Tank crash
- Thread starter mike007
- Start date
- Tagged users None
spspirate
Tidepool Explorer
Good topic bad topic..I almost had a tank crash at one point when I first started. I was asleep up stairs and heard water splatting on the wooden floor I ran down stairs and saw water overflowing out of the display onto the floor and all over wires and such. I panicked of course!..LOL I found a mexican turbo snail stuck in my drain pipe from the overflow........and the return pump kept pumping that water.:scared: I unplugged the return dislodged the turbo snail and commenced to grab every towel in the house. Moral to my story is make sure nothing can obstruct the drain to your sump.
homegrowncoral88
Active Member
I just had a fish get caught in mine. Have no idea how that could of happened. I have a 150 gallon sump but luckily the water shorted out the power so only line 20g made it out. If there is somthing bad that could happen even if it's near impossible it will.
Sully
Active Member
Feel free to read if you'd like. I went into this very topic about a tank crash late last year I went through.
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/165062-my-20g-build-highs-lows-comeback-my-diary-nice-nano-reef-went-bad.html
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/165062-my-20g-build-highs-lows-comeback-my-diary-nice-nano-reef-went-bad.html
footballdude2k3
Acroholic
Had a heater crack, came home and the tank was smoking, then saw where it was coming from, killed every piece of coral and most of the fish I had, sucked.
prsnlty
Jackie
That's what my nightmares consist of! I climate control my house to suit my tank. I am so afraid of heaters, I refuse to use them!
I had a Fowlr tank that I managed to kill everything in. Long story short- I had a severe burn on my arm and doc gave me antibiotic ointment to put on it. I stuck my hand in the tank and all my fish went belly up instantly.
On my 90 sps dominated it was moving homes and having friends hold my corals for me. 2 friends just weren't experienced enough and the third had an aefw wipeout which unfortunately took out the 40+ mini colonies and frags he was holding for me. On my 24 gal nano in my office it was my auto feeder over feeding during a three day weekend which fouled up the water. I increased the opening before testing how much food would actually be dispensed. Everything was dead and to top it off the office reeked.
Sacohen
Valuable Member
Many years ago when I first got into the hobby I had a 125 gallon and at one point I removed the glass center brace.
Well about 6-8 months later the front right corner opened up from the top all the way down to 1/4 of the way to the bottom.
I replaced the tank, but the company I bought the replacement from drilled the tank in the wrong place and by the time I got everything up and running again it never survived.
Well about 6-8 months later the front right corner opened up from the top all the way down to 1/4 of the way to the bottom.
I replaced the tank, but the company I bought the replacement from drilled the tank in the wrong place and by the time I got everything up and running again it never survived.
beaslbob
2500 Club Member
my old 55g mixed reef had the one and only full blown tank crash I have ever experienced. After fragging some corals a 3 year old yellow tang was breathing heavy after about 8 hours and died the next morning. All fish were extremely stressed and ammonia was almost black (api test kit). I moved the fish I could to another tank with almost immediate results, added macro algaes and treated the tank with prime assuming 8ppm ammonia.
Ammonia stayed high (api test kit) for a week (although lockedup with the multitest kit) and then dropped down after I rinsed out my diy wet dry filter with crushed oyster shell media. NitrItes pegged the kit then nitrates while pH was down to 7.6 or less. The fish were returned after ammonia dropped down but I did lose 3. the banguii cardinal did survive which is amazing because before being moved to the other tank is what horizontal. In hours it was vertical again.
What happened is I used latex gloves with an oil on them to protect my corals when I was fragging. I guess the oil or other coaring killed off the bacteria in the tank and I wound up losing all the corals.
I guess live and learn. thankfully it was my only tank crash. Hopefully never again.
my .02
Last edited:
evankouteren
New Member
Unfortunately over 2 months ago during a short vacation we experienced a major power outage in my town due to some bad weather. We left in de the morning, disaster struck in the evening. As I had cleaned, maintained and fed everything that morning, I told my Aquarium "babysit" there was no need to hurry, 2 days would be soon enough, not knowing that would leave my tank for 2 days without power, and thus without currents etc. It killed of almost all my fish and virtually all corals. The few that survived were so weakened they didn't make it in quarantine afterwards. It was a sad day.
This week I started up again, after doing some redesign (and implementing some power failure measures)! Never give up!
This week I started up again, after doing some redesign (and implementing some power failure measures)! Never give up!
Don't wish a crash on anyone.
I've had two crashes that were vacation related (death in the tank while gone and the sitter didn't notice anything was a miss) it was a FOWLR - came home with all livestock gone except for engineer goby and black and white damsel on one and nothing alive on the second. Hurricane Ike (who knew Ohio would get hit by a hurricane) left us without power for 6 days and (still a FO) and I watched all of my livestock slowly perish despite my efforts to keep water aerated (sp)and at temperature -did not have a generator or other method of back-up 
Now, that I've converted my FO to a reef, I get extremely nervous whenever a vacation is scheduled
Now, that I've converted my FO to a reef, I get extremely nervous whenever a vacation is scheduled
slugwall
Active Member
125 crash
Bought a sun sun blower from eBay and while I was waiting for my 2 grounding rods I ran the blower and found that everything almost died... The tank went through a huge cycle as the die off from corals/lr/sand.
Their ended up being 57v running through the tank. 1000 dollars worth of coral dead! Now I have 2 titanium rod in the tank and sump. This will never happen again, took 6 months to recoup
Bought a sun sun blower from eBay and while I was waiting for my 2 grounding rods I ran the blower and found that everything almost died... The tank went through a huge cycle as the die off from corals/lr/sand.
Their ended up being 57v running through the tank. 1000 dollars worth of coral dead! Now I have 2 titanium rod in the tank and sump. This will never happen again, took 6 months to recoup
lol - you'd be nervous even without this thread 
congrats on going to MACNA! lucky duck!
what is a sun sun blower?
congrats on going to MACNA! lucky duck!what is a sun sun blower?
Last edited:
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
Hinecken
Community Member
I was living in an apartment during hurricane Wilma. My (then fiancé) wife and I got to watch the eye pass directly over us as it made landfall. We even went out and walked the dogs. Then the backside of the storm hit. Pretty much leveled anything resembling a power line. No electricity for 19 days. Watched my nano die. Didn't have a tank of my own for a while after, but took care of my in-laws tank as if it were my own.
