[KetteringFishGuy]

I just experienced a toxic explosion in my 55 gallon salt tank... Killing all my fish. I want to consider starting again, but how do I insure my tank is no longer toxic? How specifically do I clean the rocks to make sure I'm not just putting them back into clean water and they'll ruin it?

Should I also remove the live sand and replace it?

I have a drip filter and Fuval 404... Can I leave the filters in place? or clean? replace?

Thanks in advance for your advise.

Tom

[alex4angela]

Toxic explosion? What do you mean?

[Cela Vie]

Was the live rock cured before you put the fish in? Better yet, did you put live rock in after there was fish in the tank? If it's the latter, you should cure the rock in a separate container first. In either case, we need more history/detail as to what happened.

[KetteringFishGuy]

Toxic explosion = all my testing levels were way high... into the toxic range. However, as I was cleaning my tank last night, I discovered a Flame Cardinal that I couldn't locate last thursday... It most likely had died and may have did the tank in.

I'm trying to start again,, slowly to see if I can re-kindle my passion.

Thanks, tom

[glampka]

I don't think that fish's death did the tank in. Your skimmer should have been able to handle that load.

[Salt-lick]

did you check the salinity or do you feel you were overfeeding or non RO water being used could have been the stuff that killed it?

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Unless there is some really toxic poison foreign to the reef system the rock and sand should be able to clean itself.You didnt mention if you have a skimmer,do you?A few good water changes should bring things back to normal but it may take a few days.If we can help save a tank dosed with chlorinated fresh water your should be easy.And you might give some thought to mixing your own salt water.

[KetteringFishGuy]

I don't use a skimmer.

I did clean the rocks, sift the sand and cleaned the tank. Refilled with new salt water and appropriate chemicals. No fish however... I'm going to let it cycle for a few weeks or months... I'm going to go back into this hobby very slowly.

thanks, Tom

[ncdiablo]

I think what you are about to do is correct. Just have the live rock and the sand in there for a few weeks and check the levels every few days to monitor how things are going. Move slowly and stay patient.

I am at the live rock stage right now. I just get fascinated looking for new little creatures and can't wait for the rest of my live rock to arrive. They said it should ship either this Monday or Wednesday depending on when they get it in.

Watch for little creatures and watch their lives and how they are doing since they will help show how things are going.

Keep that pilot light of your passion going. You will be rewarded.

My passion is burning fiercely for saltwater and I am still at the waiting for live rock stage....

[robe25m]

Did you cycle this tank? I cant honestly think of a reason a tank would crash like this, How much LR do you have, possibly not enough to handle the bio load?? beats me, you werent dosing with chemicals were yah..I doubt 1 fish could could sink a tank, heck I buried a few in my 30g...

Just start again, cycle the tank for 1 month, use at worst distilled water....

I would blame it on poor water quality and just start again...

awhile back at my LFS I noticed the 180g reef was gone, tank empty, turned out some new fella dumped alot of treatment in the tank, it killed everything, prolly a 10k loss, maybe it was a copper treatment? not sure, Anyways the owner took me out back and showed me 500lbs of LR baking away in the summer sun, he was letting it completly die off cooking it in the sun....

[e_baer]

I have heard of people who have DSB and dont get sand sifting animals, and deadly toxins build up in the sand, and all of the sudden a big bubble of toxic gas comes up and kills everything.

I am not sure if this is true, but i read it online somewhere, cant remember where.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

steven,what are the "appropriate chemicals" you mentioned?