new oxygen starvation problem

[CiXeL]

this is the first i've encountered this problem and id like to poll people about what could be the solution.

ive lost 2 fish i had had for years when i wokeup and noticed most of the inhabitants in my tank were gasping for breath. the only difference that had occurred is i had dosed the 2 part alk/calc b-ionic (my tanks only source of calcium buffering), dosed 1 drop of iodine and fed my tubastrea before i had gone to sleep. in addition my skimmer shuts off at night because its in the bedroom right next to us and its a cpr back pak. the tank is a 60 gallon ive had for 3-4 years.

ive also noticed ive gotten flatworms recently, they started showing up in small numbers but ive cut down on the amount ive been feeding and basted the rocks to disturb their numbers and havent seen the population escalate.

well last night i fed the tubastrea and dosed the alk/calc and it happened again, no casualties, just waking up to hearing my little black spotted green puffer gulping air. i turned on the light and immediately plugged in the skimmer to relieve the gasping inhabitants.

i originally blamed the iodine so i stopped doing that at night. my theory now is that i feed the tubastrea, some of the food breaks down by bacteria in the water and starves the water of oxygen because no additional oxygen is being supplied by the skimmer. but what i want to know is why is this only a problem now? its never been a problem for many months where i could do this with no problems and i hadnt added or removed anything.

i try to feed the tubastrea at night because otherwise the chromis steal all the food away. do you think the flatworms have anything to do with this? i know they're photosynthetic during the day but do they consume alot of oxygen at night if theyre in higher numbers in my tank than i can readily see?

tell me what you think.

 

[Anonymous]

In saltwater, the among of oxygen decrease with temperature. Is your tank warmer now than before?

The among of biomass the flatworm has is very little. As with all animals, it consumes O2 but that's not what break the camel's back.

You may need to keep your skimmer on longer, lower the temperature, or get better circulation (surface agitation will help too).

 

[CiXeL]

nope. considered that. the temp isnt any higher than before. in fact its august and ive been complaining that its beeen too cool for this time of year. im driving inland today to go hiking where its sunny (i live on the coast where its overcast most of the time)

the second time this happened the canopy was open as well which you would imagine would help increase the available surface for oxygen to permeate or at least use it more efficently.

i leave the skimmer on all day except the night when we sleep. it comes on with the lights and goes off with them.

ill pursue the circulation route. i found that the powerheads dont agitate the coral as much now that i removed a few rocks and added to the available water. this occurred many many months back though but i have noticed it. it seems that the energy gets dispersed out into the water more since theres more water now and less rock. i try to avoid using the powerhead to agitate the surface during the night because it will make trickling noises by the occasional water that jumps and will make my gf take a pee 234234324 times a night if she hears it.

 

[Anonymous]

Is the skimmer working harder than usual? 'Cause if there is something decomposing in the tank, it will be a big drain on the O2 demand...

>...make my gf take a pee 234234324 times a night if she hears it.

Certainly not a good thing when she is in the middle of her sensual exploration...

Some people like the sound of water fall and river, however.

 

[monkeyboy]

It could be a lack of circulation and/or adequate movement at the surface of the water. If the tank has a top on it, remove it, and let the skimmer run 24/7. A few additional powerheads will also be in order, with at least one pointed towards the surface for agitation. The tank is likey going through large swings in oxygen concentration, peaking during the day when photosynthesis peaks and the skimmer's on, but then it all ends when the lights go out.

If the skimmer is too loud to operate properly, you'll need to either get a new one, learn to live w/ the sound (I sleep 3 feet away from my 120 running an AquaC EV-180 w/ plenty of circulation and somewhat trickle-ey overflows), or devise some sort of contraption to muffle the sound. Same deal w/ surface agitation, it's come down to the point where you have to do something!

 

[Anonymous]

this is the first i've encountered this problem and id like to poll people about what could be the solution.

ive lost 2 fish i had had for years when i wokeup and noticed most of the inhabitants in my tank were gasping for breath. the only difference that had occurred is i had dosed the 2 part alk/calc b-ionic (my tanks only source of calcium buffering), dosed 1 drop of iodine and fed my tubastrea before i had gone to sleep. in addition my skimmer shuts off at night because its in the bedroom right next to us and its a cpr back pak. the tank is a 60 gallon ive had for 3-4 years.

ive also noticed ive gotten flatworms recently, they started showing up in small numbers but ive cut down on the amount ive been feeding and basted the rocks to disturb their numbers and havent seen the population escalate.

well last night i fed the tubastrea and dosed the alk/calc and it happened again, no casualties, just waking up to hearing my little black spotted green puffer gulping air. i turned on the light and immediately plugged in the skimmer to relieve the gasping inhabitants.

i originally blamed the iodine so i stopped doing that at night. my theory now is that i feed the tubastrea, some of the food breaks down by bacteria in the water and starves the water of oxygen because no additional oxygen is being supplied by the skimmer. but what i want to know is why is this only a problem now? its never been a problem for many months where i could do this with no problems and i hadnt added or removed anything.

i try to feed the tubastrea at night because otherwise the chromis steal all the food away. do you think the flatworms have anything to do with this? i know they're photosynthetic during the day but do they consume alot of oxygen at night if theyre in higher numbers in my tank than i can readily see?

tell me what you think.

how often were you dosing iodine, what form, and what was the iodine level in the tank ?

 

[Anonymous]

I think you need to keep the skimmer 24/7 and increase surface agitation with a PH. Something decomposing will add to the problem. That includes a dying DSB.

 

[Mouse]

Do you have a Calcium reactor, this could be the cause of excessive C02. Otherwise id say you dont have sufficient surface aggitation.