What caused your tank crash?

Bruce Burnett · Oct 20, 2016

Never had a tank crash in 20 years I guess I am one of the lucky ones. Lost a fish here and there or a coral while everything else was doing fine but no system crash. When I moved 300 miles the person helping me had a tub full of coral fall onto the pavement it was 118 degrees outside and he picked them up and threw them in another bucket of corals, so I lost most of my corals.
My son came home from vacation to a smelly mess he figures his GFI tripped around the first day of a week long vacation.

JohnBor · Oct 20, 2016

using the wrong water all was yous ro water or ro/di

Burr · Oct 21, 2016

Hey folks, I follow a lot but never post. I figured I'd need to share this as its something to learn from, I did.

I'm not going to name manufactures of the product because it was 100% not their fault and they were more than understanding and supportive in resolving what happened.

I started using a media that was regenerational replacement for carbon. Instructions for cleaning said to use a 10% bleach solution, soak 24 hours, rise, I raised yet again, and soak for 24 hours in a water/declorinator (they did suggest their brand)

I had some tap water conditioner/dechlorlnator I got from a reef expo, so I used that. This was a mistake. I'll post what the manufacture surmised.

<< If there are any amine complexed products used, amines can complex to any style of resin media. The bound amines can bond with chlorine and chloramines could form which could release when the media is added back into the aquarium. >>

There was more, but I knew it was that. The tap water conditioner had "the healthy slim enhancer" something or other and that had to be it. I'm still not over the devastation I did.

150 gallon tank everything, expect my two blue chin triggers, died within an hour of me starting the tank back up after putting the media back in, including my 10" spotted puffer that muscled his way in between my hand and cleaning hose every week to just get held. stupid, sobbing as I write this, still struggle with it.

I know you guys know what its like.

Take care
Brian

Leslie Tabor · Oct 21, 2016

I am currently on a business trip for the first time...away from my tank for the first time for more than a day...I am now terrified! Thank you guys for sharing your horror stories! I have a list of things to check when I call the hubby later!

Dr.Pat · Oct 21, 2016

faulty refractometer .It read 0.000 with fresh water but was off at higher end of scale .Lesson learned use a know salinity solution to test and calibrate monthly.I also don't use a refractometer any longer.I now have the Milwaukee ma887 digital refractometer and the pinpoint salinity meter. I lost 1000.oo's of $ of coral in my 180 reeftank.MA887 COST 85.00$ .PINPOINT ABOUT 110.00 .Like I always say experience is the by product of mistakes

Bingo · Oct 21, 2016

dosing pumps accidentally pulled out from the power cord. pH swings and kH swings. STN and RTN. plugged in the dosing pump, didnt calculate same dose and boom kH went high. did water change with a new salt and added more rpoblem. so 70% total loss.

jeffrey holloway · Oct 21, 2016

Ick, kept getting on my blue hippo. the other fish never got it. After 6 mos or so of this I wanted it out of my tank. so I set up a 55g QT. Removed 160lbs. of Pukani rock from the 150 DT and went fishing with the help of my brother. put the rock and coral back into the DT. Letting the DT go fallow for about 72 - 80 days. Not as bad as I thought it would be. buyer beware of the so call reef safe remedies out there. I tried them all, a waste of money.

Waterjockey · Oct 21, 2016

1st time. Manually topping up sump with line from Rodi. Forgot and went to bed. Woke up with a flooded floor and a freshwater tank. Made an ato set up that same day

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2nd time...home made what I now know is called a skimmate locker. Skimmer went nuts one night. Woke up to a flooded floor and a freshwater tank. Put cut off switches in the locker, and added a latching timed lockout and alarm to my ato logic the same day.

Can't wait to see what contigency I have failed to plan for next :/

reeefer · Oct 21, 2016

I have a mild cyano outbreak in my tank, and going on 21 days working away from home, no one to perform water changes, just someone to feed the tank and top off with Rodi! Am I nervous?! Hell ya I'm nervous! Hopefully it doesn't completely take over the tank while I'm away! I was thinking maybe turning off the lights for 24 hrs every 2-3days