Could have been real bad!

[Johnny bass07]

I woke up this morning and looked in the sump and saw where my refugium led light fell in the refugium. Looks like it been there for several days. Some leds were still on and it was filled with blue a green liquid. It was leaking all in the water. I about had a heart attack. I scrambled before work and threw in some activated carbon. All day I stressed just knowing when I got home it was going to be bad. I get home and everything looks great. No dead fish,no dead corals. My refugium is in the last section of my sump. The return comes from my main return. While checking everything out I notice lots of dead copepods and even dead algae that has turned white. Then I noticed there was no water flowing over the edge. The gate valve had stopped up and no water was coming from the return. I don't think i have ever been so lucky. Now my question is after I drain all that water out of the refugium do you think it's fine to just wipe it all down and fill it or should I clean with anything specific?

 

[World Citizen]

75% waterchange wouldn't harm this situation. I would do it.
Keep the carbon in for now.

Don't move any rocks or other biohabitat. Just do the waterchange and the carbon.

Good luck

 

[World Citizen]

Ow and just wipe it down with fresh water.

 

[Johnny bass07]

75% waterchange wouldn't harm this situation. I would do it.
Keep the carbon in for now.

Don't move any rocks or other biohabitat. Just do the waterchange and the carbon.

Good That's why I said I got lucky. The valve was stopped up and nothing was flowing in the sump. It was trapped in the refugium

 

[Johnny bass07]

Do you think it is OK to rinse the cheato algae in fresh salt water and put it back?

 

[Cory]

Do you think it is OK to rinse the cheato algae in fresh salt water and put it back?

I wouldn't put it all back, mayne just a small fragment to minimize contamination. If your lucky youll get new growth.

 

[All_talk]

Are you saying the polluted water from your fuge was never pumped through your system because of a second unrelated equipment failure at the gate valve? You should buy some lotto tickets (and maybe make a full preventative maintenance survey of all your equipment ).

 

[Johnny bass07]

Are you saying the polluted water from your fuge was never pumped through your system because of a second unrelated equipment failure at the gate valve? You should buy some lotto tickets (and maybe make a full preventative maintenance survey of all your equipment ).

Yes. That was crazy! I do need to go buy some lotto tickets for sure.