UV filter electrified tank, What do I do now?

Reeef27 · Jan 10, 2016

My inline UV filter cracked and electrified my 27gal tank. It killed almost everything...fish, urchin, leather, blastos, astrid snails..... Now my question is what do I do. I took out the dead stuff (within 30hrs). The tank is now smell free and clear. Nitrates 0, Ammonium 0. Now friends say I should put a shrimp in the tank and make an ammonium spike and then a nitrate spike. Ive got my hermit, emerald crab and live rock with polyps in a bucket (with pump). Why can't I just put them back in the tank? It didn't crash. Any advise and help would be great. I can't be the only person that this has happen too.

TheEngineer · Jan 10, 2016

Treat it as though you did a new cycle.

trido · Jan 10, 2016

I would add the stuff back in personally. You didnt remove the rock and if the ammonia has already dropped back to zero after removing all the dead critters then its done. A tank never stops cycling. Icecool2 is right though. Treat it like a new tank and slowly increase the bioload like you did when it was new

jetmaker · Jan 10, 2016

Yeah just put it back in if you get a small spike add some stability or bio spira.

Reeef27 · Jan 10, 2016

Thanks everyone! What is bio spira? First tank 3years in still got a learning curve...

Reeef27 · Jan 10, 2016

I have live rock in the tank and the emergency bucket. There's star polyps on the rock in the bucket.

jetmaker · Jan 10, 2016

It's made by instant ocean it beneficial bacteria in it about the same as stability.

Mauireefer808 · Jan 10, 2016

I had a light above my sump fall into the water a few months back, everything shriveled up and looked dead for a while, now my tank is looking better than ever. Took a while for things to start coming back though....after all was said and done, all I lost was a cleaner shrimp and a sexy shrimp. I did a HUGE water change and put some good carbon in my sump. Adding some bottled bacteria can't hurt.

Reeef27 · Jan 10, 2016

Awesome! I did a 15 gal water change over 36 hours. Ill get some bottled bacteria tomorrow. Any time frame on the bacteria or just put it in an go?
And thanks everybody!

jetmaker · Jan 10, 2016

Should just put in and go

Reeef27 · Jan 10, 2016

jetmaker said:
Should just put in and go

Thank you jetmaker!

Reeef27 · Jan 10, 2016

Mauireefer808 said:
I had a light above my sump fall into the water a few months back, everything shriveled up and looked dead for a while, now my tank is looking better than ever. Took a while for things to start coming back though....after all was said and done, all I lost was a cleaner shrimp and a sexy shrimp. I did a HUGE water change and put some good carbon in my sump. Adding some bottled bacteria can't hurt.

My inline UV was not as nice...