What killed your reef?

Here’s the best picture I have right now.

Should still terrify you.
BB9E9675-2867-44A9-93A0-ADB1693713DB.jpeg


It goes to the left about about 9 inches, but it’s not nearly as tall. It’s maybe 1/4-1/2 inch about the wood trim the rest of the way down.
 
I got complacent in my testing my old 120g because I did the same maintenance/water change routine from month to month and everything checked out every time I tested for a solid 5 years. Well, it ended up biting me in the behind in year 6. I lost all of my Acros and then the 2016 flood killed everything including destroying my house. We got around 5' of water and my house was gutted from floor to ceiling. Everything was tossed to the curb except for my tanks...
 
Tried killing flatworms with chemicals. Most died (but not all). Toxins released by flatworms killed corals and fish. Total disaster!
 
Putting a small piece of uncured cement rock in the tank thinking it would maintain alkalinity and calcium. All the fish looked burned from high ph.
 
Another time put all my fish in a 10 gallon to bring to the lfs (i was shutting down the tank).

I thought they would get cold without a heater, so i threw in the 150 watt. Set it to 80 f. Turns out the heater shut off at 80f but as it the element cooled the residual heat in the heater raised the temperature to 100f. As i slept the fish cooked. A 10 watt heater would have worked. :(
 
Power outages, and ignorance! :D
 
Third time was not user fault but a salifert alkalinity test kit was way off.

That was in like 2006. After that they started supplying alkalinity referance samples in the box after i made a big stink about it. But not anymore.

Thus 1.135 grams of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in 1 gallon of distiled water or ro/di = 10 dkh. Test your kits :)
 
My crash was from changing what had been working for me for years and dropping nutrients too fast followed by a dosing mishap that spiked alk. Should have left well enough alone.
 
10 days without power, due to Hurricane Rita. Plus mandatory evacuation and no way to get back home for a week after the storm. Only minimal damage to the house, but the tanks turned to goo. Not pretty.
 
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Ammonia spike ticked off some of my soft corals - they released toxins and killed all my fish - corals were not affected and snails recovered after running carbon
 
Took a few hits: one from flatworms, and a second from not checking and using a filter floss with mold/mildew/fireproofing additives. Stupid error on my end. But, recoup has been going well and back to being happy with the way things are going now.
 
Ammonia spike ****** off some of my soft corals - they released toxins and killed all my fish - corals were not affected and snails recovered after running carbon

Did ammonia test high?
 
Was turning the pump to my chiller on and off only when tank needed cooling so I could reduce additional heat load to the tank. Water in piping and chiller turned septic and would dose the tank with just enough ammonia to kill a few things at random times. Happened for 6 months until I noticed the smell one day when I lifted the outlet hose in the sump as the chiller came on. I was chasing ghosts the whole time never realizing what was going on.
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
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