Cody
Vice President
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Content Moderator
Board Member
Supporting Member
I know there are lot of people that got hit, and I feel terrible for y'all. I wanted to take a minute to write up what you can expect going forward getting your tank back online though.
As your power comes on, your tank gets back to normal temperatures, there are a few things you need to be on the lookout for.
1) Mini-cycle
Let's assume that 100% of your nitrifying bacteria (aka the bacteria you establish while you cycle your tank) survived. Now, you had a lot of die off whether it be corals, fish, or inverts. You now have a lot more ammonia and/or nitrite in your tank, and you need to reestablish your nitrifying bacteria population. You can accomplish this by adding the bottle bacteria that's available at virtually all stores.
What does this mean for you while you're going through your tanks today and taking out the creatures that didn't survive?
It means that if you have some survivors, your chances of keeping them alive are going to be better if you can transport those living creatures to a tank that did not get cold and have a mass die off, whether it be another one of your tanks, or someone else's. Your tank is going to need to go through another, smaller cycle to get back to where it's safe for a lot of your tank creatures. Can some fish or corals survive the mini-cycle? Of course. However, your best shot is getting them to an established tank asap. I would recommend doing a water change now with saltwater that's the temp that you want your tank to be at, then add the nitrifying bacteria. Once your mini-cycle is complete, you can put your creatures back in your tank once ALL of your parameters are in line, including ammonia and nitrite.
2) Vibrio Bacteria
One of the main culprits to white band disease, or skin loss on sps, is Vibrio bacteria. It is in everyone's water and waits for the opportunity to attack a weakened coral, similar to viruses or bacteria that effect most other species. I'm not sure of the research on Vibrio with other types of corals, but I would assume that since it's opportunistic, it would probably go after other types of corals as well.
How do you combat Vibrio?
If you've lost most of the coral but there's a little piece hanging on, I'd go ahead and remove the coral. You're allowing a breeding ground for the bacteria and it could potentially elevate the concentration in your tank water. However, if you have a super rare specimen, or your one of your favorites, then I would hang on to it just to see if it can pull through. Also, get the corals you want to try and keep alive to a different, established tank will help build up the strength of the coral and allow it to naturally fend off the bacteria. Another way to give your coral a hand in the fight against the bacteria is an iodine dip, considering that iodine is an antiseptic and can potentially help with your fight against the Vibrio bacteria.
3) Take The Expensive Lesson
Unfortunately, some of our community had to pay an expensive price this week. However, there is some insight to take away.
What happens when everything goes wrong? This is what we all need to ask ourselves when we design/plan our systems. Do you have one heater? What happens if it fails? If you lost power during the hurricane in August, how would you keep your tank cool? If there was no way to get your tank back online then do you have a network of people nearby that could help you? These are all questions that we should consider going forward. Also, please get a generator. I understand this winter storm was unprecedented, but we also live in hurricane alley and losing power is nothing new to us. I understand that generators aren't cheap, nor are they as flashy as that new torch you got. However, for the price of the torch, you could keep your tank alive and keep yourself more comfortable at home while the power is off.
Anyone else, please feel free to add on to this thread as far as how to help in the immediate future. I know my third point isn't something that anyone should be worrying about today, but my first two points should absolutely be considered as you sort out your tanks. Let me know if I can house anything for anyone while they sort out their tanks. I live near Fish Gallery in The Woodlands.
As your power comes on, your tank gets back to normal temperatures, there are a few things you need to be on the lookout for.
1) Mini-cycle
Let's assume that 100% of your nitrifying bacteria (aka the bacteria you establish while you cycle your tank) survived. Now, you had a lot of die off whether it be corals, fish, or inverts. You now have a lot more ammonia and/or nitrite in your tank, and you need to reestablish your nitrifying bacteria population. You can accomplish this by adding the bottle bacteria that's available at virtually all stores.
What does this mean for you while you're going through your tanks today and taking out the creatures that didn't survive?
It means that if you have some survivors, your chances of keeping them alive are going to be better if you can transport those living creatures to a tank that did not get cold and have a mass die off, whether it be another one of your tanks, or someone else's. Your tank is going to need to go through another, smaller cycle to get back to where it's safe for a lot of your tank creatures. Can some fish or corals survive the mini-cycle? Of course. However, your best shot is getting them to an established tank asap. I would recommend doing a water change now with saltwater that's the temp that you want your tank to be at, then add the nitrifying bacteria. Once your mini-cycle is complete, you can put your creatures back in your tank once ALL of your parameters are in line, including ammonia and nitrite.
2) Vibrio Bacteria
One of the main culprits to white band disease, or skin loss on sps, is Vibrio bacteria. It is in everyone's water and waits for the opportunity to attack a weakened coral, similar to viruses or bacteria that effect most other species. I'm not sure of the research on Vibrio with other types of corals, but I would assume that since it's opportunistic, it would probably go after other types of corals as well.
How do you combat Vibrio?
If you've lost most of the coral but there's a little piece hanging on, I'd go ahead and remove the coral. You're allowing a breeding ground for the bacteria and it could potentially elevate the concentration in your tank water. However, if you have a super rare specimen, or your one of your favorites, then I would hang on to it just to see if it can pull through. Also, get the corals you want to try and keep alive to a different, established tank will help build up the strength of the coral and allow it to naturally fend off the bacteria. Another way to give your coral a hand in the fight against the bacteria is an iodine dip, considering that iodine is an antiseptic and can potentially help with your fight against the Vibrio bacteria.
3) Take The Expensive Lesson
Unfortunately, some of our community had to pay an expensive price this week. However, there is some insight to take away.
What happens when everything goes wrong? This is what we all need to ask ourselves when we design/plan our systems. Do you have one heater? What happens if it fails? If you lost power during the hurricane in August, how would you keep your tank cool? If there was no way to get your tank back online then do you have a network of people nearby that could help you? These are all questions that we should consider going forward. Also, please get a generator. I understand this winter storm was unprecedented, but we also live in hurricane alley and losing power is nothing new to us. I understand that generators aren't cheap, nor are they as flashy as that new torch you got. However, for the price of the torch, you could keep your tank alive and keep yourself more comfortable at home while the power is off.
Anyone else, please feel free to add on to this thread as far as how to help in the immediate future. I know my third point isn't something that anyone should be worrying about today, but my first two points should absolutely be considered as you sort out your tanks. Let me know if I can house anything for anyone while they sort out their tanks. I live near Fish Gallery in The Woodlands.