Coral reefer
Past President
Do you have a theory why there was ammonia? Just a spike from dead fish? How long after the fish died was the test done? Seems like a tank should deal with excess ammonia reasonably quickly once the source is removed...
Why did my SPS corals died?
- Thread starter juanfdezdc
- Start date
rygh
Guest
Well ... Ammonia could be a result, not a cause.
That many dead fish and coral will definitely cause a big ammonia spike.
But what caused the first few fish to die.
It is true that one fish randomly dying could have started it, but that is usually not enough
to really damage a tank, unless a big fish in a small tank.
Were any clocks in the house reset? Power outage.
Temperature is definitely a suspect.
Hungry fish tend to fight.
Many options.
That many dead fish and coral will definitely cause a big ammonia spike.
But what caused the first few fish to die.
It is true that one fish randomly dying could have started it, but that is usually not enough
to really damage a tank, unless a big fish in a small tank.
Were any clocks in the house reset? Power outage.
Temperature is definitely a suspect.
Hungry fish tend to fight.
Many options.
2manyhobbies
Supporting Member
First, I would say that a simple fan over the tank or the sump does wonders at cooling. I live in Oakland and my tank temp does climb during the summer. I also have an APEX controller that monitors the temp and turns the fan on and off when needed. There may be simpler controllers out there that would work just as well.Second, look into an auto top off (ATO). These pull fresh water from a reservoir and keep the tank water at the parameters you set. I have a Hydro-fill which has two titanium sensors for high and low levels in the sump. You do have to clean the sensors once in a while so that they will operate correctly. Third, look into auto dosing. There are a large number of products out there and for a reasonable price. It is great insurance to have Alk and Ca dosed automatically, thus keeping those parameters in balance. It took me a few weeks to get it all worked out, but now everything is working as it should. I also mix my own Alk and Ca so I have plenty on hand.
I know some people freak out at having someone in your house while they are gone, but I have a trusted neighbor (30Years) and she comes over every other day to feed the fish and check the ATO. As long as I give her complete instructions, everything goes well. I keep 10-one ounce containers in my frig that have the fish food already mixed and ready. I found these containers at TAP plastics and they work very well for her and for me. Just don't put them close to your nose. You won't like the smell, but my fish don't mind. I am sure that in the wild, they eat whatever they can find and I will bet it is not fresh.
Reefing is fun once you get it all working correctly. Buy what you need and then sit back and enjoy your hard work.
I know some people freak out at having someone in your house while they are gone, but I have a trusted neighbor (30Years) and she comes over every other day to feed the fish and check the ATO. As long as I give her complete instructions, everything goes well. I keep 10-one ounce containers in my frig that have the fish food already mixed and ready. I found these containers at TAP plastics and they work very well for her and for me. Just don't put them close to your nose. You won't like the smell, but my fish don't mind. I am sure that in the wild, they eat whatever they can find and I will bet it is not fresh.
Reefing is fun once you get it all working correctly. Buy what you need and then sit back and enjoy your hard work.
MolaMola
Supporting Member
+1 for fan and ATO.
Like others have said, you would be amazed at how much evaporative cooling from a fan blowing over the tank or sump will lower the water temp. Keep in mind this will cause a lot more water to evaporate - my tank is about the same size as yours and with no top, over a gallon can evaporate in a day.
If you only top off with fresh water once a week, I would encourage you to try to do it more frequently to keep salinity more stable.
Like others have said, you would be amazed at how much evaporative cooling from a fan blowing over the tank or sump will lower the water temp. Keep in mind this will cause a lot more water to evaporate - my tank is about the same size as yours and with no top, over a gallon can evaporate in a day.
If you only top off with fresh water once a week, I would encourage you to try to do it more frequently to keep salinity more stable.
juanfdezdc
Guest
So this is what I think it happened:
First 3 fish died (2 anthias and 1 coral beauty), don’t know when they died because I couldn’t find any rest of them (cleaning crew might have take care of them). They probably died because they were very picky with dried food and also 1 out of 2 feeders malfunctioned do not a lot of dry food for all. Also heat might have took an important role in those dying.
Once those 3 died, the ammonia spike up which made my acros dye.
In addition salinity went up during those 18 days.
Finally a big yellow tang died, but I think he died just a couple of days before I came back because I was able to remove him and looked like he died recently (which was a pity because it was one of my favorites).
I understand what everyone is recommending about automatizing the tank, will need to start to look into it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
First 3 fish died (2 anthias and 1 coral beauty), don’t know when they died because I couldn’t find any rest of them (cleaning crew might have take care of them). They probably died because they were very picky with dried food and also 1 out of 2 feeders malfunctioned do not a lot of dry food for all. Also heat might have took an important role in those dying.
Once those 3 died, the ammonia spike up which made my acros dye.
In addition salinity went up during those 18 days.
Finally a big yellow tang died, but I think he died just a couple of days before I came back because I was able to remove him and looked like he died recently (which was a pity because it was one of my favorites).
I understand what everyone is recommending about automatizing the tank, will need to start to look into it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Coral reefer
Past President
It can seem difficult to do, but it's not that hard, and doesn't have to cost that much money. Let us know if you need help.