Advice Re Getting Tank Back Up After Sabotage With What We Think Was Bleach

[Janice]

Colby and I are trying to deal with his 32G AIO Coraline biocube after his tank was sabotaged two weeks ago tomorrow. We are not 100% sure what the saboteur put into the tank-although since he only got to put 2/3 containers of it into the tank we could smell the remaining container, which smells like bleach. The saboteur, while not admitting that he did it, said it was chlorine. However that statement may have been made deliberately to mislead us.

All invertebrates and fish died, and many of our corals and anemones do not look like they will recover. Rightly or wrongly, I bought and put new snails and hermit crabs and a peppermint shrimp in the tank today to try to keep the tank clean while we try to see what we can rescue and give it some time.

Not knowing if, once Colby's 16G nano tank is up and running-he is taking it slowly, watching phosphates after cleaning rock with bleach and drying it out, so nothing but water and rock are in it so far, we should transfer any corals that did not die and the inverts into the small tank, and then completely take the 32G tank apart, get rid of sand, and bleach or do other treatment on live rock and start that tank as though it is brand new, or whether with constant water changes that is not necessary. Colby has been through so much with the 2 sabotages I would like to go the easiest route. Colby's 16G has only been running 2 weeks and is not yet stable to transfer anything over. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[AdInfinitum]

At this point any bleach or chlorine will have do e it's damage and cleared. If you are concerned about other potential substances, it would never hurt to put a piece of Poly-Filter in your system. You can get it at most LFS (Big Als...etc...) I think they call it Poly Bio-marine now??? It will absorb all kinds of metals and organics that could be in there.

You don't want to start the 16gal by rushing potentially contaminated items into it. Keep the systems separated.

Further...what's done is done...but you never NEED snails, shrimps etc. to keep a tank clean...they export nothing...sequester little...and just add to the bioload that causes the problems in the first place.

 

[Janice]

Thank you. So you do not think that the entire tank needs to be taken apart, the sand taken out, live rock taken out and cleaned with chemicals, etc.???

 

[Neopimp]

I would drain it, rinse everything from sand to the live rock in new salt water at least 3 times. Treat it as a new tank start up. Put it all back together fill it back up. Toss is a frozen shrimp let sit and rot for a month. Test ammonia daily until it maxes out and drops, then test for nitrites and wait for them to hit zero, then you should be able to test for nitrate and be good to go...

If this whole process takes less than 2-3 weeks then I would still wait for week 4.

Then add stuff slowly to allow the tank to adjust to the new bioload.

Its the safest way. Follow all the advice already given and take your time.

 

[Janice]

But what do I do with the corals, anemones, etc, that did survive the sabotage in the meantime??

 

[Janice]

Would I need the poly filter pad since I have carbon and and a Rowaphos running in the tank already??

 

[Kman]

I myself would put some dechlorinator in the tank and keep doing small weekly water changes to keep the tank clean. Run carbon and mechanical filter like filter floss to keep it as clean as possible. At this point the bleach would have done the damage it was going to and the only damage you risk is from the die off. I would not bother taking the tank apart and stressing everything out.

 

[Janice]

Thank you for your advice. We have been using Sachem Prime. I also do have filter floss in the house that we can add to the tank.

 

[AdInfinitum]

Would I need the poly filter pad since I have carbon and and a Rowaphos running in the tank already??

Poly-filter will remove substances that carbon and GFO will not...but as I said only consider that if you think something more serious may have gone in the tank...

Kman and I are on the same page here...the bleach has done it's damage...keep things clean to minimize pollution from any die off and let things stabilize for a bit then move forward....and Colby indicated prior to this that his testing showed phosphates on the high side so stick with the GFO and since there is, unfortunately, much less livestock in there right now...look at this as an opportunity to minimize feeding and get the phosphates under control...

 

[Janice]

Thanks very much. Colby will be testing the tank again shortly. He is still doing 5G daily water changes. Any advice as to when to cease daily 5G changes @AdInfinitum?

 

[AdInfinitum]

Anytime...your issues have most likely cleared by now and anything you hope to dilute is at the point of diminishing returns....but as @Kman said keep it clean...physically removing any dead material or remains from die off is important...then back to routine water changes and maintenance and give everything time to stabilize before you start adding things...
When things are stable...no more losses (corals that are still OK may come back if you keep things clean and steady but some may have suffered too much and may still die...) work at getting the phosphates under control then start gradually rebuilding...

 

[Janice]

OK, so maybe Colby can go back to weekly 10% water changes now.

 

[AdInfinitum]

OK, so maybe Colby can go back to weekly 10% water changes now.

Yes back to establishing consistent maintenance routines and phosphate control to move towards success...

 

[Neopimp]

Sorry I though the tank had died out completely... If there are things still alive then I was assume its safe to slowly add things back in. Seachen Prime was a good idea.