All of my fish and coral are dying

[OrionN]

You cannot have supersaturation. Extra gas just escaped to the air.
it is a case of toxin in the water. Stress won’t take everything out. Certainly the start fish won’t died due to stress by the fish. How new is the star fish? Quick osmotic changes kill the star fish. Maybe adding too many chemical quickly the chemistry and osmotic of the tank which kill the animal.
Newly add clown tang may have a very lethal disease which wipe out the fish, but this would not affect the star either, or the corals.

I am just thinking out loud.

 

[paintman]

3 pages and I'm suprised the question hasn't been asked..........Do you have a wife, girlfriend, or partner? Have you had an argument recently?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

How common/prevalent is supersaturation? Just very curious. Is it like water boarding the fish? There is some water but so much dissolved air it can’t breathe properly?

Also, at what point should one be concerned about supersaturation?

Any time there is air entering the suction side of a pump, there is a supersaturation risk. Nitrogen is the problem, not oxygen. It is essentially like the bends in diving - the nitrogen forms bubbles inside the fish. You can’t measure this without a very expensive meter, so best to never let bubbles enter a pump. This is counterintuitive, but air added after the pump actually helps solve this issue, like shaking up a can of soda.
Jay

 

[TbSaysNo]

I recommend doing a ICP test if you haven't already.

 

[C4ctus99]

Any time there is air entering the suction side of a pump, there is a supersaturation risk. Nitrogen is the problem, not oxygen. It is essentially like the bends in diving - the nitrogen forms bubbles inside the fish. You can’t measure this without a very expensive meter, so best to never let bubbles enter a pump. This is counterintuitive, but air added after the pump actually helps solve this issue, like shaking up a can of soda.
Jay

So does the pump make micro bubbles that cause the issue?

having an Airstone before a pump doesn’t work, what about an Airstone in line after the pump? The idea just it needs the big bubbles from the Airstone not chopped up bubbles from a pump?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So does the pump make micro bubbles that cause the issue?

having an Airstone before a pump doesn’t work, what about an Airstone in line after the pump? The idea just it needs the big bubbles from the Airstone not chopped up bubbles from a pump?

Aeration downstream from the pump de-gasses the water if it is saturated, adds gasses if they are low…
Micro bubbles can harm some inverts and corals, but are not in themselves a sign of supersaturation.
Jay

 

[brandon429]

Jay how can nitrogen rise that way in a non pressurized one atmosphere setting just by splicing bubbles

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Jay how can nitrogen rise that way in a non pressurized one atmosphere setting just by splicing bubbles

It can’t, when air is entrained on the suction side of a pump, it gets forced into solution. I had written an article on this, but I looked for a copy of it online this morning, but evidently, it was only in a print version.
Jay

 

[brandon429]

I see, thats where the pressure gradient exists / neat physicality for sure

 

[ReefHog]

Any time there is air entering the suction side of a pump, there is a supersaturation risk. Nitrogen is the problem, not oxygen. It is essentially like the bends in diving - the nitrogen forms bubbles inside the fish. You can’t measure this without a very expensive meter, so best to never let bubbles enter a pump. This is counterintuitive, but air added after the pump actually helps solve this issue, like shaking up a can of soda.
Jay

I once tried micro bubble scrubbing on my 220 mixed reef for a few months. While I can't say if there was really any benefit, none of my fish or invertebrates were negatively affected. The bubbles were so tine they were almost invisible. But in there would be large air pockets that would collect under some areas of the rock work. they would get blown away once the scrubbing would stop. This tank was in my basement so lower C02 levels in the air and I did not have any starfish. If air collected under certain starfish, I could see an issue.

Micro Bubble Scrubbing in the Reef Aquarium

Micro bubble scrubbing is a technique used to clean debris from your tank, better your PH, and even help coral expel mucus. Read more for details!

reefstable.com

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I once tried micro bubble scrubbing on my 220 mixed reef for a few months. While I can't say if there was really any benefit, none of my fish or invertebrates were negatively affected. The bubbles were so tine they were almost invisible. But in there would be large air pockets that would collect under some areas of the rock work. they would get blown away once the scrubbing would stop. This tank was in my basement so lower C02 levels in the air and I did not have any starfish. If air collected under certain starfish, I could see an issue.

Micro Bubble Scrubbing in the Reef Aquarium

Micro bubble scrubbing is a technique used to clean debris from your tank, better your PH, and even help coral expel mucus. Read more for details!

reefstable.com

Yes - bubbles under echinoderms and playing corals are the typical issues seen.
Jay

 

[Michaelrisucci]

Figured it out. Stray electricity through the tank.

 

[enveetie]

Figured it out. Stray electricity through the tank.

Very sorry to hear about your losses.

Could you elaborate on that? What was the root cause of the stray electricity? Was the outlet wet causing a sustained short? Was the outlet IN the sump or tank somehow?

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Looks like a pump or heater was shorting out with the scaring on the plug. There are some who claim electrical shorts will not kill fish and inverts but I have experienced loses due to voltage leaks. Looks like the cause to me. Sorry for the loss.

 

[Jilly92]

The only fish that acted out before dying was the clown tang. He seemed weak and fell to the bottom of the tank and fell over on his side. I only had him for about a day. The rest of the fish seemed completely fine before they passed.

Were they swimming near the top of tank before moving to the bottom?

 

[C4ctus99]

That sucks man, glad you figured it out though! Was it a bad pump or wet outlet?

 

[Lester Verano]

It's good to have a bottle of SAFE on hand by sea chem. If things start getting funny you throw a tsp of that in, and it'll grab onto anything bad that might of got in the water. no promises it will save anything, but it will buy you time during testing and water change preparation. it's also good to have poly filter on hand. these two things together could save you from catastrophic loss like you've described. I"m sorry you lost your fish, I know it's devastating. I lost about that much in my first year in the hobby and it was so upsetting and expensive I took a few years away from the hobby, more because of the money part though.
Hope everything turns out ok.

 

[Michaelrisucci]

Very sorry to hear about your losses.

Could you elaborate on that? What was the root cause of the stray electricity? Was the outlet wet causing a sustained short? Was the outlet IN the sump or tank somehow?

The outlet had water on it from overflowing a bit apparently. This must have caused a sustained short like you said. There is no ground on my extension so obviously no gfci. Being an electrician as a profession, I feel really stupid that this happened.

 

[Michaelrisucci]

That sucks man, glad you figured it out though! Was it a bad pump or wet outlet?

Wet outlet

 

[C4ctus99]

Wet outlet

Rip.

Im an electrician too, watched a guy at a lfs splash water after a clownfish bit him and a little while later we all smelled something burning… it got the power supply for his light