Why did your tank crash?

[saltbubbles]

I've read a lot of threads over the past months about tank crashes.
If you tank crashed, tell us what happened? I know you may not want to relive the moment but remember that we might learn something from your experience. Also, let us know what you did to fix the problem.

 

[falos]

<p style="text-align:left">it has ben a wile for me i have had 2 crashes in the past first on was putting a neozeo system on one tank and going to fast it shocked all my sps and they stn on me
second time i found 150 pennies in the tank my girl friend was using the sump as a wishing well and that hole tank was toast because of it by the time i found them there was no copper left on them

 

[KrisDeitz]

Mine was a bad driver.

 

[falos]

PFCDeitz;798254 wrote: Mine was a bad driver.

did you wife run the car through the wall??

 

[picoreefguy]

im recovering from a crash right now i upgraded my sump and i used to wrong silicone to install the baffels and the chemicals from it made my sps all start bleaching and some died. i took the sump out and put a temp one in its place i ripped out the old silicone and replaced it with the right kind. as far as fixing the tank i iid one huge water change and am just letting nature take its course and things heal

 

[ripped tide]

My tank was about to crash.... I just noticed the co2 is on it's last leg... A day or two with out stability would send all my sps down the toilet.

 

[thanh386]

Pump broke, tank over heated. SPS turned into the witch from Wizard of Oz ans melted in water

 

[phishfoodie]

It's scary how much can go wrong. I haven't had the pleasure yet, but I'm sure it will be my turn soon enough.

 

[acroholic]

The reef hobby is heavily dependent on electronic everything. If an electric gizmo goes bad or the power goes out, we can be up the creek. One of the risks of this hobby.

There are certain things we can do to minimize risk of equipment failure, but you never know what can happen. One of the Cardinal Rules in this hobby I have learned is "Buy cheap, buy twice." I have mostly top tier equipment on my reef tanks, not because I like spending lots of money, but I have found it is more dependable, has better customer support behind it, and it lasts longer than cheaper versions. It is actually cheaper in the long run because you don't have to replace it. Tunze stuff lasts for years. I have Vortech pumps that have been working fine for three years now. Pan World pumps last for years.

Another thing to have on hand is a small portable gas generator. You can buy cheapo ones for $100-$125. I've had one for about 3 years now, and whenever I have needed it, it has been there. Good insurance. I've also recently bought Vortech Battery backups for each of my tanks. these are good for temporary power outages, which in my area of Sandy Springs happens much more often than anything long term.

Maintaining water circulation in a reef is probably more important than about anything else in a power outage, except perhaps temperature.

 

[rdnelson]

Adding to what Dave said, if you can't get your hands on a generator you can get a cheap inverter from Radio Shack that plugs into a car lighter or power port. We had a 4+ hour outage a month or so ago. I was able to run an extension cord to the car and get the power heads running. Not a lot of flow but enough. Didn't lose anything. One of these days though, I will buy a generator.

 

[picoreefguy]

thats a great idea rich i never would have thought of that and my tank is 2 feet from a window that i can pull my car pretty close to so it looks like ill be getting an inverter for my car lol

 

[acroholic]

rdnelson99;798323 wrote: Adding to what Dave said, if you can't get your hands on a generator you can get a cheap inverter from Radio Shack that plugs into a car lighter or power port. We had a 4+ hour outage a month or so ago. I was able to run an extension cord to the car and get the power heads running. Not a lot of flow but enough. Didn't lose anything. One of these days though, I will buy a generator.

Another thing, which I failed to mention, as I was thinking more in terms of large reef tanks, would be a couple of battery operated air pumps, especially for smaller systems. there are some purpose built aquarium models that come on if they sense a power interruption, and there are cheapo $6 bait pumps that run for 24 hours of a D cell battery you can get a Wally World. These would do great for a smaller tank or a nano.

 

[rdnelson]

Acroholic;798352 wrote: Another thing, which I failed to mention, as I was thinking more in terms of large reef tanks, would be a couple of battery operated air pumps, especially for smaller systems. there are some purpose built aquarium models that come on if they sense a power interruption, and there are cheapo $6 bait pumps that run for 24 hours of a D cell battery you can get a Wally World. These would do great for a smaller tank or a nano.

That is another item on my list. While my tank is not small (125 gal 6') just getting a little water movement and rippling the surface was a big help for me. A cheapo inverter like I had (bought to run a laptop on long trips) will not power much at all but it is better than nothing. I have also been wanting to pick up a couple small UPS. I ran two dedicated circuits to my tank and have things split on them. I could keep all pumps on one and put a UPS on that but if you are going to do it you might as well do it right. LOL

 

[realfish]

Acroholic;798302 wrote: The reef hobby is heavily dependent on electronic everything. If an electric gizmo goes bad or the power goes out, we can be up the creek. One of the risks of this hobby.

There are certain things we can do to minimize risk of equipment failure, but you never know what can happen. One of the Cardinal Rules in this hobby I have learned is "Buy cheap, buy twice." I have mostly top tier equipment on my reef tanks, not because I like spending lots of money, but I have found it is more dependable, has better customer support behind it, and it lasts longer than cheaper versions. It is actually cheaper in the long run because you don't have to replace it. Tunze stuff lasts for years. I have Vortech pumps that have been working fine for three years now. Pan World pumps last for years.

Another thing to have on hand is a small portable gas generator. You can buy cheapo ones for $100-$125. I've had one for about 3 years now, and whenever I have needed it, it has been there. Good insurance. I've also recently bought Vortech Battery backups for each of my tanks. these are good for temporary power outages, which in my area of Sandy Springs happens much more often than anything long term.

Maintaining water circulation in a reef is probably more important than about anything else in a power outage, except perhaps temperature.

I think the Vortech battery backups are key. I have two pumps and two batteries.

I run LEDs, so I don't need a chiller. I also have four A/Cs at my home, so if one of those goes, the tank is covered by three of them. Main pump, skimmer, refugium, lights, heaters can all be changed out in a reasonable amount of time. I do have a nice generator for a long-term power outage.

 

[djatl]

When I first started up my tank, I was traveling a few days each week, and I found I had a GFI in the circuit that was overly sensitive. I came home to a slightly cold tank a few times, though no major losses since I hadn't added anything yet. Now that I have more at stake, I've invested in a few things to boost my confidence.

- Apex Controller with a wireless bridge so I can get text alerts if something goes haywire
- Battery backup for Apex, Wireless Bridge, and Tunze powerhead (all 12v battery backups)
- UPS backup for cable modem and wireless router so Apex stays connected to internet

The controller should also prevent a heater failure from cooking the tank, and I have a backup heater as well. I still have some gaps, but it helps to know that I have some safeguards in place. It's like insurance, and I hope I never have to use them.

 

[scruggs1]

falos;798238 wrote: <p style="text-align:left">second time i found 150 pennies in the tank my girl friend was using the sump as a wishing well and that hole tank was toast because of it by the time i found them there was no copper left on them

That almost sounds like and 'on purpose' instead of an accident...wow!

My last tank crashed because I bought a new heater and put it in my sump...in the chamber that lost volume as evaporation occurred. It was fine with my previous heater, but I didn't realize that the new one took temperature readings at the very top of the heater. As the water level dropped to evaporation, the heater stayed on because instead of reading the water temp, it was now reading the ambient room temp which was about 76. The heater stayed on constantly...within a 36 hour period, it killed everything in my tank save 2 LPS frags and a couple discosomas. I took everything down, sold it off, and got out completely for 7 years after that...real bummer.

 

[snowmansnow]

Tornadoes ripped through n Alabama.... I was without power 5 days. That'll do it.

B

 

[falos]

Acroholic;798302 wrote: The reef hobby is heavily dependent on electronic everything. If an electric gizmo goes bad or the power goes out, we can be up the creek. One of the risks of this hobby.

There are certain things we can do to minimize risk of equipment failure, but you never know what can happen. One of the Cardinal Rules in this hobby I have learned is "Buy cheap, buy twice." I have mostly top tier equipment on my reef tanks, not because I like spending lots of money, but I have found it is more dependable, has better customer support behind it, and it lasts longer than cheaper versions. It is actually cheaper in the long run because you don't have to replace it. Tunze stuff lasts for years. I have Vortech pumps that have been working fine for three years now. Pan World pumps last for years.

Another thing to have on hand is a small portable gas generator. You can buy cheapo ones for $100-$125. I've had one for about 3 years now, and whenever I have needed it, it has been there. Good insurance. I've also recently bought Vortech Battery backups for each of my tanks. these are good for temporary power outages, which in my area of Sandy Springs happens much more often than anything long term.

Maintaining water circulation in a reef is probably more important than about anything else in a power outage, except perhaps temperature.

<p style="text-align:left">dave did you ever find out what caused your 300 to crash last year
was it from the sulfur denitrater?

 

[acroholic]

falos;798477 wrote: <p style="text-align:left">dave did you ever find out what caused your 300 to crash last year
was it from the sulfur denitrater?

That's my best guess, but just a guess. Couldn't find anything else to blame.

 

[thanh386]

falos;798238 wrote: <p style="text-align:left">it has ben a wile for me i have had 2 crashes in the past first on was putting a neozeo system on one tank and going to fast it shocked all my sps and they stn on me
second time i found 150 pennies in the tank my girl friend was using the sump as a wishing well and that hole tank was toast because of it by the time i found them there was no copper left on them

... Are you guys still together?