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I need help

heyitsomid

heyitsomid

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Hi everyone,
I need help desperately. Something has happened to my tank and I don't know how to resolve the issue. Within a couple of days my tank went from normal to packed with hair algae. My hermit and emerald crabs were doing horribly and my snails weren't doing so well either. I did a water change and they all just about bounced back. My theory is that a piece of electrical tape had fallen in. I was replacing a dead fan and accidentally left some of it in my same color hood. When I replaced the hood it must have/might have fallen in. I was gone that weekend out of town and came back to see a few specimens didn't make it through the weekend. I bought several things to hopefully fix my predicament. 1)bought carbon, purigen, and seachem seagel, 2) a fluval 1 plus filter which I am using as a media reactor 3) moved my chaeto out of my display and into the back chambers of my BIOCUBE 14, where I have an attached light (reason for the move was aesthetics and my CUC loved it too much. I'm not sure if its all working. My current readings are nitrates 0, phosphates 0 and salinity a lil high but not bad. My zoas still haven't opened up, my acans died, my montipora has lost almost all its color and my green star polyps are just barely coming out. Kenya tree has finally come online and same with xenia! What else should I do?! What does this sound like? Is my tape theory right?
 
Tape is an unlikely culprit but anything is possible.
How big is your tank?
When you changed the hood/fan did you get a new light or bulb too?
What is the salinity exactly?
 
Sounds like something not right with the water, safe bet is to increase the water changes until things look happy again. Any metal fall into the tank?
 
I'm guessing some kind of metal as well. I would run some polyfilter (I know ocean treasures stocks it) and do more water changes.
 
hmm,
Metal? I hadn't thought of that! My Salinity is 1.025sg, tank is 14g, and I top with tap cause I don't have the resources for a RODI. But I was using the same thing before the incident. Metal is beginning to make some sense as there might have been a loose screw, although I thought I got them all and none turned up in my scouring of the tank for the tape. I'll try the polyfilter idea and let y'all know. I live on the east bay (berkeley) so i'm gonna check my local spot out here first. I didn't replace the bulb either just the fan. I think i've answered all the questions. haha. In good news things are looking a bit better today. but corals look the same :(
 
Ok,
Great news the problem has subsided. I bought seachem seagel and put it in a fluval 1 (mini GAC/phos reactor!) and some purigen in the filter. All the corals have reacted very very positively to it! I also added a polyfilter and the color did not indicate metals contamination... I went on vacation last week, came back to a tank full of hair algae though! I hate this stuff and I haven't been able to get rid of it. I got a huge turbo snail and it doesn't seem to be eating anything. I only have a 14 gal tank remember so any change is noticeable. Since I moved the chaeto out of the display the hermits are doing a much better job at cleaning the hair algae off so thats positive. I feel like an emerald crab right now with all the pinching off of algae. I would use RODI for my top-off water but I haven't been able to get any or transport it unless i take a huge jug to work. I was also very interested in Kalkwasser addition to top off water. Does anyone know how to do this? My pH is definitely low so that needs to be fixed. thanks for the help
 
I am trying to find how long your tank have been set up. Can you give details on how you set it up and when?

Best thing I did on this forum was join BAR. Second best was starting a tank thread. This way anyone who offers to help can read up or follow your tank to better help.

You are doing a great job of giving information in helping find out what is going on. Most people do notgive enough detail.

I pulled hair algae for four or five months. Once that was gone the next 'issue' was there to deal with. My hair algae just siphoned off the rocks one day. I do not know what made it weak to let go. I did change to RODI water that I carry in buckets, but that was way before it cleared up.

My tank is small too. One missed water top off and the salinity can swing. I have to stay on top of it and plan time away very carefully. Not sure if that caused any problem, but let me know if I can help next time you are out of town.
 
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