Vacation Disaster...Need to Vent

[dbraun15]

So is your mertens gone now? Nothing to pull out?

Beautiful tank, look at it as another opportunity to get some other things you like in the future. Your tank looks aged/healthy otherwise, I would think it would recover pretty fast.

He found nothing/no remains of the nem. I should be home in about an hour to make sure myself, but he's a seasoned reefer so I would think he'd be able to find any remains. I searched for a Mertensii for 2 years and finally found one locally for a great price..that one is going to hurt for a while.

 

[dbraun15]

Got home late last night...clowns and a melanus wrasse are the only survivors...no remains of Merten's was found. Most of the leathers are closed, some LPS have recessed, zoas/gorgs open like nothing happened. Luckily my Gig and Haddoni are unfazed. I'm very thankful this wasn't a total loss...I sure don't have any desire to run out and get anything, that's for sure. Hopefully things steadily recover and I get the fever back in no time. Thanks again for the support and insight as all this was going down.

 

[Koi Obsession]

I had my x girlfriend decide she was going to help me remove the purple algae that was growing all over everything and supersize me with a nice clean tank when I got home. She used simple green on everything and lost 100% of everything in the tank. her answer was the bottle said it was environmentally safe for the planet. This is y she is an X now ......

 

[evilchef70]

I got back from vacation last week. We did a water change in all tanks before we left. Had a tank sitter. Got home and saw signs of coral distress. A day later we lost over $1,500 in corals. Turned out to be the ice cap digital refractometer. This one read 1.025 salinity. In reality it was 1.035. Fish lived but none of the corals in three of the tanks. Recovering slowly. Ice cap went into the trash. Back to the old way.

 

[Chuk]

I'm away with my family in Orlando...went to Discovery Cove yesterday(if you haven't been, you need to go--1,000,000 gallon lagoon with over 1000 fish, over 100 different species). Had a great time with kids snorkeling etc. That came to a crashing halt last night as my tank sitter goes to my house last night to check on things and finds all fish(except. Clowns) dead. I "had" a 10" Mertensii nem that decides to move and must have gone into a Vortech and got shredded releasing nemocysts killing all fish...I'm absolutely sick to my stomach and won't know the true damage until I get home Sunday...I pray that I don't have a complete crash...why is it that stuff like this seems to happen while on vacation? End rant...thanks for listening!

I just got back from Orlando myself to find a tripped gfci outlet after a thunder storm and a 2 year old 90 gallon reef tank completely dead. I feel your pain. We did Disney this time discovery cove is definitely cool though. I want to do it again once the kiddos are old enough to do the dolphin encounter.

 

[OrionN]

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[minder_mano]

I leave for Orlando on Thursday. I hope it’s not a curse. Sorry for your losses

 

[bobbyM]

That's terrible! Sorry for your loss.

 

[vlangel]

I just got back from Orlando myself to find a tripped gfci outlet after a thunder storm and a 2 year old 90 gallon reef tank completely dead. I feel your pain. We did Disney this time discovery cove is definitely cool though. I want to do it again once the kiddos are old enough to do the dolphin encounter.

I was an aquarium tech for 5 years or so. Tripped gfci's are a problem. I tell folks to run an extention cord from an outlet thats on another circuit and run a powerhead from it. Also a $20 battery backup can help if you have a fish sitter checking in every other day (the batteries are probably only good for 2 days).

My own tank is a seahorse tank and the return pump is in the basement and the powerheads are on a dedicated circuit for the tank along with a battery backup. I still get anxious when I leave but at least lack of oxygen will probably not be the problem.

 

[dbraun15]

I was finally able to really look over things/clean glass etc...I found a pile of goo(Mertens) in the corner of the sump last night. I removed it so it wouldn't continue rotting. Thanks for all the support and I hope this isn't something that continues to happens to others.

 

[Chuk]

I was an aquarium tech for 5 years or so. Tripped gfci's are a problem. I tell folks to run an extention cord from an outlet thats on another circuit and run a powerhead from it. Also a $20 battery backup can help if you have a fish sitter checking in every other day (the batteries are probably only good for 2 days).

My own tank is a seahorse tank and the return pump is in the basement and the powerheads are on a dedicated circuit for the tank along with a battery backup. I still get anxious when I leave but at least lack of oxygen will probably not be the problem.

Extension cord . That’s a good idea for whenever I restart.

 

[JBKReef]

Better look:

I'll take 2 MP40 size please and thank you.

 

[Shooter6]

I had this happen back in 1990 with the old school powerhead. I will necer again own a nem.

 

[RtomKinMad]

Get one of these for your Vortech.

Where can I get this? Thank u

 

[RtomKinMad]

I'll take 2 MP40 size please and thank you.

So sorry for your loss. We have a house sitter stay and check in with us daily in the 300reef, 180 fo. Last time we were gone 10 days came home to half coral dead, high phos and nitrates. We worry the whole time we are gone but hate to stop the rest of the things we enjoy like traveling. Lost our house sitter too she got married and bought her own house so have to find a new house sitter who can maticulously watch our babies. Have a apex just for monitoring after last vacation so we can guide the house sitter if needed.
So sorry for your loss and hope you can recover and start over down the road. Glad some things survived. Best regards.

 

[dbraun15]

Really have been having a hard time getting motivated to do anything with this tank...I have kept up with regular maintenance, but buying anything new hasn't even been on my mind. Tank is doing ok, but have had a pretty large algae breakout and some cyano due to the fish kill. My two clowns are the only survivors and most corals(exception has been my LPS struggling) have been doing ok. Hoping to find some motivation soon. Thanks for all the support, but you don't know how it is going to affect you until it happens.

 

[RtomKinMad]

I’m so

Really have been having a hard time getting motivated to do anything with this tank...I have kept up with regular maintenance, but buying anything new hasn't even been on my mind. Tank is doing ok, but have had a pretty large algae breakout and some cyano due to the fish kill. My two clowns are the only survivors and most corals(exception has been my LPS struggling) have been doing ok. Hoping to find some motivation soon. Thanks for all the support, but you don't know how it is going to affect you until it happens.

Sorry to hear you lost so much. I hope you can find the passion in reefing and fish keeping again. It’s hard when you loose so much. My husband gets really discouraged when we loose fish. I hope it gets easier for you. Best regards.