25Gal tank problem :(

[Kaniving2008]

i have a 25gal i started up in november. all my water levels are good and the cycling has been over since a lil before christmas. my tank recently went through what i thought was a diatom bloom but im not so sure anymore because everything in my tank except 1 hermit crab has killed over. here are some pics of whats going on with my tank.

Please Help Me

https://www.dropbox.com/s/er7kre4otoukuha/Photo%20Jan%2028%2C%208%2038%2049%20AM.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dqgkh96lr9si3qy/Photo%20Jan%2028%2C%208%2038%2053%20AM.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2resgnwyvfjf4jl/Photo%20Jan%2028%2C%208%2038%2057%20AM.jpg

 

[Bearjohnson]

It doesn't look "that" bad for the amount of time you've had it running.

So let's see:

You say parameters are all good so how about some specs on them?

Ammonia?
Calcium?
Magnesium?
Nitrate?
Nitrite?
PH?
Alkalinity?

Also what is your water change schedule like?

There are a lot of helpful folks on the site. We'll get you through this

 

[Kaniving2008]

since the cycling process completed everything has been in hte green. i try to do a water check every 4 days but due to my work schedule its more like once a week. todays readings are:
pH- 8.2 usually its 7.8 hasnt been 8.2 since dec 28
Amonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 10

as far as Calcium, Magnesium & alkalinity i dont have a tester for any of that. i did mess up on 1 thing i have been using Distilled water instead of swapping to RoDi water, the water changes are done ever 2 weeks, 3 gallons. i did a water swap on Jan 23 with RoDi water. The temp is always between 76-78. Filter change is every 3 weeks because i dont have a refugium built yet

 

[Steve L]

i have a 25gal i started up in november. all my water levels are good and the cycling has been over since a lil before christmas. my tank recently went through what i thought was a diatom bloom but im not so sure anymore because everything in my tank except 1 hermit crab has killed over. here are some pics of whats going on with my tank.

Please Help Me

https://www.dropbox.com/s/er7kre4otoukuha/Photo%20Jan%2028%2C%208%2038%2049%20AM.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dqgkh96lr9si3qy/Photo%20Jan%2028%2C%208%2038%2053%20AM.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2resgnwyvfjf4jl/Photo%20Jan%2028%2C%208%2038%2057%20AM.jpg

When you say "everything" died except for one hermit crab, what did you add to the tank that died? From your pictures the tank appears to be about where it should be, but if you added too much livestock too soon that could be your biggest problem. Your nitrates are a little elevated either because it never completely cycled or whatever you had in there was being over fed. What kinds of fish did you have and what did they look like before they died?

Distilled water isn't a good idea. Humans can't survive on it for long periods of time and neither can fish. Stick with RO/DI or tap water if your local water is of decent quality.

 

[jmmg33]

hello. i am starting a 25 gal aquarium too. it is a resun DMS 500pl. mine started 2 week before christmas. i think your water changes are not enough. 3 gallon every 2 weeks for a 25 gal aquarium seems to little for me. also can you tell us more about your filters, skimmer, equipment, etc? and the amout of livestock you had?i am happy to help

 

[DaveK]

In addition to your water parameters, what kind of filtration do you have on the system? also, what kind of lighting are you using?

 

[Kaniving2008]

5 hermit crabs, 3 mexican turbo snails, 4-6 Asterina Stars, 1 Kenya tree and 2 pulsating xenias and a very small button polyp. No fish yet, the tank is a project and due to some other things that came up i didnt have the money this pay check to get any.
i dont trust Jersey water enough to use it from the tap, so Ro/Di will be the here on standard.
i use a whisper 40i filter, havent purchased a skimmer or anything else yet, like i said its a project so all in time.
as far as the lighting i have an F17T8/50/50

 

[DaneMyers]

That's a pretty common outbreak in newly setup aquariums. I see it on a weekly basis. More often than not it disappears on its own. It typically depletes whatever food source it's using rather quickly and as the other processes in the aquarium start to take shape it'll usually disappear.

In the first 6 months your going to see plenty of things that may cause an overreaction but in most cases it's fairly normal and will work itself out almost naturally.

 

[bullet]

Kaniving do you have an update ? are you still working on your project?

 

[bullet]

do you have your tank near a window ? that could be causing your issue also excessive lighting is a bad thing
especially sunlight

 

[bullet]

We ended up tinting our living room windows to keep algae growth down due to sunlight that was
coming in and hitting the tank in one corner

 

[bullet]

any updates ?