Help!! COR 20 Return Quit While I’m on Vacation

[globalbutterfly]

Help!! COR 20 return quit running while I’m on vacation (of course)

Critical URGENT Question: How long can my tank safely run without a return pump relying only on in-tank powerheads?

Tank: 133gal DT (5’ x 2’ x 2’)
2 WAV pumps on back wall (currently on 15%)
2 Gyre 350’s at either end
4 AI Hydra 26 HD lights

Livestock:
1 Blonde Naso Tang (med. ~7”)
1 Yellow Tang (small - med)
1 melanarus wrasse (~4”)
1 flame angel (2 ½”)
3 chromis
1 lawnmower Benny
2 Clowns
Goby - pistol shrimp
1 RBTA
Miscellaneous LPS & soft corals

Secondary Questions:
1. What is causing the problem?

2. What can/should I do to fix it remotely (or when I get back)?

Here’s what happened & what we’ve done to troubleshoot:
On vacation, got call from my nephew (16yr) that tank level looked “weird” this morning. Looked at Fusion on my phone and COR 20 return pump is showing “Volt” error and he confirmed it is NOT running.

He did a hard reset of everything by unplugging everything from the wall. COR did not come back online. The COR is plugged directly into the wall (as recommended by Neptune) and it DOES have power (the lights are on and blinking) so I don’t think it’s the power supply.

What is weird is that even though it is displaying the “VOLT” error and is NOT running, the skimmer IS running even though it is controlled by the Apex and is programmed to shut off whenever the Cor is running at 50% or less.

 

[Adam]

Help!! COR 20 return quit running while I’m on vacation (of course)

Critical URGENT Question: How long can my tank safely run without a return pump relying only on in-tank powerheads?

Tank: 133gal DT (5’ x 2’ x 2’)
2 WAV pumps on back wall (currently on 15%)
2 Gyre 350’s at either end
4 AI Hydra 26 HD lights

Livestock:
1 Blonde Naso Tang (med. ~7”)
1 Yellow Tang (small - med)
1 melanarus wrasse (~4”)
1 flame angel (2 ½”)
3 chromis
1 lawnmower Benny
2 Clowns
Goby - pistol shrimp
1 RBTA
Miscellaneous LPS & soft corals

Secondary Questions:
1. What is causing the problem?

2. What can/should I do to fix it remotely (or when I get back)?

Here’s what happened & what we’ve done to troubleshoot:
On vacation, got call from my nephew (16yr) that tank level looked “weird” this morning. Looked at Fusion on my phone and COR 20 return pump is showing “Volt” error and he confirmed it is NOT running.

He did a hard reset of everything by unplugging everything from the wall. COR did not come back online. The COR is plugged directly into the wall (as recommended by Neptune) and it DOES have power (the lights are on and blinking) so I don’t think it’s the power supply.

What is weird is that even though it is displaying the “VOLT” error and is NOT running, the skimmer IS running even though it is controlled by the Apex and is programmed to shut off whenever the Cor is running at 50% or less.

Does the COR come with a power brick? My bet is the brick or wall wort is bad. The only thing to try is making sure all the connections from the wall to the pump are tight.

The system should be able to go a couple days to indefinitely oxygen wise with the powerheads running, maybe bump them up a notch. The real problem is waste removal & temperature along with any dosing you do. The Alk will drop pretty quickly over time. If the system uses 1dkh a day then it will drop by that as well.

How much longer will you be out of town?

 

[globalbutterfly]

My nephew was able to move one of the big heaters (that has its own temp probe and controller) up from the sump (DT was already down to 73F!) so that should

He double checked salinity and then marked the waterline with a sharpie so that he can manually top it up.

Figure I’m in for a big water change on Sunday.

 

[raz0945]

Do you have a extra powerhead that he could add and point at the surface to help with oxygen or even a bubbler to add oxygen. Also add one to the sump to help with die off. Sorry for the problems!

 

[jcook54]

When this happened to me, I added an air line to the system and it was fine for a few days. If I were in your shoes, I'd ask your dear nephew to locate (buy?) a small air pump, attached it to an air stone and add it to the main tank and take care of things when you get back. The Alk drop will have an effect on the pH so if there's any way he can hand dose for just that, everything else should be fine.

 

[enderg60]

Make sure a power head is pointed at the surface for gas exchange. Keep the water moving and keep it at the right temp and you will be ok.

 

[Adam]

Don't know how old the nephew is but if he's old enough to drive he might be able to pick up a pump from a LFS to swap out with the COR. Maybe even someone close to you has a spare pump they can hook up for you. This will be the best solution.

If none of that is possible don't forget to turn off your dosers.

 

[globalbutterfly]

Don't know how old the nephew is but if he's old enough to drive he might be able to pick up a pump from a LFS to swap out with the COR. Maybe even someone close to you has a spare pump they can hook up for you. This will be the best solution.

If none of that is possible don't forget to turn off your dosers.

He doesn’t drive yet and I was just super grateful he called me at 7:50 am to tell me it looked “weird” and that he pulled one of my big Titanium’s out of the sump and put it in the display.

Think I’m ok on water movement in the main DT. Very grateful that my husband said “whatever you need” when the new Gyres came out this spring (mind you, I think he had his eye on some expensive tool for his jewelry studio.)

 

[globalbutterfly]

If none of that is possible don't forget to turn off your dosers.

Still not currently dosing. Seem to be maintaining “ok” with my DOS AWC system (which I have turned off.) Dosing is next on my “things to figure out” list.

 

[Adam]

He doesn’t drive yet and I was just super grateful he called me at 7:50 am to tell me it looked “weird” and that he pulled one of my big Titanium’s out of the sump and put it in the display.

Think I’m ok on water movement in the main DT. Very grateful that my husband said “whatever you need” when the new Gyres came out this spring (mind you, I think he had his eye on some expensive tool for his jewelry studio.)

There's a lot of members up your way. I bet someone near by has a pump they can bring over and hook up.

Other than the WAV I'm not a fan of the Neptune pumps. So many reports of failures... I have a Jebao DCP for my main pump and keep a DCT with plumbing as a spare for this very occasion. Anything deemed life support has a spare. It's also a good idea to have someone near you on stand by for emergencies when your out of town. Even two or three people.

 

[Doberman13]

If he needs to borrow an air pump for the sump I've got a few spares. I am in Duluth/Gwinnett

 

[ActiveAngel]

All great advice here! I’d like to second almost everything that was said.

My only point of difference is regarding dosing. You said a 133g display with miscellaneous LPS and soft corals? If so, it sounds like it might not be very stocked with fast growers. How much do you dose daily? If it’s just a few mL; I’d recommend just waiting it out a few days until you get home. Or at most; have your nephew test the Alk before taking manual actions. But if he starts manually dosing, that could be a risk for overdosing Alk and making it worse than before. OR... he could dose only half of what you’re usually dosing to mitigate risk. Every tank and situation is different; just something to consider.

Good luck!

 

[globalbutterfly]

Not dosing at all at the moment. Currently doing a constant 2 ½ gal per day AWC using the Neptune DOS. So far, its been keeping Alk & Ca pretty consistent. Obviously, I turned that off until all back up and running.

 

[globalbutterfly]

If he needs to borrow an air pump for the sump I've got a few spares. I am in Duluth/Gwinnett

I’m running the skimmer in the sump anyway, just to keep a bit oxygen and movement going.