WTH! why is this happening?

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jbdreefs

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Been having one heck of a time with my tank. I feel like I have been fighting ammonia for months. Today I do a water change and change my media. I loaded my TLF reactor with carbon zeolite and phosguard. Not more than two hours later, may water is cloudy and the reactor looks like this:

20140504_141255.jpg
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I can see the same nasty golden brown stuff starting to collect in the skimmer also.

Any thoughts of the cause?
 
Yeah, rinsed it all. Also flushed about a gallon of tank water through the reactor.
 
How old is the tank? And that seems like a large amount of phosphate ?
 
I've had that happen as well. Never did figure it out, would love to hear an explanation!
 
Aside from the fluidized reactor changing color. When you say you've been fighting ammonia, that is a misprint, right? I assumed phosphates and still am but want to clarify.
 
Upgraded to this tank in late january.. phosguard is on top of zeolite which is also white. I used about a cup which is what the label suggests for 60-100 gallon tank.
 
I'm going to pm SeaChem this thread and see if they have an explanation.
 
No the ammonia wasnt a misprint. I have another thread about a weird nitrogen cycle. Will provide a link after I return home. For now the reactor is off.

I am about to pull up to rit's to see if he will test my water. Hope to confirm my test kits. Also going to ask about the media issue.
 
I certainly did not have ammonia when I had this happen with phosguard so I'm not that confident that this is related but who knows.
 
John, was the tank new when you got it? Dry rock or live? Sure seems like something is leaching into the system.


I know you all think I have no heart but now I have an ultrasound to prove it. :)
 
rdnelson99;954061 wrote: John, was the tank new when you got it? Dry rock or live? Sure seems like something is leaching into the system.


I know you all think I have no heart but now I have an ultrasound to prove it. :)
Click to expand...

Tank was new... I built it. The rock was the dry base rock type (not from the ocean). Of which about half of it was placed in my tank back in September and I had no issues. When I upgraded the size of my tank, I about doubled the rock and it was from the same source.

I agree that something is leaching or reacting I just can't put my finger on it. After seeing this rust color stuff, I'm considering stray voltage as a potential issue. However, my hands are in the tank nearly every day. Wouldn't I feel it? I'll look for a thread on how to test for it.

To answer the question about the brand of the carbon, it is Deep Blue. I've never used it before, but it was all that was available at the LFS.

Because I have been battling the ammonia issue for so long and now this, I've decided to tear down the tank and start over. I'm going to:

1) move livestock to another tank with just the bare essentials. (I don't have much)

I would like to avoid more ammonia and a new cycle. I have stability and prime, but I am considering moving some of my matrix to the QT setup. With this ever ending problem of the ammonia (+ whatever is going on with the media reactor), I'm hesitant to transfer anything over but the livestock. Advice?

2) begin cleaning the tank and everything in it.

I'll sterilize the tank, sump, pumps, etc. I'll give an acid bath to the rocks and ditch the sand.

Then, I guess that I'll just have to get new sane, put everything back together and monitor before transferring back.

I'm really at a loss. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm not a noob either. There just doesn't appear to be a logical reason for what I have been going through.
 
Are you getting good flow through that reactor? I usually don't recommend doing 2 different types of media in one reactor, although you certainly can do this. I'm only asking about the flow because from the picture it looks really compacted which could be causing issues.
 
I was using deepblue as well. I only used it as I ran out of seachems carbon and the ltd I went to only had it. I noticed this copper/rust look after a few hours as well and immediately took the reactor offline and refilled will carbon only and doubled the amount. The next day I looked at the reactor and the carbon and noticed that some of the granuals had turned red completely devoid of the usual black color. Again I took it offline and filled the next day with my regular carbon and have not seen this again.

I can't help but think it's the deep blue carbon reacting with the phosguard.
 
Deep blue is crap carbon imo. I would get a brown film from the output hose of my reactor on the bottom of my sump. Tried it in a media bag and it turned the bag brown.

Someone who's opinion I trust said it wasn't anything to worry about. But for a couple extra bucks, I just decided to get something that didn't have that effect.
 
aXio;954066 wrote: Are you getting good flow through that reactor? I usually don't recommend doing 2 different types of media in one reactor, although you certainly can do this. I'm only asking about the flow because from the picture it looks really compacted which could be causing issues.
Click to expand...

While he is not using seachem carbon, seachem does make a product premises of their carbon (matrix) and phosguard. Aside fronlm that I don't see any reason those two can't be mixed together.
 
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