(1 MIA)
2 clowns
2 cardinals
1 (can't remember the name... small, blue and yellow)
15-20 snails
1 bloodshrimp
1 cleaner
2 sexy shrimps
1 metallic/snail
3 frogspawns
2 xenias
1 star polyp
1 zeus

No clams, no annemones... we kept it pretty simple.

The xenias have shrunk to almost nothing and are pretty pale/white but nothing is coming apart as of yet. The cloudy water is gone and I've done a water change (approx 30%) and temp. is still at 74.

Nothing has yet opened, only the zeus never closed and looking pretty good.

We still have a firefish missing and we think he 'croaked'... really can't spot him.

Temperature has been holding steady at 74 for almost 24 hours now. It's under control.

Any more tips and advice? I'm taking about any right now...!

[JaSoMi]

Here are some pics taken at 11 a.m. this morning. 

Please note that the cloudy water HAS BEEN RESOLVED... at least.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[JaSoMi]

This is what it normally looked like, taken 4 days ago, before I cleaned it.



[attachment deleted by admin]

[kennyman]

you might need to clean any impellears and other mechanics now. Calcium perception events and coat them with a fine white crust of calcium as well as the heater. The heaters actually attract Ca due to water reaction on the hot surface.

[Rudall]

74 degrees is still way to cold in my opinion.  79 -81 is a good range.

[JaSoMi]

Well, 24 hours later, here are ths stats:

1 firefish confirmed dead
3 frogspawns dead
1 xenia dead
2nd xenia looks pretty much dead

1 umbrella leather opening
1 star polyp opening
1 zeus is still thriving

Temp is holding at 74 and everything is happy again.
It holds between 74-77 which is perfect for the Max 130.

All other fish seem very happy.

Can I replace my lost corals this week, or should I wait?

Calcium is at a fine level, 350, which is borderline, but okay.

Advice please. Thanks for everything!

[kennyman]

did you get your heater issues resolved? Have you replaced the unit? The loss of livestock would seem to be more costly than immediately replacing the heater and resolving guarantee issues afterward. Sorry to hear about this happening.

The reason I suspect a precipitation event is that the sustainable levels of dissolved compounds are temperature dependant and the change in temp could have effected your tanks balance. If you are running at these cooler temps remember that the recommended values of things like salinity and Ca need to be adjusted.

I tried to keep my reef tank at 76 but the rise during full lighting in the summer makes for a bigger swing in temp. I caved in and maintain a minimum of 78 now to minimize the change. No way am I buying a chiller.

[Julie]

Sorry for your losses.   Glad to hear the large star polyps are starting to open.
What are your current parameters -are your registering nitrites?

[JaSoMi]

I always ran my tank at this temperature and had amazing results. I would never think of running it above 80. I run it between 73-78 max.

Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia is at 0ppm. Salinity is at 1.025. pH is still 8.0.

We oficially lost all frogspawns and xenias.

[darkphreak]

Not sure where you got the information that running a reef tank between 73-78 was correct... secondly your temperature fluctuates WAY too much. You need to find a way to control it better. Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia at 0ppm is impossible considering the amount of organics(corals dying) in the water. Might want to get better test kits.


Along the Great Barrier Reef, the average minimum water temperature is well within the limits recognised for coral growth. Coral flourish best in a temperature range of 77 to 84F, but they can withstand limited exposures to lows of 60 - 62F.

[kennyman]

Not sure where you got the information that running a reef tank between 73-78 was correct... secondly your temperature fluctuates WAY too much. You need to find a way to control it better. Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia at 0ppm is impossible considering the amount of organics(corals dying) in the water. Might want to get better test kits.


Along the Great Barrier Reef, the average minimum water temperature is well within the limits recognised for coral growth. Coral flourish best in a temperature range of 77 to 84F, but they can withstand limited exposures to lows of 60 - 62F.

Maybe from chapter 8 p.225 of The Reef Aquarium vol I " . . . a temperature of of 74-76 F is ideal. If the temperature varies plus or minus one or two degrees during the course of the day this is not a problem. The most common problem is high temperature; above 80F." But I understand most people today are running higher to max dissolved Ca and increased salinity along with the increase in foam production it gives. Also to minimize the temp fluctuation from the racks of HID lighting. That's why I raised my min to 78.

totally agree with the sentiment about water parameters though. With stuff dieing there should be ammonia spikes.

[JaSoMi]

The ammonia is at 0.20 today but my skimmer runs all the time and is maintained/cleaned on a regular basis. I studied and researched on temps a lot and was suggested in majority of cases to keep around 74-77 degrees, especially for my size of tank. Even the RedSea Max manual recommended this temperature.

I'll most likely go to my parents whom have 3 saltwater tanks and bring some samples to get tested but I am convinced that my levels are fine. Maybe the temp went higher than I'm aware of during the day it happened???

I also believe that my temperature does NOT fluctuate all that much, taking in consideration everything was happy in my tank even before this happened due to overheating. I'd appreciate not being criticized.

Thanks guys!

Looking for advice... and not accused.