Ever Have a Bad Tank Day??

[ilovereefing <3]

I am having a bad tank day! I normally do my water changes on Saturdays, but I had some issues with my RODI system that required me to wait until today. It happened to also be time to back flush my chiller. So I disconnected everything, and set up the back flush to let it run for an hour. While draining water for my water change, I was doing an inspection of my equipment and noticed my skimmer was leaking in two places. My skimmer (external, recirculating) sits behind my biopellet reactor and my GFO and carbon reactor, so I had to pull out both of those items to take a closer look at the skimmer. Well, I basically ended up having to pull the skimmer completely out to fix the leaks...nothing a little teflon tape and elbow grease couldn't fix. Cleaned the skimmer pump and body while I had it out...might as well. Mopped up the water under my stand, and as I backed out to go rinse the towel I was using to clean up, I knocked one of the tubes in the bucket that was doing the back flush for the chiller on the floor. Pumped about a gallon of water on the floor before I was able to stop it. Ugh! Some of that water hit a power strip that was about 3 ft away from my tank, causing an electrical issue on my wet carpet so anything that was metal and touching it was sparking! I used a chopstick to shut off the power strip and unplugged it. In the meantime, since my chiller is disconnected, my Apex is texting me like crazy because the temperature has gone too high in my tank, causing me to stress out! (Love the Apex though...) Cleaned up the water, dried the power strip...everything is ok. Put everything back and finished my water change. Then somehow, one of the smaller biopellets escaped from my reactor and went into my sump, then got sucked up into my return pump (why oh why did I take that pre-filter off of it?), which grinded it up into a million tiny pieces and sent the small pieces into my display. AHHHHHH! It's one of those days that I shoulda just left well enough alone! Total tank maintenance FAIL today!! Lol!

So since I am on the subject...I am curious about your bad tank days. Would you like to share? It's time to vent!

 

[RareEarthCorals]

I feel you and offer my support. Reminded me of my nightmare twenty years ago. Lost 10k+ in coral and fourty gallons of water everywhere. Good thing is its over and tomorrow is another day. Sit back its miller time!!!

 

[ilovereefing <3]

I feel you and offer my support. Reminded me of my nightmare twenty years ago. Lost 10k+ in coral and fourty gallons of water everywhere. Good thing is its over and tomorrow is another day. Sit back its miller time!!!

10k??!! Okay, so my day has not been that bad! W-O-W!

 

[hybridazn]

Hmm where to start lol

Recently lost almost all my sps to a tank crash

Lost dozens of fish at one point to a ich outbreak years back

Had about 80 gallons of saltwater in my carpet after my external religion tank cracked. It was fed off my return so it kept dump in water in it and my ato kept filling it up as well because the water level kept dropping lol. Yea, that was a fun weekend lol

 

[RareEarthCorals]

Today is a much different story. I had over 30k wrapped up in tanks back then. Never again, Im happy with my little Biocube. I can fully stock it for a few grand and enjoy it just as much!

 

[RareEarthCorals]

Hmm where to start lol

Recently lost almost all my sps to a tank crash

Lost dozens of fish at one point to a ich outbreak years back

Had about 80 gallons of saltwater in my carpet after my external religion tank cracked. It was fed off my return so it kept dump in water in it and my ato kept filling it up as well because the water level kept dropping lol. Yea, that was a fun weekend lol

The horror, saltwater and carpet dont mix. I only had 40 gallon but after shop vac, steam cleaning twice, it still smelled of low tide at the pier. Ended up replacing the carpet! I feel your pain!

 

[hybridazn]

The horror, saltwater and carpet dont mix. I only had 40 gallon but after shop vac, steam cleaning twice, it still smelled of low tide at the pier. Ended up replacing the carpet! I feel your pain!

Yea, it was nob picnic. I went out and rented 2 carpet scrubbers and a bunch of fans. I just sucked up as much water as I could then hit the carpet with a fresh water rinse. Let that start to dry for a few hours then hit it with detergent. Then another fresh water rinse. Luckily it never stunk like a pier lol.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Sorry!

 

[Betty1964]

Nope...never had a bad day in fish world...unless you count hearing that dreaded drip drip drip followed by whoosh and seeing 265 gallons of water ending up on the floor in a hurry. Thankfully, I had salt water already mixed and two large rubbermaid tubs. Hats off to Living Reef in Orlando, FL for getting me a replacement in a hurry.

 

[RareEarthCorals]

Wow thats a flood...

 

[bumperbeetle]

Im just finishing my bad tank experience. The last fish I had from my 92gl died today...lost all 7 of them to velvet. Pass me one of those Millers would ya??

 

[RareEarthCorals]

 

[Rutrag]

Before I had my RODI, I used the API Tap Water Purifier which was basically a tube of DI resin with a small hose going in connected to an adaptor to hook onto the sink and another small hose going out. This thing was really slow and probably exhausted. I was having a Cyanobacteria problem in my 37, so I was removing and scrubbing rocks and making water to do a large water change. The water was going into a muck bucket. I've just about got the tank broken down and making water - onto the floor as it turns out. The place where the plastic was injected into the mold during manufacture broke out and left a hole right at the bottom of the bucket of which I was unaware until my wife went into the kitchen and screamed "why is water all over the floor?" She's already ticked because I've been working on the tank all day. I scramble, get another bucket and the shop vac to start cleaning up. (Crisis #1). As in outside at some rinsing out some other bucket, my daughter sticks her head outside to tell me something. As she does so, this quasi-stray cat we started feeding is heading for the door to get inside. (She's done this before and is a pain to catch and get back out of the house.). I tell my daughter to hurry up and close the door before the cat gets in. She manages to close the door as the cat gets into the house - except for the last 3 inches of her tail which are sticking out the door where I am. I immediately hear screams from my daughter. So now I'm dropping the hose figuring the tip of the cat's tail just got amputated and my daughter is freaking out cause there's blood everywhere and the cat's hurt. Turns out the cat was freaking out trying to escape and going nowhere, scratched my daughter's foot in the process leading to the screaming, and my wife is rolling on the floor laughing at it all, but still mad I'm not done with the tank. (Crisis #2). Also, the hose had popped out of the new bucket and there's MORE water on the floor. (Crisis #3). Wasn't a good day...

 

[Bbaz123456]

Sounds like every day for me

 

[Harold Green]

Ilove if you haven't chucked the power strip it's time to do it. Once salt gets in the strip it'll quickly corrode the contacts causing them to heat up and short out.

 

[ilovereefing <3]

Nope...never had a bad day in fish world...unless you count hearing that dreaded drip drip drip followed by whoosh and seeing 265 gallons of water ending up on the floor in a hurry. Thankfully, I had salt water already mixed and two large rubbermaid tubs. Hats off to Living Reef in Orlando, FL for getting me a replacement in a hurry.

This is my worst nightmare! I have actually had a dream that this happened, and had to run downstairs to check that it was just a dream!

Im just finishing my bad tank experience. The last fish I had from my 92gl died today...lost all 7 of them to velvet. Pass me one of those Millers would ya??

I am so sorry...

Before I had my RODI, I used the API Tap Water Purifier which was basically a tube of DI resin with a small hose going in connected to an adaptor to hook onto the sink and another small hose going out. This thing was really slow and probably exhausted. I was having a Cyanobacteria problem in my 37, so I was removing and scrubbing rocks and making water to do a large water change. The water was going into a muck bucket. I've just about got the tank broken down and making water - onto the floor as it turns out. The place where the plastic was injected into the mold during manufacture broke out and left a hole right at the bottom of the bucket of which I was unaware until my wife went into the kitchen and screamed "why is water all over the floor?" She's already ticked because I've been working on the tank all day. I scramble, get another bucket and the shop vac to start cleaning up. (Crisis #1). As in outside at some rinsing out some other bucket, my daughter sticks her head outside to tell me something. As she does so, this quasi-stray cat we started feeding is heading for the door to get inside. (She's done this before and is a pain to catch and get back out of the house.). I tell my daughter to hurry up and close the door before the cat gets in. She manages to close the door as the cat gets into the house - except for the last 3 inches of her tail which are sticking out the door where I am. I immediately hear screams from my daughter. So now I'm dropping the hose figuring the tip of the cat's tail just got amputated and my daughter is freaking out cause there's blood everywhere and the cat's hurt. Turns out the cat was freaking out trying to escape and going nowhere, scratched my daughter's foot in the process leading to the screaming, and my wife is rolling on the floor laughing at it all, but still mad I'm not done with the tank. (Crisis #2). Also, the hose had popped out of the new bucket and there's MORE water on the floor. (Crisis #3). Wasn't a good day...

Wow...that IS a bad tank day! Especially when the other half is mad about you working in the tank all day! Just today, my husband made a snide remark and said..."So what, you going to be working in your tank again?" I said, "No, I have no plans to work in my tank today." A few hours later I was feeding the corals. My hubs was like..."MMMHMM!"

Ilove if you haven't chucked the power strip it's time to do it. Once salt gets in the strip it'll quickly corrode the contacts causing them to heat up and short out.

I hadn't thought of that...thank you! I will be changing it out in the morning!

 

[harryball69]

Yea, it was nob picnic. I went out and rented 2 carpet scrubbers and a bunch of fans. I just sucked up as much water as I could then hit the carpet with a fresh water rinse. Let that start to dry for a few hours then hit it with detergent. Then another fresh water rinse. Luckily it never stunk like a pier lol.

Yes saltwater and carpets dont mix. I had a leak on my skimmer years ago. i diddnt notice for quite awhile. it hardned my carpet behind my tank. got what could. Atleast its out of sight. haha

 

[Russ265]

my old 220 had carpet underneath. i experienced the same issues of carpet not mixing with salt water. and you WILL get salt water on the floor.
before i upgraded my 265, i replaced my whole entry area, dining room and aquarium room with tile and i am glad i did.

as far as disasters go. my return nozzles have an elbow at the top of the stand pipe. those elbows have a hole in them as an anti siphon. well i hated the noise of it hitting the water at such a high psi, that i covered it with a sponge and used rubberbands to keep it on check.
after 3 months, the sponges had moved off to the side and morphed different to the point the anti siphons were shooting water out the side of my canopy and on my led lights. water was just trickling out until it hit my powerstrip and my gfi cut it out.
5 gallons on the floor, and a shorted led panel caused me to get a regular pvc elbow from home depot.
but man, mopping up 5 gallons on tile never was so easy. if it had been carpet, i would have had to break down my 2 ton tank, replaced it, and set it back up again.

 

[naso tang]

I just helped a friend with an emergency. Something feel onto her tank from a shelf above, hit the corner and cracked her starfire. 90 g so it started leaking. Not much water damage, but she quick found a tank the same day, we mocked up her plumbing on the fly (everything we needed and didn't have in one of our garages was actually available at home depot!). Did the transfer all in one day. Didn't think we could pull that off, but i think we did!

 

[ilovereefing <3]

my old 220 had carpet underneath. i experienced the same issues of carpet not mixing with salt water. and you WILL get salt water on the floor.
before i upgraded my 265, i replaced my whole entry area, dining room and aquarium room with tile and i am glad i did.

as far as disasters go. my return nozzles have an elbow at the top of the stand pipe. those elbows have a hole in them as an anti siphon. well i hated the noise of it hitting the water at such a high psi, that i covered it with a sponge and used rubberbands to keep it on check.
after 3 months, the sponges had moved off to the side and morphed different to the point the anti siphons were shooting water out the side of my canopy and on my led lights. water was just trickling out until it hit my powerstrip and my gfi cut it out.
5 gallons on the floor, and a shorted led panel caused me to get a regular pvc elbow from home depot.
but man, mopping up 5 gallons on tile never was so easy. if it had been carpet, i would have had to break down my 2 ton tank, replaced it, and set it back up again.

Note to self...Change flooring to tile! Lol!

I just helped a friend with an emergency. Something feel onto her tank from a shelf above, hit the corner and cracked her starfire. 90 g so it started leaking. Not much water damage, but she quick found a tank the same day, we mocked up her plumbing on the fly (everything we needed and didn't have in one of our garages was actually available at home depot!). Did the transfer all in one day. Didn't think we could pull that off, but i think we did!

Wow, must have been something pretty substantial to have cracked her tank. I hope she removed whatever is above her tank so it doesn't happen again. You're a good friend for helping!