tank turned white/cycle crashed

Question
QUESTION: First let me say that I have over 40 years experience in fresh/salt water. I currently own two 75 gallon fw tanks, a 40 gallon breeder, and a 180 gallon sw reef tank with a 75 gallon tank for filtration and a 40 gallon ATO. I have owned practically every kind of fresh and brackish fish available in stores (and a few that are not). My reef tank has been running for about 10 years and contains soft corals, zoes, mushrooms, etc... as well as a good variety of fish.  I have worked as floor supervisor in two aquatics stores.

About two months ago, a friend purchased a used 55 gallon tank and asked me to help her set it up. We did a standard set up using a RENA XP3, added a few small fish, and monitored ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph. She started building bacteria for nitrite, but IT never went above .50. At week three, her tank turned COMPLETELY white and gooey (literally white as milk). You could not see your hand two inches from the glass. The ammonia went off the charts (1/2 tank and half tap water still registered all the way at the top), and it looked like pieces of raw egg whites were floating around in the water. Her filter tubes became so gunked up that it restricted water flow. The 'goo' in them was a whitish, yellowish green color. Nitrite dropped back to zero.

We completely drained the tank, bleached and cleaned everything, replaced all the tubes and filter media and sponges, and started again. We added bio-spira to start the cycle process. Everything was fine - for another 3 weeks, and then it happened again.

The next time, we took out all of the gravel #as I learned it had been stored in a garage#. We bleached the inside of the tank and cleaned it with HOT water and salt. We then went to a completely bare tank for about ten days, All of the ornaments were bleached, scrubbed and cleaned, then put back in a few at a time. This time we used Start-Rite for the cycling process. Ammonia went to .50 then dropped to .25. Nitrite had risen to .50. Nitrate went to 40. All good stuff, right?

It seemed like we were on the right track until two days ago. The ammonia again jumped to a 4 and the nitrite seemed a little lighter, so we did a 25% water change. The tubes began to get a film on them. Today we were back at an 8 ammonia. The strangest part is that AGAIN, all of the bacteria for the nitrite disappeared and it went back to zero. I forgot to mention, but each time she has gotten an oily type sheen on the top of the tank.

Any ideas what could be causing this? We have tried replacing everything but the tank itself. Nothing is in the tank that is not aquarium safe. It contains five small fish. She is not overfeeding. She keeps it covered, so nothing is being introduced from outside. She sprays no chemicals in that room and does  not use perfumes or lotions.  She rinses her hands and arms every time she goes in the tank.

My theory is that there is some sort of negative bacteria growing and then dying which is causing the ammonia spikes and the gooey white mess. I just don't know what 'IT' is or how to stop it from happening again. In my 40 plus year of owning and working with tanks, I have never come across anything like this before. Any help you or your colleagues can give me would be soooooooooo appreciated as I am running out of ideas to help her.

ANSWER: Debbie,
I am not a believer in adding anything to the tank to either help it cycle, or to help the bacteria blooms. I have not found any product that help and not not hurts. I also do not use any fish during the cycling process. When fish are used, it add undo stress not only to the fish but also to the filter. What kinds of fish is she adding to the tank before it has cycled, and is she buying them from the same fish store? We are not sure why sometimes the cycle process goes great and other times is doesn't. I am a bit confused when you say the bacteria for the nitrite disappeared. Within the first 2 weeks of the cycle process, the first of two bacteria blooms starts. This is the bad stuff. About 2 weeks later the second sets in and this is the good stuff. I would, again, clean out the tank and replace all the filter media. This time, do not add the fish or the start rite. I would also not clean with bleach. Sometimes, no matter how many times we rinse with hot water, traces of the bleach remain. Whenever I need to use bleach, I rinse well with hot water and then let the tank air dry outside in the sun. If it is dry, and I still smell bleach, I rinse again well and put it back outside. I am thinking that the bleach is reacting to the start right and causing the problems in the tank. If after restarting without fish or the start rite, things are the same, let me know. Make sure she is using a good water conditioner as well.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I totally agree with you about using chemicals and normally do not use them to cycle a tank either, but given the circumstances of this particular situation, I saw no other alternative.  When her tank jumped from a .5 - 8.0 in 5 days and the tank turned to slimy milk - practically overnight, it killed the little bit of bacteria building up to change the ammonia over into nitrite and it dropped back to zero.  I don't know that I would call it good or bad stuff.  Nitrosinomas and nitrobacter bacteria have to grow in order to change the ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate.  Each time that process would start and then it would die off and everything would bottom back out to zero except for the ammonia which would then grow exponentially in a few short days.  

When we took everything down to a bare tank, there was nothing in it but water for ten days and yet there were still trace amounts of ammonia.  All of the filter media and tubes were replaced.  The only possibility I can conclude is that perhaps whatever was growing has gotten into the rubber seals or something.

Regardless of what is causing the cycle to crash, that still doesn't explain the water changing to a SOLID thick milk white with globs of stuff floating in the water.  The inside of the tubes were so gunked up you could not even put a pencil in the opening.  The sponges in the RENA were so caked with the stuff, I could literally peal a gooey layer off of each one that was almost as thick as the sponge itself.  Water was literally coming out at a trickle.  It had an odor of infection or pus if you will. The substance was a greenish yellowish white color.  That is what I am trying to figure out because I am convinced that whatever 'it' is continues to kill off the beneficial bacteria once it starts to multiply and take hold.  The more we change out the water, the longer it takes to occur.  

Even in a brand new tank, I can't imagine that 5 serpae tetras #all purchased at the same time# in a 55 gallon tank would cause the ammonia to go no higher than a .5 for the first three weeks and then suddenly  jump at day 23 or 24 from .5 to 8.0 in a matter of five days.  At the same time the ammonia spikes, the water becomes so deteriorated that you cannot see one inch into the water column.  That is really what I am so perplexed about and trying to figure out.

Answer
Even one fish will add stress to the filter and add ammonia to the water. When you add five of them, it will and does spike the ammonia. I am thinking that the tank itself is contaminated and unfortunately sometimes they are unusable. I would also check her water. Put some in a cup straight from the tap and test it. There could be something in the water as well. So many things are added to our drinking water to make it "safe" for us to drink. It can also be the fish. If they are from a non reputable breeder, they could be coming to the stores sick and adding the chemicals that are being added can also change water chemistry.  As you know, it is normal for the water to turn milky during the cycle process but for it to do what you are describing, is bind blowing to say the least. I am assuming that there is a water conditioner being used to remove the chlorine and chloramine from the water. If there is not one being used, the chlorine will kill off the needed bacteria. Is the tank in direct sunlight? I really don't know why the tank would be doing this. Maybe it is something in the tank itself. Like maybe the silicone that was used to put it together was not made for aquarium use. Feel free to ask another expert on this site and see if they can help you better.