Well it has been a little while. Thought I would give a few updates on the tank.
I picked up a pair of used MP10’s and they have been great. Kicked up a lot of sediment and seemed to be helping with getting the tank cleaned out.
On the bad side, I noticed a few flatworms in the tank. Not really a lot just three or four every foot of rock or so. None on the sand and nowhere near the infestation I have seen in other tanks. Where they mat up all over everything. I picked up a Blue velvet slug thinking he would take care of it or at least contain it and I could add more. He was last seen on day two and I gave up on him around day five. I ordered Flatworm Exit and that’s where everything started to go bad.
I had some carbon and filled up my garbage can in the garage with fresh SW. I have a lot of that Pukani rock from BRS and it’s really porous. I figured that the FW’s were probably inside the rock but still felt it couldn’t be that bad. I proceeded with the full treatment and the instructions said once I see the FW’s dying , start the charcoal. I was going to use my Bio-Pellet reactor that I had not hooked up yet with the original rsm pump #2. But the pump didn’t work (big surprise). So I would be stuck with a mesh bag. Now I go and get the carbon and it is a Marineland container and it is half empty. Great! Well whatever, I put it in the bag and rinse well. The whole processes took about five minutes. When I get back to the tank it is a mess with hundreds of little dead orange flatworms blowing around. Throw the carbon on and watch as all the corals close up and the fish lock up in the rocks. After about 45 minutes I think all FW’s are dead now and the skimmer is pulling orange skimmate. Tank looks really bad. The worst was the red planet whose green body turned black and most of the red was gone as the polyps closed up. I changed out the 25 gals of water and picked up some more carbon the next day (I did this late at night so it wasn’t that long). When I lifted the hood it smelled like a stagnate marina and the skimmer was filled with orange skimmate. I hoped the new carbon would help with that.
Day three, things are looking better. The skimmate is going back to the brownish stuff it should be and the corals are opening except for the SPS stuff. No PE at all. I also noticed two of the sps which had grown close together were RTNing. My Red Planet and a.Sermentosa. The RP was big so I cut off the entire branch and fragged it. The Sermentosa was much smaller so I only got one frag from it and was worried I would lose it. All the RP frags RTNed, I figured it was because of the level of stress it was already under. But the Sermentosa looks really good. Here you can see the two corals.
Weeks later I have a huge nutrient issue and HA breakout. Skimmer is still pulling out a crazy amount of stuff.
That is just short of 24hrs.
After reviewing all of this and talking with others, I should have.
1. Bought two or three of the slugs and gave them time. Seem there is a bio cube
that had one slug just about eradicate the FW’s.
2. Taken the time to prepare and not do it at midnight.
3. Treat with half dose and retreat in a couple of weeks if necessary.
Here are a few picks showing how tight things have grown. I am still thinning things out as i can.
Anyone know what Zoas they are (Eagle Eyes,Watermelons)?
Here is my Wet Thumb Lollipop that seem to have recovered.
Thanks for looking and hope you don't go through this!
More when i can, JOHN
lsmile:
