So, for those of you that know about what happened, I will be rebuilding and am in the process now.
For those that dont know what i run or have... or what happened, let me catch you up. Ill add pics when i get my laptop back from Apple... stupid harddrive cable "malfunction." So i have a 180g tank, with a left side overflow box with 2 drilled 2" holes and 2 1" returns on both ends. The tank is lit by Ambrosio Aquatics Lux 6's, two of them, with a custom layout providing almost 500w of LEDs all with 60, 90 and 120 optic lens'. The tank has a 55g sump with an AE Tech 150 skimmer and a 2200gph return pump, 300lb of live rock and over 150lb of live sand. Over Christmas break i had someone watching the tank and i had a heater malfunction. the tanks temp dropped significantly and before the person watching my tank realized there was a problem, the next visit he had seen i lost everything in the system, close to $4000 in coral and fish. There was one survivor when i got home who i thought would pull through, my Desjardini tang.
He was a trooper, stuck it out and when i tested water when i got home the ammonia was at such a level that the fish had ammonia poisoning. Heavy nonstop breathing and within 12 hours he finally passed as well. After 5 50g water changes on the system, I am now back at a stable level.
On to the rebuild!
Like i said, i did 50g water changes every roughly 36 hours until nitrates, nitrites and ammonia was at 0, with holding a steady temp, PH, salinity and assorted trace element tests. After the 5th, the system seemed healthy enough for coral and fish, so i added 2 chromis, an orange anthia and a zoa rock. All have done wonderfully thus far for over a week, so yesterday i added the first of 2 loads of fish into the tank. This order added 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 cleaner wrasse, a 4" red coris wrasse, 1 tiny baby hippo tang, 1 tiny baby scopas tang, 1 small (maybe an inch long) Flame fin tomini, a 1" blue eyed tang, an assortment of hermits and snails, and 1 orange linkia starfish.
So far (only been a day with the fish) the fish have all acclimated wonderfully, all the tangs have their hiding spots picked, no aggression being shown whatsoever and all the fish are eating flake and frozen medicated food, while just a few and the CUC pick at the pellet. I will be adding some more coral here in a couple days, but so far the zoas from Nick Ambrosio are doing great, i found a couple that the wrasse pulled out of the sand that didnt die or melt in the crash, and those are coming back around. Polyps are extended and out, color is very minimal, all are very faded, but they are responsive to light and touch and seem healthy so i will cross my fingers theyll come back. I also found a small 2 polyp pink, purple and green acan frag in the system, which is also doing wonderfully telling me that LPS and softies are all able to be brought back into the system. I will be putting sps in later this weekend, a drip acclimation will take place to ensure they safely acclimate.
Levels in the system as of tonight stand as such:
PH: 8.19
Sal: 1.025
Mag: 1370
Calc: 460
Alk: 8.4
Phos: 0.1
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
Temp DT: 78.2F
Temp Sump: 79.4F
Temp Stand: 72.4F
I am currently only adding 3 additives to the tank, Fuel (one capful once a week), Phyto from algaebarn and seachem (one capful once a week), and iodine (2 capfuls once a week). Someone told me to dose Strontium to help the zoas come back faster and heal, but i have never dosed that before and do 50g water changes every 1-2 weeks alternating so i feel as though my levels dont deplete enough to need to dose that, but feedback on it is more than welcome and suggested!!
anyway, like i said, its a rebuild. It is in the process now and progressively coming back. I will be purchasing a Reef Angel soon, feedback on controller systems is also appreciated and welcome, cost wise and for what i need the Angel seems to be the best fit, but if others know more on it or other products please feel free to enlighten me. I am mainly looking for temp, PH, a controller with sockets and the wireless kit.
edit: doing this on a freaking iPad sucks... the pic is upside down and idk how to fix that but that was the Desjardini i took a pic of the second i got home. RIP
For those that dont know what i run or have... or what happened, let me catch you up. Ill add pics when i get my laptop back from Apple... stupid harddrive cable "malfunction." So i have a 180g tank, with a left side overflow box with 2 drilled 2" holes and 2 1" returns on both ends. The tank is lit by Ambrosio Aquatics Lux 6's, two of them, with a custom layout providing almost 500w of LEDs all with 60, 90 and 120 optic lens'. The tank has a 55g sump with an AE Tech 150 skimmer and a 2200gph return pump, 300lb of live rock and over 150lb of live sand. Over Christmas break i had someone watching the tank and i had a heater malfunction. the tanks temp dropped significantly and before the person watching my tank realized there was a problem, the next visit he had seen i lost everything in the system, close to $4000 in coral and fish. There was one survivor when i got home who i thought would pull through, my Desjardini tang.
He was a trooper, stuck it out and when i tested water when i got home the ammonia was at such a level that the fish had ammonia poisoning. Heavy nonstop breathing and within 12 hours he finally passed as well. After 5 50g water changes on the system, I am now back at a stable level.
On to the rebuild!
Like i said, i did 50g water changes every roughly 36 hours until nitrates, nitrites and ammonia was at 0, with holding a steady temp, PH, salinity and assorted trace element tests. After the 5th, the system seemed healthy enough for coral and fish, so i added 2 chromis, an orange anthia and a zoa rock. All have done wonderfully thus far for over a week, so yesterday i added the first of 2 loads of fish into the tank. This order added 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 cleaner wrasse, a 4" red coris wrasse, 1 tiny baby hippo tang, 1 tiny baby scopas tang, 1 small (maybe an inch long) Flame fin tomini, a 1" blue eyed tang, an assortment of hermits and snails, and 1 orange linkia starfish.
So far (only been a day with the fish) the fish have all acclimated wonderfully, all the tangs have their hiding spots picked, no aggression being shown whatsoever and all the fish are eating flake and frozen medicated food, while just a few and the CUC pick at the pellet. I will be adding some more coral here in a couple days, but so far the zoas from Nick Ambrosio are doing great, i found a couple that the wrasse pulled out of the sand that didnt die or melt in the crash, and those are coming back around. Polyps are extended and out, color is very minimal, all are very faded, but they are responsive to light and touch and seem healthy so i will cross my fingers theyll come back. I also found a small 2 polyp pink, purple and green acan frag in the system, which is also doing wonderfully telling me that LPS and softies are all able to be brought back into the system. I will be putting sps in later this weekend, a drip acclimation will take place to ensure they safely acclimate.
Levels in the system as of tonight stand as such:
PH: 8.19
Sal: 1.025
Mag: 1370
Calc: 460
Alk: 8.4
Phos: 0.1
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
Temp DT: 78.2F
Temp Sump: 79.4F
Temp Stand: 72.4F
I am currently only adding 3 additives to the tank, Fuel (one capful once a week), Phyto from algaebarn and seachem (one capful once a week), and iodine (2 capfuls once a week). Someone told me to dose Strontium to help the zoas come back faster and heal, but i have never dosed that before and do 50g water changes every 1-2 weeks alternating so i feel as though my levels dont deplete enough to need to dose that, but feedback on it is more than welcome and suggested!!
anyway, like i said, its a rebuild. It is in the process now and progressively coming back. I will be purchasing a Reef Angel soon, feedback on controller systems is also appreciated and welcome, cost wise and for what i need the Angel seems to be the best fit, but if others know more on it or other products please feel free to enlighten me. I am mainly looking for temp, PH, a controller with sockets and the wireless kit.
edit: doing this on a freaking iPad sucks... the pic is upside down and idk how to fix that but that was the Desjardini i took a pic of the second i got home. RIP
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