Burnt microwaved popcorn fumes, KILLING my tank!

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

With a spike so high, can I assume that there is nothing alive? Except the one blue hermit crab I saw.


I wouldn't assume everything is dead. Anything that would make it through live rock cycling might still be OK.

 

[rickburdeniuk]

I had the exact same experience with the smoking/burt bag of popcorn; it turned in to a charred cake about 2" high in my 2 year old microwave under normal cooking conditions.

It took over a week to get the smell out. Interestingly enough - it happened about the same time frame as your incident, perhaps they had a bad "batch". I'll be reporting to the local authorities (here in Ontario, Canada).

Thankfully I didn't have an aquarium setup in the building at the time (just curing live rock).

 

[judy j]

Thanks Rick, people need to know it can and dose happen.
I now have a hot air popcorn maker. And I'm more careful about what I put in my microwave and my body.
UP DATE: 7 zoo colonies, 3 Ricordias (shrunken, but alive), 3 mushrooms, 3 hermit crabs, 1 green emerald crab, 1 snail, 2 star polyps, 1 button. 1 clove polyp.
When my sister called me on day 3, she knew I was in unbelief and ready to give up. She came over right away and took control and we started the process of starting over. Thank God for my sister! She also has a 55 gal. and there was no way sheââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d let me give up.
The tank was started over with 90 Lbs of sand. All new water. The LR was added, with the survivors. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m so thankful for having Fin and Feather only 25 miles away. And Brent is walking me through the restart process. Saturday I got 2 fish. This time they wonââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t be aggressive. No damsels. 1 Royal grammar 1 6 line wrasse . Test are still fine today. O). I want to get 1 or 2 more fish soon than go for the live sand. Also my sister insisted that I take back a few of the things that I gave her. Pulsating Xenia, Kenya Tree. More mushrooms. Small piece of a aqua color candy cane that I lost. And a frag of a gloxinia. And a yellow sea fan.
So Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m off to a new start. Trying not to look back. Only looking forward. And things are looking good.
Judy

 

[Jon Lazar]

Sorry to hear about your catastrophe, and good luck with your "new" tank.

 

[fijireef]

Did you have any sea cucumbers in there?

 

[judy j]

No sea cucumbers. Why?