106 degrees !

FowetsDaReefer · Jun 18, 2022

4 days ago my tanks heater malfunctioned & boiled the water up to 106 degrees !
Since then I have purchased an ink bird & a better heater Becuase I don’t make the same mistake twice .
Anyways after wiping out everthing I Was able to remove all my fish out and CUC that was dead as soon as I noticed they were decomposed yet . Except for 1 fish I count find .
It’s been 4 day these are my parameters
I was more worried about my beneficial bacteria dieing off as well . How can I find out if my tank stil has beneficial bacteria alive in it ? & is it safe to restock with a CUC

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 20-40

vetteguy53081 · Jun 18, 2022

FowetsDaReefer said:
4 days ago my tanks heater malfunctioned & boiled the water up to 106 degrees !
Since then I have purchased an ink bird & a better heater Becuase I don’t make the same mistake twice .
Anyways after wiping out everthing I Was able to remove all my fish out and CUC that was dead as soon as I noticed they were decomposed yet . Except for 1 fish I count find .
It’s been 4 day these are my parameters
I was more worried about my beneficial bacteria dieing off as well . How can I find out if my tank stil has beneficial bacteria alive in it ? & is it safe to restock with a CUC

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 20-40

Not yet- Ammonia badges are also for freshwater and less than reliable. Same applies toApi test kits notorious for false readings.
Just assure readings are accurate by taking a water sample to a trusted LFS that does Not use Api kits and heave them test to see what readings they come up with and to compare with yours.
I struggle with relying on a $7 instrument and $24 kit to sustain $200 or more in livestock.
If all checks out, try a test fish ( cheaper such as cardinal, clown, or goby) to assure all clear.
Hanna and salifert are reliable kits on the market
Add doses of Micro Bacter XLM to assure tank in right direction

JumboShrimp · Jun 18, 2022

From your photo your tank was looking nice— sorry you hit such a snag. Welcome to R2R, by the way.

Sebastiancrab · Jun 18, 2022

Welcome to R2R!

It wouldn't hurt to add some bottled bacteria. An inexpensive one is Seachem Stability. Also, you might keep some Polyfilter on hand in case you do have an ammonia spike.

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jun 18, 2022

FowetsDaReefer said:
4 days ago my tanks heater malfunctioned & boiled the water up to 106 degrees !
Since then I have purchased an ink bird & a better heater Becuase I don’t make the same mistake twice .
Anyways after wiping out everthing I Was able to remove all my fish out and CUC that was dead as soon as I noticed they were decomposed yet . Except for 1 fish I count find .
It’s been 4 day these are my parameters
I was more worried about my beneficial bacteria dieing off as well . How can I find out if my tank stil has beneficial bacteria alive in it ? & is it safe to restock with a CUC

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 20-40

I assume your bacteria is fine; I would expect elevated ammonia otherwise, especially with all the deaths. As has been suggested, adding some bacteria, I recommend a bottle of Fritz turbo start, is a good insurance policy if you're in doubt.

OfficeReefer · Jun 18, 2022

I second @Sebastiancrab. It might not hurt to add some pink and purple from Algae Barn either.

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jun 18, 2022

FowetsDaReefer said:
4 days ago my tanks heater malfunctioned & boiled the water up to 106 degrees !
Since then I have purchased an ink bird & a better heater Becuase I don’t make the same mistake twice .
Anyways after wiping out everthing I Was able to remove all my fish out and CUC that was dead as soon as I noticed they were decomposed yet . Except for 1 fish I count find .
It’s been 4 day these are my parameters
I was more worried about my beneficial bacteria dieing off as well . How can I find out if my tank stil has beneficial bacteria alive in it ? & is it safe to restock with a CUC

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 20-40

Tank looks pretty new... How long was it set up prior to the heater malfunction?

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jun 18, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Not yet- Ammonia badges are also for freshwater and less than reliable. Same applies toApi test kits notorious for false readings.
Just assure readings are accurate by taking a water sample to a trusted LFS that does Not use Api kits and heave them test to see what readings they come up with and to compare with yours.
I struggle with relying on a $7 instrument and $24 kit to sustain $200 or more in livestock.
If all checks out, try a test fish ( cheaper such as cardinal, clown, or goby) to assure all clear.
Hanna and salifert are reliable kits on the market
Add doses of Micro Bacter XLM to assure tank in right direction

API tests are not unreliable, they are just less precise than others. (And if anything, API ammonia will read higher, not lower).
And please, please don't "try a test fish" to see if the tank is cycled! That is straight up animal abuse!
(I'm not talking about accidentally adding fish when there is still ammonia present, due to a spike, etc, but about DELIBERATELY using a fish to see if it dies from ammonia poisoning.)

Sebastiancrab · Jun 18, 2022

Your best course of action is add the bottled bacteria and add a pinch of fish food each day for a week and then test your water. You might also take a sample to your LFS to double check it before adding any fish. Remember, patience is key. You can't go wrong by taking it one step at a time.

Jay Hemdal · Jun 18, 2022

FowetsDaReefer said:
4 days ago my tanks heater malfunctioned & boiled the water up to 106 degrees !
Since then I have purchased an ink bird & a better heater Becuase I don’t make the same mistake twice .
Anyways after wiping out everthing I Was able to remove all my fish out and CUC that was dead as soon as I noticed they were decomposed yet . Except for 1 fish I count find .
It’s been 4 day these are my parameters
I was more worried about my beneficial bacteria dieing off as well . How can I find out if my tank stil has beneficial bacteria alive in it ? & is it safe to restock with a CUC

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 20-40

Sorry to hear!

I would wait and monitor ammonia for at least 7 to 10 days, in case the die off causes a cascade effect.

Going forward, it is often best to use two lower wattage heaters as opposed to one large one. That way, if one of them sticks on, or turns off, it isn’t enough by itself to cause harm and the second heater picks up the slack.

Jay

JCM · Jun 18, 2022

If ammonia is absent and nitrates are present, you should be good to start slowly restocking.

I'd highly recommend switching to a heater that's incapable of increasing water temp that much. The controller is probably better than the built in thermostat, but you're still relying on a single piece of equipment to not cook your tank.