Problem after breakdown
by
, 02-23-2011 at 09:09 PM (2469 Views)
I'm posting this from my iPhone since it's the only Internet I get at home so I don't have pictures. My problem is that a week ago I drilled into my Biocube 14 thinking it was acrylic... To make a long story short it wasn't. I reacted too quickly and placed my fish in a 40 gal breeder tank I had turned into a sump (it had been water tested previously, but the first time it had had saltwater in it was only several hours before). It was completely new and I tried to place all my livestock and coral in it to prevent their dying due to drying out! With the exception of snails, hermits and one of my two peppermints, everything died. That includes all my coral and a favorite Halloween sea urchin (a black, orange and green pincushion).
Anyway, my clowns survived the event as well. For a few days they seemed to be about to die, the female more so than the male. However, as the days passed they seemed to be doing better... with the exception that they don't swim around that much. But now for the real issue. A couple of days ago they stopped showing any interest in food.
Tank parameters are at 0 ppm on nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia. Calcium levels are about 420 ppm. Lighting is being provided by the hood of the biocube and is on the same schedule as before the incident. The skimmer is a huge Vertex IN - 180 which pulls out tons of junk compared to what I'm used to though on such a small tank it's still weak sauce in comparison with the normal pull. I also have all the live rock from the Biocube (17 lbs) plus the bioballs from the back. I'm also running my 9W Coralife Turbo twist UV sterilizer. Tank temp is currently 80.1 degrees which is well within my normal range of 79.9-80.3 Fahrenheit. Additionally I have a maxijet 200 (the one with 160 gal/hr flow if I got my number wrong), a hydor koralia nano pointed at the surface to ensure no scum buildup, a MAG 7.5 return pump mostly feeding into the refugium section (never set up that way just the biggest section and thus where I am keeping the fish) through a SCWD wave maker device. I have also loaded some plastic Tupperware bowls full of the substrate from the old tank and have set them in the water to try and maintain the tank as much like it was as possible.
Additionally, on the day the clowns began showing a disinterest in food (after they recovered from shock they initially started eating again) I also noticed what appeared to be several dead bristle worms on the bottom of the tank. I water tested and didn't find anything amiss. Salt levels are at 1.025...
If anybody has any ideas about what's happening and what I can do to help my buddies I would appreciate it. I am very attached to these fish and it makes me sad that I have caused them so much pain all because I failed to double check the material of the tank and to listen to my gut when the bit didn't bite into the material like it should have if it was acrylic. Please, if anybody has any ideas, suggestions, or advice from a similar scenario please let me know! Oh, I also have a stainless steel clamp around a piece of hose and the clamp is touching the water slightly, could that cause problems? I appreciate all your feedback thanks!