BAHHH stupid mistake again.

Bent

Bent

I got nothin'
Good lord.

Last sunday during water change I must have forgot to switch my ATO back on.

So when I went downstairs today my sump was way low and my SG was up to about 1.029.

No big deal, just top the sump off, right?

I should have known better. I should have lowered it back down slowly. Why do I do stupid crap like this?

Everything looks ok except my sinularia. It's shriveled like a raisin.

I guess I'll find out what happens to everything in the next week or so.

Someone slap me.
 
That's strike 2 for the ATO I believe. Ditch that thing. .029 to .026 shouldn't be too hard on the tank. Down is always easier than up. You should be fine I would think. But seriously, ditch the ATO.
 
On my new tank is the first time I've used my ato ( it sat in the box for about 9 months beforehand), and I honestly love the thing. I used to have to top off my 40b with sump daily. I'll never go back, but during a water change, flipping it back on is important. When I was in the army , one of my bradley drivers would always forget to turn off the master power when we got out of it for the day, and the next day despite it having 8 12v batt's would be dead, and need a jump. (army style jumper cables are heavy and a PITA). Needless to say I taped an index card in his drivers hatch with a message that said " Turn off master power". Sometimes the simplest of reminders can help. Present day, I keep a dry erase board next to my tank. That's where I record my measurements, notes, etc. It may seem silly but the day you don't have it will be the one you needed it to remind you of something.
 
I'm not sure if you use an APEX controller, but I have one of the feed modes set up for 2 hours. It switches off my ATO, skimmer, return pump, and everything else I need shut off for a water change. That way even if I forget to cancel the feed mode when I'm done, it will automatically switch everything back on after 2 hours.

Hope everything makes it! I don't think you will have any issues.

Whiskey
 
Lucky Lefty said:
That's strike 2 for the ATO I believe. Ditch that thing. .029 to .026 shouldn't be too hard on the tank. Down is always easier than up. You should be fine I would think. But seriously, ditch the ATO.
Click to expand...


This was actually my fault, not equipment malfunction. Reefer malfunction. :lolspin:

A reminder would be a good idea. I wonder if there is an alarm that exists that would sound after a certain amount of time without power?

So if I left it off for an extended period (like 4 hours or something) it would alarm or text me or something.
 
Opposite of what I did lol. I plugged my ato pump into a regular outlet last week. Luckily, only 5 gallons went in before I heard the pump running dry.
 
Hey, at least it didn't run dry and blow your return pump, right?
I've got my stuff on these ikea plug splitter + switch deals, it makes it easier if each job has one switch to flip so there one for killing the flow to target coral, one for waterchanges cause I like to turn off my heaters so they aren't running dry too, etc etc.
no system is perfect tho. I bet you never do it again :)
 
I guess we all make mistakes that cause us grief but we have to keep on going. I can't count the times I let my reservoir overflow and run 50 to 100 gals of water on the floor. But I am watching it more closely now, I hope...
 
Bent said:
This was actually my fault, not equipment malfunction. Reefer malfunction. :lolspin:

A reminder would be a good idea. I wonder if there is an alarm that exists that would sound after a certain amount of time without power?

So if I left it off for an extended period (like 4 hours or something) it would alarm or text me or something.
Click to expand...

You need to leave that stuff alone :lolspin:
 
I've done the opposite. Left the ATO on while I do a water change. Except mine runs through a DIY kalkwasser reactor.
I think a whiteboard next to the sump is an excellent idea.
Daniel. :frog:
 
You know an Apex could have prevented that and at the very least let you know you had a sump level issue along with a salinity issue long before it ever got that far out of hand. I have a couple failsafes programmed into my Apex to prevent that very issue. That said, fortunately for you, fish can handle a fairly rapid drop in sality. If you dropped from 1.029 to 1.026, your fish should be fine but some corals may not be very happy. They should however rebound.
 
I'll gladly slap you. LOL...

This hobby is a never ending experience and learning curve. I have a my tank fully integrated into my house with plumbing all of the way out to my sewer, APEX, ATO, float valves, check valves, etc, and still manage to occasionally figure out how to flood water all over my wood foors...
 
CedzAquAddictio said:
I'll gladly slap you. LOL...

This hobby is a never ending experience and learning curve. I have a my tank fully integrated into my house with plumbing all of the way out to my sewer, APEX, ATO, float valves, check valves, etc, and still manage to occasionally figure out how to flood water all over my wood foors...
Click to expand...

LOL.. I have all that stuff and never need to mess with my tank. It takes care of itself and is healthier than ever. The tank never has to be touched. Just add food and clean viewing panes once a week. Mix up water once every eight days or so, change socks once a week. I spend maybe 20 to 30 minutes a month working on it.

If there is or was ever an issue, my Apex let me know it. Float swithces, sensors like the leak detection and probes (pH, Temp, ORP and Salinity) can be a very important and integral part of your failsafes. If I can remember when I am back at my office, I will have to upload the pdf copy of the power point presentation I did during the Apex usergroup at MACNA. It was on the subject of different Apex failsafes and their practical use. That said, I have good sized sumps, don't use check valves and really couldn't flood my system if tried. Not because of my sump size but because I couldn't put more than an 3/4" of water in my sump before or remove more than 1/4" before Apex would shut my ATO pump and solenoid, Mixing Pump, skimmer pump and water changer off and send me a notificaton. There is no flooding my system. I do however flood my mixing tank out when transferring water from time to time but that's in a shed outside and it's never more than a few gallons that spills before the leak sensor in the shed shuts the mix pump off.
 
Last edited:
Bent said:
Good lord.

Last sunday during water change I must have forgot to switch my ATO back on.

So when I went downstairs today my sump was way low and my SG was up to about 1.029.

No big deal, just top the sump off, right?

I should have known better. I should have lowered it back down slowly. Why do I do stupid crap like this?

Everything looks ok except my sinularia. It's shriveled like a raisin.

I guess I'll find out what happens to everything in the next week or so.

Someone slap me.
Click to expand...

King of the idiots here. You have no idea what unimaginably stupid things I have done with my tanks. I had similar experience with my 75 last year. Except, instead of topping off sump with what I thought was gallon jug of RO/DI water, I dumped in gallon jug of vinegar I was using to clean pumps etc. Fish were literally cartwheeling about the tank, and I thought I had a complete wipeout on my hands.

I did gradual 100% water change over course of 24 hours and gradually raised pH with pH booster (first and last time I hope I ever use the stuff). All the fish survived. Only real damage was to encrusting green monty, which a year later is starting to come back

So hang in there. It's probably not gonna be as bad as you think. Bet you even the sinularia come back stronger than ever.

Mike
 
So far everyone seems ok.....

May have dodged another bullet.

Once again, you cats are the voice of reason.
 
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