180 build from scratch!
- Thread starter michika
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michika
red headed step child
So the move is about half done, and I am so thankful I will not be moving again. At most we will be moving across the room.
I left on Friday for a charity Roller Derby game in Red Deer and came back yesterday around noon. On Friday Kevin told me that my powderblue didn't make it. I am not going to try to keep this type of fish again unless it is coming from another established home.
Yesterday at noon we started dismantling the tank and transporting it from our condo to our new house. We put all the fish, clams, and corals into the sump, and they have spent the evening there. Today, around noonish, we'll be moving everyone back into the 180g. The logistics of this move were quite the pain. We transported water to the house and put it into garbage cans and the sump. I really hope this works.
The SPS will have been without MH or T5 lighting for about 24 hours, and I do expect some brownout. I'm just antsy to get everything back up and running. The gigas clam is still looking the same. I was really worried when I pulled it out of the 180g at the condo that it would smell like dying flesh. It didn't, and it still looks exactly the same.
The basement is a bit of a disaster. We just kept placing all the fish related equipment on the floor, and its overrun the room. I have some photos to share, but I need to find the proper cord for the camera first.
I left on Friday for a charity Roller Derby game in Red Deer and came back yesterday around noon. On Friday Kevin told me that my powderblue didn't make it. I am not going to try to keep this type of fish again unless it is coming from another established home.
Yesterday at noon we started dismantling the tank and transporting it from our condo to our new house. We put all the fish, clams, and corals into the sump, and they have spent the evening there. Today, around noonish, we'll be moving everyone back into the 180g. The logistics of this move were quite the pain. We transported water to the house and put it into garbage cans and the sump. I really hope this works.
The SPS will have been without MH or T5 lighting for about 24 hours, and I do expect some brownout. I'm just antsy to get everything back up and running. The gigas clam is still looking the same. I was really worried when I pulled it out of the 180g at the condo that it would smell like dying flesh. It didn't, and it still looks exactly the same.
The basement is a bit of a disaster. We just kept placing all the fish related equipment on the floor, and its overrun the room. I have some photos to share, but I need to find the proper cord for the camera first.
michika
red headed step child
Today I really hate this hobby.
On Tuesdays I make a round trip to Edmonton. I left at 2:30pm and everything looked fine. The fish are still in a holding tank at this point. I arrived back at about 12:30am and went downstairs to check on the fish. The water was 65! Two of the heaters in that tank crapped out at the same time. A third heater was tossed in and as of this morning at 6am it was back up to 72.
I saw most of the fish this morning swimming around. I think the clams had a spawning event as well because the water is cloudy this morning. I am really hoping that is all it is. I was really wanting to stay home to deal with it, but my job is on the line, these are the last few days on my current project and they will decide if I go elsewhere, or stay in my current position.
I have come to the point where I almost want to toss in the towel. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping two heaters in the tank. I was always worried that one would be stuck on and it would bake my system. Clearly switching to two heaters is not the best of options either. Looks like I will be going to 3 heaters now.
On Tuesdays I make a round trip to Edmonton. I left at 2:30pm and everything looked fine. The fish are still in a holding tank at this point. I arrived back at about 12:30am and went downstairs to check on the fish. The water was 65! Two of the heaters in that tank crapped out at the same time. A third heater was tossed in and as of this morning at 6am it was back up to 72.
I saw most of the fish this morning swimming around. I think the clams had a spawning event as well because the water is cloudy this morning. I am really hoping that is all it is. I was really wanting to stay home to deal with it, but my job is on the line, these are the last few days on my current project and they will decide if I go elsewhere, or stay in my current position.
I have come to the point where I almost want to toss in the towel. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping two heaters in the tank. I was always worried that one would be stuck on and it would bake my system. Clearly switching to two heaters is not the best of options either. Looks like I will be going to 3 heaters now.
michika
red headed step child
I wish I could say so. Both were run through a powerbar, along with a couple of poweheads. Everything was also on battery back up on top of it.
This is the first time a heater has failed in the off position for me. I've had a couple fail in the on position before. The 180g is now going to run on 3 heaters. I think the large system will have to run on something similar.
This is the first time a heater has failed in the off position for me. I've had a couple fail in the on position before. The 180g is now going to run on 3 heaters. I think the large system will have to run on something similar.
melev
Well-known member
That's a surprising turn of events. It sounds like you've done everything you were supposed to though. Mr. Murphy is always watching. My tank has two heaters but in the winter I do have to add a third one to allow the primaries to cycle off. Otherwise they run non-stop (it seems) which isn't very cost effective.
michika
red headed step child
I forgot you used 1K lamps. So the acrylic retains heat better? If you had to guess how much better? We are debating going with all T5s for lighting, depending on how Sanjay's tests come out, and some of our own.
Alright so everything is back in the 180g, there have been 3 casualties. They were the pocci colony, the neon green one (
), and a frag from Snappy/Coral Master. All the fish made it, and I attribute it to the temp going down, not up.
The fish also seem to have lost some of their mass, so I am kind of pleased I overfeed, because everyone is looking quite a bit skinnier now.
There has been, what I can guess, is browning out of the SPS. It was expected, and I am now taking steps to slowly acclimate everything back to my usual lighting regimen.
Two clams don't look super fantastic, one being the gigas. The gigas however did not smell at
all when I pulled it out of the holding tank. I am now in a better position to get better photos.
The second clam that doesn't look so great is placed a bit funny. It used to be placed straight up, and now its at more of an angle. I will fix it tomorrow morning and see if that helps things out.
So overall it was very stressful, especially the part with the heaters. We figured out that one of the heaters just stopped working, failed in the off position. The second one failed with the light on, but the heating element not working at all.
Alright so everything is back in the 180g, there have been 3 casualties. They were the pocci colony, the neon green one (
), and a frag from Snappy/Coral Master. All the fish made it, and I attribute it to the temp going down, not up.The fish also seem to have lost some of their mass, so I am kind of pleased I overfeed, because everyone is looking quite a bit skinnier now.
There has been, what I can guess, is browning out of the SPS. It was expected, and I am now taking steps to slowly acclimate everything back to my usual lighting regimen.
Two clams don't look super fantastic, one being the gigas. The gigas however did not smell at
all when I pulled it out of the holding tank. I am now in a better position to get better photos.
The second clam that doesn't look so great is placed a bit funny. It used to be placed straight up, and now its at more of an angle. I will fix it tomorrow morning and see if that helps things out.
So overall it was very stressful, especially the part with the heaters. We figured out that one of the heaters just stopped working, failed in the off position. The second one failed with the light on, but the heating element not working at all.
michika
red headed step child
Well this morning there is some more death; the acro with the cream body, and blue/purple tips has bit it, or so says Kevin.
We are just now trying to ride it out as best we can. We've been doing the usuals; WCs, running carbon, etc. Kevin has jury rigged the skimmer for today and tomorrow. We are having it run super wet to get things going. I am also going to pick up a couple more pieces of live rock and put them in the display.
My last tank stopped being able to sustain SPS and clams and I was able to "cure" the problem by adding in more LR. The educated guess is that something happened in our move last November to kill off part of our biological system. Since I fear this happening again, I am going to add some more rock, and if it works great, if not, I need more rock anyways.
I'll also be fattening up the fish again, just in case. I'll go back to feeding 1/4 of a sheet per day rather then the usual 1/8. I'll also have fresh food for them this weekend.
Anything else I can be doing that I missed?
We are just now trying to ride it out as best we can. We've been doing the usuals; WCs, running carbon, etc. Kevin has jury rigged the skimmer for today and tomorrow. We are having it run super wet to get things going. I am also going to pick up a couple more pieces of live rock and put them in the display.
My last tank stopped being able to sustain SPS and clams and I was able to "cure" the problem by adding in more LR. The educated guess is that something happened in our move last November to kill off part of our biological system. Since I fear this happening again, I am going to add some more rock, and if it works great, if not, I need more rock anyways.
I'll also be fattening up the fish again, just in case. I'll go back to feeding 1/4 of a sheet per day rather then the usual 1/8. I'll also have fresh food for them this weekend.
Anything else I can be doing that I missed?
maroun.c
New member
Sorry for your troubles.
guess your still lucky the heaters jammed on teh OFF position not ON. I still think having multiple heaters is a safer bet and guess it's better to have them just a bit underrated so if one is stuck at the On position it will not affect the tank that much.
What type of lighting do you have on your holding tank?
guess your still lucky the heaters jammed on teh OFF position not ON. I still think having multiple heaters is a safer bet and guess it's better to have them just a bit underrated so if one is stuck at the On position it will not affect the tank that much.
What type of lighting do you have on your holding tank?
michika
red headed step child
This tank is a total write-off, most everything is dead or dying. Fish, clams, SPS, everything. I now need to decide what to do here. This is the third time I will have gone though a total loss, and I can't handle this.
Kevin and I are going to sit down and make some choices.
Kevin and I are going to sit down and make some choices.
maroun.c
New member
Oups verry sorry to hear about this. Still I doubt the temperrature drop caused all this. did you run all the tests? I would su[ect you have a spike of something or are you sure nothing leached in the tank.... you mentioned that all your stuff is in a holding tank are you sure it wasn't treated with anything.
michika
red headed step child
The holding tank is our new sump, the one we made from scratch. Nothing in it before this aside from FW for the leak test.
We've been testing, but so far nothing has popped up out of the ordinary. The nitrates were elevated to .19 on Wednesday in the holding tank, but that probably didn't do it.
We've been testing, but so far nothing has popped up out of the ordinary. The nitrates were elevated to .19 on Wednesday in the holding tank, but that probably didn't do it.
Cprowler
Premium Member
That really sucks! I've had a few near crashes with limited losses and can only imagine what you are going through. I wish there was something I could do to help.
Let some time pass before making any decisions right now, you know all the CanReefers will help you out with frags and if you get out this way all the West Coasters will too.
Keep your head up.
Let some time pass before making any decisions right now, you know all the CanReefers will help you out with frags and if you get out this way all the West Coasters will too.
Keep your head up.
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