I got super busy with work over the summer to the point where my work-life balance was heavily off. As such, my tank got neglected. My corals were starting to show signs of unhappiness so I did a 25% water change (first H2O change since May) and tested my water. Calcium was super low and phosphates were super high. Ugh. I admit that I was a little aggressive on the calcium adjustments. I was raising my calcium levels by not quite 50 ppm per day to get it back up in the mid 300s. Two days after the water change 3 of my fish died...a pair of 3 stripe damsels and a Eibl's angelfish. I was really surprised. None of my fish were showing signs of stress that I noticed. In effort to keep reducing the phosphate level, I did another 25% water change a week later. Immediately all of my fish showed signs of major stress. Huh. What is going on?? I had chalked up the death of the first 3 fish to aggressive calcium additions. But this time I didn't do anything but the water change. Two days later my two 12 year old clownfish died along with my tomini tang. I'm still super bummed about my 12 year old clowns. They were the longest lived fish I've ever had. Sucks. If I didn't know any better I would have said the fish stress was either being caused by high ammonia or low oxygen. The overflow on my tank is an old school Durso drain, so lots of air exchange on the way to the sump. I'm also running a protein skimmer...also lots of gas exchange. Nothing has changed with either of those so likely not a gas exchange issue.
Before the first water change my inlet and outlet DI bed TDS was 5 and 0 ppm. After the 2nd water change my outlet DI TDS was now indicating 1 ppm and the bed color change was about 2/3s of the way up. I admit I didn't check the TDS when I made the 2nd batch of saltwater. Note, I use a single stage filter for my DI resin. I use the blue color changing resin from BRS. In trying to figure out what's going on with my tank I discovered the BRS Investigates video where Ryan shows that as DI beds reach end of life they can shed silica and ammonia. So did I possibly poison my fish with something shedding from my DI Resin bed?? I still have a batch of salt water I was going to use for a 3rd water change but hit the pause button while I figure out what caused my fish to die. I have since changed the DI Resin along with a particulate filter and carbon block as well. I don't have any sort of ammonia test kit. My tank has long since been cycled. I'm contemplating getting an ammonia test kit from Amazon and testing the batch of saltwater I still have and then I'll likely throw it out and not risk it.
Any other thoughts??
Before the first water change my inlet and outlet DI bed TDS was 5 and 0 ppm. After the 2nd water change my outlet DI TDS was now indicating 1 ppm and the bed color change was about 2/3s of the way up. I admit I didn't check the TDS when I made the 2nd batch of saltwater. Note, I use a single stage filter for my DI resin. I use the blue color changing resin from BRS. In trying to figure out what's going on with my tank I discovered the BRS Investigates video where Ryan shows that as DI beds reach end of life they can shed silica and ammonia. So did I possibly poison my fish with something shedding from my DI Resin bed?? I still have a batch of salt water I was going to use for a 3rd water change but hit the pause button while I figure out what caused my fish to die. I have since changed the DI Resin along with a particulate filter and carbon block as well. I don't have any sort of ammonia test kit. My tank has long since been cycled. I'm contemplating getting an ammonia test kit from Amazon and testing the batch of saltwater I still have and then I'll likely throw it out and not risk it.
Any other thoughts??
