Tank Crash

[andrewey]

Just an option. You have 2 choices restart or pack it up. How is that being a jerk??

I think you are logically correct, however after someone just lost their fish, I think being factually correct might take a back seat to kindness and encouragement. I don't know that I would say you said anything inappropriate, but I think there are probably better alternatives in the future

 

[tehmadreefer]

I think you are logically correct, however after someone just lost their fish, I think being factually correct might take a back seat to kindness and encouragement. I don't know that I would say you said anything inappropriate, but I think there are probably better alternatives in the future

I lost all my expensive and difficult to keep fish like 2 years ago. Sorry but I’m just being straight forward. I’m a logical based person, not emotional.

 

[tehmadreefer]

Anyway OP has it covered!

 

[Pistondog]

Thanks for the encouragement. The new pump is ordered and should be here Monday. Doing a 30% today and another one one on Friday. I will get a couple of clowns from my LFS on Friday as well and see how it goes. As my brother in law said, I've been fully initiated now into the reefing hobby. I was actually surprised I didn't have any fish losses before now. I consider myself lucky in that regard, it was just my stupidity that resulted in this mess.

Thank you for this post. It reminds me how fragile our systems are. My tank has suffered thru a few hours of power failures, but your experience should lead us to explore backup systems, or suffer loss if power fails for a longer time.
Your tank should be fine after the water changes, good luck on the reboot. Have fun choosing your new livestock!
When budget permits, try to automate the common tasks, ATO, feedmode, to minimize the chance for mistakes (not stupidity).

 

[Cooper32803]

So I am just getting back into the game and still trying to get my neglected tank back to normal, but I did order some wifi controlled plugs and hooked them up to my Alexa so when I tell her “feeding time” all my pumps will turn off for 15 minutes during feeding and then come back on. I figure trying to automate my Biocube some will help deter any future crashes like I had that caused my tank neglect for so long. I also have a setting on Alexa for water changes that will turn off pumps and heater and then come back on when I tell her “water change done”. Idk if that helps any...

 

[Pistondog]

So I am just getting back into the game and still trying to get my neglected tank back to normal, but I did order some wifi controlled plugs and hooked them up to my Alexa so when I tell her “feeding time” all my pumps will turn off for 15 minutes during feeding and then come back on. I figure trying to automate my Biocube some will help deter any future crashes like I had that caused my tank neglect for so long. I also have a setting on Alexa for water changes that will turn off pumps and heater and then come back on when I tell her “water change done”. Idk if that helps any...

Awesome use of Alexa!
But, this is interesting.
Do we put our faith in this complicated technology that relies on amazon servers in Kansas and all the networks between our homes, kansas and aquariums to function correctly? I bought an alexa controlled led lightbulb and used it once because it was easier to turn the switch than talk to alexa, have it go to the Chinese website where I registered the lightbulb, come back in via my internet connection and wifi command the lightbulb on.
I dont think the outlets interface direct to alexa, inside your home but rely on a reliable connection to outside and back. It seems like a trivial point until you think about failure modes and making the automation reliable, which is part of the point. No one dies (well the fish) if this fails, but the best automation has fail safe modes, think Apex.
And I can't tell you if when I press feed mode B on the Apex iOS app how that gets to the fusion controller, but that is why I have the local Apex USB control panel.
I guess Alexa is better than nothing, but perhaps (today) not as good as local control.
This is an interesting topic, let us know your experience.
Can we rely on Alexa to control our aquariums?

 

[Cooper32803]

Awesome use of Alexa!
But, this is interesting.
Do we put our faith in this complicated technology that relies on amazon servers in Kansas and all the networks between our homes, kansas and aquariums to function correctly? I bought an alexa controlled led lightbulb and used it once because it was easier to turn the switch than talk to alexa, have it go to the Chinese website where I registered the lightbulb, come back in via my internet connection and wifi command the lightbulb on.
I dont think the outlets interface direct to alexa, inside your home but rely on a reliable connection to outside and back. It seems like a trivial point until you think about failure modes and making the automation reliable, which is part of the point. No one dies (well the fish) if this fails, but the best automation has fail safe modes, think Apex.
And I can't tell you if when I press feed mode B on the Apex iOS app how that gets to the fusion controller, but that is why I have the local Apex USB control panel.
I guess Alexa is better than nothing, but perhaps (today) not as good as local control.
This is an interesting topic, let us know your experience.
Can we rely on Alexa to control our aquariums?

Well I put in an additional command if need be to tell Alexa “Feeding Time Done” and it’s will put all the pumps back on. I have plans on moving my tank from where it is now (in my bedroom) to the dining room so I would walk past it often over the course of the day and notice if the pumps weren’t running. I want to try and get this Biocube back and In working order before I think about upgrading the tank (Which I told myself I would do if I can keep this tank runner my for a couple years). When that happens I will invest in the controller systems for the larger tank. I figured it’s a good enough automation for now while trying to see if I can keep this tank up and running

 

[Hugh Mann]

Sorry to hear about your fish. Really sucks, and I feel your pain. My own mistake a while back killed all but 3 of my fish. . As has been said, you should be fine with a 30% water change. Best of luck with your new stock!

As for Alexa, I think that is a great idea. Perhaps not as reliable as an Apex, but a far sight more affordable. Possibly also have the 'feed' command set an alert in 15-20 minutes for you to verify the return is on.

Also, depending on your schedule, perhaps you could also use a manual or digital timer to shut it on and off at preset times. Mind you, you'd also have to feed at those times as well.

 

[Pistondog]

Well I put in an additional command if need be to tell Alexa “Feeding Time Done” and it’s will put all the pumps back on. I have plans on moving my tank from where it is now (in my bedroom) to the dining room so I would walk past it often over the course of the day and notice if the pumps weren’t running. I want to try and get this Biocube back and In working order before I think about upgrading the tank (Which I told myself I would do if I can keep this tank runner my for a couple years). When that happens I will invest in the controller systems for the larger tank. I figured it’s a good enough automation for now while trying to see if I can keep this tank up and running

Sounds like you have planned for contingencies, and dont assume unattended operation, and leveraging the available automation for help. Great thinking, and let us know if you have issues.

 

[ReefHomieJon]

Just an option. You have 2 choices restart or pack it up. How is that being a jerk??

U don’t tell anybody some junk like that. They might be feeling terrible about losing all their fish and defeated and you’re gonna just say just get out of the hobby? Most people put a lot of money into their tank set ups and have the best intentions. Instead, you should encourage them to keep going and give tips on how to do better. Smh. “Get out of the hobby”. Maybe you should get off Reef2Reef. This is a happy place.....

 

[DSEKULA]

Just got some gosund smart outlets to avoid this type of stuff.. you can put the pump on a smart outlet and you can set a timer to automatically turn back on. I'm sure there's many brands etc but the ones I got were $25 for a four pack and very simple to use I only mention the brand bc they are not one of the big smart home brand etc and really cheap (no hub etc required) for what you get. You should definitely look into something like this once you restock etc. You can also set specific schedules and what not I originally got the pack just to have a light timer and have found many things to use them for now.

 

[Cooper32803]

Just got some gosund smart outlets to avoid this type of stuff.. you can put the pump on a smart outlet and you can set a timer to automatically turn back on. I'm sure there's many brands etc but the ones I got were $25 for a four pack and very simple to use I only mention the brand bc they are not one of the big smart home brand etc and really cheap (no hub etc required) for what you get. You should definitely look into something like this once you restock etc. You can also set specific schedules and what not I originally got the pack just to have a light timer and have found many things to use them for now.

Those are the exact ones I got as well! Lol I actually ordered more cuz I have found so many uses for them now since I bought them

 

[DSEKULA]

Those are the exact ones I got as well! Lol I actually ordered more cuz I have found so many uses for them now since I bought them

I did the same thing, I'm building a 2gal pico reef and needed something super low profile to control the lights. I only got the pack for the one outlet initally but I found so many things to do with them I have two more packs coming. The timer feature was unexpected and great for so many things in this hobby like a pH alarm and I want to turn on the air pump manually and only run for an hour.. My air pump is on the opposite wall of all my other reef gear and running to the apex would be such a pain now I just have it on one of these. Also added one to the mixing station so I have a ph mixer and heater come on when I make new water and auto shut off (my water comes in at about 55-60°. At $6.25 each it makes for the cheapest aquarium controller ever. Obviously not good for everything the way something like an apex could be etc but definitely worth the cost for the peace of mind imo.

 

[tehmadreefer]

U don’t tell anybody some junk like that. They might be feeling terrible about losing all their fish and defeated and you’re gonna just say just get out of the hobby? Most people put a lot of money into their tank set ups and have the best intentions. Instead, you should encourage them to keep going and give tips on how to do better. Smh. “Get out of the hobby”. Maybe you should get off Reef2Reef. This is a happy place.....

Guess you missed the “or restart option”

 

[ReefHomieJon]

Guess you missed the “or restart option”

Whatever

 

[Alan_J_MN]

This is a timely thread for me. First of all I don’t have an Apex.
My return pump has a feed mode so that’s not a problem. But my powerheads don’t have a feed mode. I need to unplug them for feeding. Once in a while I forget to turn the back on for a while. No casualties but it worries me. So this week I ordered a couple of little inexpensive timer relays to solve the problem. They arrived today. It was not plug and play, but for less than $30, I can now press a button to switch them off to feed and they will switch back on at the programmed time. I now have feed mode for my powerheads. I did think about using Alexa, but wanted a simpler “press the button” solution.
I can post more details of the timer relay etc if anyone is interested.

 

[warpdrvr]

So I did about a 50% water change over a couple of days just to be safe. Ammonia <.25 and Nitrate about 3, so we went to the fish store and maybe overdid it.. 5 fish total, 2 stars and 2 corals... I can't ever seem to get out of there without spending more than I had expected. Good thing my birthday is next week as the wife paid for it. See what happens. Acclimating now and just about ready to put into the tank. Will update as necessary. As for the poster who said reboot or get out of hobby, I completely understand where you are coming from and I have thicker skin than that, so no harm no foul.

 

[warpdrvr]

So after a couple weeks, I have total of 9 fish in the tank now. Started with 10, but my coolest looking clown, a platinum clown died. Not sure why as all parameters were good and no other fish show any kind of issue. All came from the same water system at the LFS, so not sure what the issue was. Will have 10 again soon as I have a yellow tang in my QT. Tank is doing great, even better than before. I am also learning I think I was feeding WAY too much as the algae problem is going away as well. Between that and dosing Vibrant it's been a pleasure to watch the tank day after day. Thanks again to all for posting info and/or suggestions. This is a great community