Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank) - split

The tank lights are out and the 28 units are all on timers so I grab a heavy duty flash light and with a bucket of salt water from the fish room we start to grab the obvious fish first. The odd thing is that the majority we can see are the smaller fish. The larger fish are nowhere to be seen which means they are probably tucked away in the canyon. So we grab every fish we can see.

In the middle of all this chaos Mr. Wilson who lives 40 minutes away managed to show up in 30 minutes immediately turned on all the lights. Seeing the tank devoid of saltwater was emotionally devastating but we couldn’t stop to take in the reality. Meanwhile Jamie spots the sohal tang in the canyon wedged under a rock crevice trying to get to water. With mixed feelings due to the fact that for the last four years he was the one fish that relentlessly attacked and bit him when he was cleaning the tank, he tried to save him but he was wedged deep and didn’t want to come out. Jamie finally got a handhold and without warning he got spiked by the spine in the tail. We then realized that we should have been wearing gloves. Jamie gets the heavy rubber vinyl glove while I scramble upstairs to get a waterproof bandage. Jamie dries off his finger (which hurts like hell and is bleeding) and we apply the bandage. Without a word Jamie’s back in the tank to get that Sohal. Getting a firm grip he starts to lift the tang out and he spears Jamie again right thought the heavy vinyl glove only this time really deep. His hand is bleeding profusely; so I get some paper towels, give them to him to stop the bleeding again and run back up three flights of stairs for the last waterproof bandage in the house.

Meanwhile, after turning on the lights Mr. Wilson is in the fish room trying to do an orderly graceful shutdown of all the dependent systems on the display tank. This isn’t a trivial or simple exercise, as this is a complex environment, architecturally speaking. We had to stop the flow of water to the tank from the skimmer, sump and refugium. But the Mangrove raceways had to be kept going and the Ro/DI top off had to be shut off without affecting all the other tanks in the fish room.

Alarms from the profilux and the multiple apex controllers had to be checked and shut down in an orderly fashion. I have to admit that all the planning we did for a disaster in the fish room paid off in that we were able to isolate the right components quickly and leave the remaining independent tanks running normally. Thank you Mr. Wilson for that.
 
Back at the display tank Jamie can’t feel his hand, which is both going, numb and hurting painfully at the same time. I suggest we head down to the emergency. He won’t hear of any of that and is back in the tank (with the glove) getting any life forms he can out of the tank.

I’m running back and forth to the fish room with buckets of fish and dumping them in the holding tanks. By now Mr. Wilson is also grabbing fish. It’s now about 2 am and we are still grabbing fish or at least trying to. Jamie and I start to towel and mop up water while Mr. Wilson continues to search for any more fish. The water is long gone leaving damp sand so hope is dwindling for any more fish. Mr. Wilson somehow spots the Moray eel and we managed to get him out and into the predator tank.

Then unbelievably we spot the two big tangs, which I thought for sure, were lost. They were also in the canyon dug deep in the available sand under the rock crevices. The large anemone that had been hosting the maroon clowns was out of the water for over two hours and looked like a big glob of transparent crazy glue. It was still anchored to the reef in the canyon entrance and I had written it off in my head but Mr. Wilson argued that it was worth breaking off the rock and putting it the holding tank in the fish room. We had a pair of maroon clownfish that had been spawning every two weeks for more than three years in that anemone so we took a chance and transferred it. Although we couldn’t save the male we did save the female and she is happily nesting in the salvaged anemone in the fish room and has taken a new mate believe it or not.

While Mr. Wilson continued to search for anything that could be saved Jamie was on his hands and knees with towels soaking up and visible water. The water spread over approx. 2000 sq. ft. of floor by the time it finished exiting the tank. The main seam that blew was over the antique chestnut reclaimed wood, which came from a building in Vermont from the time of the American Revolution. So we did everything we could to dry it as best we could to try and save it if possible. The marble tile seemed to handle the flood well but still required a phenomenal effort to dry it as best we could.

Mr. Wilson had done a great job in ensuring that the modified systems in the fish room were set up to maximize the chance of survival of the transplanted fish. I had several large fans in storage that I brought down and set up to help the drying process. We also had an industrial strength dehumidifier that we set up before we quit headed to bed around 3:30 am .

We agreed to get back at 9am to continue the cleanup as I had a tank with 1500 lbs. of live rock and coral and a ton of sand teaming with dead or dying organisms.

Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep that night. Judy was incredibly supportive and sympathetic as was Jamie and Mr. Wilson. It’s probably worth commenting how I coped with the impact of the disaster. I learned a long time ago in business that when events conspire to rob you of sleep and a sense of well being that the best thing to do is get in front of it. There will be lots of time down the road to grieve but the best use of time is to focus on what can and has to be done to recover. My state of mind as I put my head on the pillow that night was to dismantle the tank and figure out what considerable effort it was going to be to get rid of all that ‘stuff’’ and return to normal if I could even figure out what that was!
 
I honestly can’t remember if I slept at all that night. The expression living in a waking dream was probably apropos. I went down to the fish room at 7 am to see how the fish were doing after all that stress. There were a few casualties from stress and some from jumping, as the main holding tanks were only a foot high, eight feet long and four feet deep.

I was touched when the unicorn tang came over to check me out as he knows all too well that I am the source of food. I put a few flakes in the tank that seemed to please all the remaining inhabitants. A rough assessment was that we had probably saved about 10% of the fish population.

The Sohal did not make it, nor unfortunately did the dwarf Moray. Too much stress I guess. The anemones miraculously did and Mrs. Maroon Clown did but she lost her mate. The smell in the fish room was slightly fishy due to the fact that we closed the canopy over the display tank but left the main fan running that sucked air from the tank into the fish room.

Going back out to the display tank I notice right away that there was no smell whatsoever, there was no obvious sense of high humidity. There are a number of windows in the room surrounding the tank and there was no sign of any moisture on the windows whatsoever. The outside temperature was -38 C with the wind chill and there was not a hint of frost on any window. The fish room that caught all the air from the display tank exported it directly through a six-inch vent that we built for that purpose. Thank you again Mr. Wilson for that forethought.

The next morning Jamie, Andrew (Bubs) arrived at 9am to continue the clean up. I had 220 Gal of fresh RO/DI water that they used to completely wash down the entire affected area of over 2,000 sq. feet by hand. I suggested a mop and both fellows refused wanting to do it by hand because they could ‘feel’ any salt residue and get rid of it. They not only covered all 2,000 sq. ft. once but twice. In the process John from DQI (the firm that built the original 4,000 sq ft basement renovation) arrived with some additional heavy-duty fans and an offer of assistance to remove the live rock with his truck.
 
As anyone that has been in this hobby for more than a week knows, you cannot leave 2000 lbs. of exposed live rock and sand without a fairly significant consequence to air quality. It is at this point that a bunch of decisions had to be made regarding where to go from here.

Outside it was -25 C with the wind chill. Inside storage is out of the question for the live rock. I don’t know of any members of this community within a reasonable driving distance who could take a ton of live rock much less use it with short notice. Mr. Wilson knew someone in the business that was 30 minutes away that could take it. The tank was a total wreck in the sense that most of the front bottom seam (the 8’ long portion of the “L”) had given way and fractured the acrylic so that we could not possibly keep the rock or replace the water even temporarily.

I accepted John’s generous offer of help and Jamie, Andrew, Shawn and John set about removing the live rock to bins for transport (Jamie went out and bought the bins without even asking). Then Jamie gets in the tank and carefully removes the sand and cleans the tank thoroughly without being asked.

Meanwhile Mr. Wilson revisits the fish room to make sure that all the systems have readjusted to any new configurations as a result of the crash.

We had been going flat out since last night and I hadn’t really been thinking about the consequence of the actual aquarium failure. Someone asked if I had notified the insurance company. Oops, I probably should have so I called my broker who was very sympathetic as she had been following the thread from its inception four years ago so I really didn’t have to go through a long explanation plus the insurance company had sent an agent who took pictures when I established the insurance in the first place. She called the insurance company and they called me the next day.

For those not living in Toronto and the surrounding area this has been the coldest February on record. The consequence to a large metropolitan area is a proliferation of water pipes and mains failing or freezing. Chubb is one of the leading insurers of high-end buildings and private residences so when I spoke to the agent on the phone, he was having an extremely busy and rough time, due to the weather. He said he was actually relieved when he heard all I had was an aquarium leak!

That changed when he arrived the next day to do an inspection. What he saw however was a clean environment with a tank that looked mint and no visible signs of water damage. But with 25 years in the business he knew what the original disaster must have looked like. He admitted that he had never seen an aquarium rupture on a tank this size. He indicated that the Chestnut wooden floor would need to be replaced as the construction of the floor worked against remediation from flooding. There is a rubber dimpled underlay that is designed to keep water contained from minor spills. There are two layers of plywood before the top layer of solid wood. This meant that this would be an ideal environment for mold to grow because there’s no way to get air to it for evaporation without lifting the floor.
 
And now for the tank………..The insurance adjuster observed that it was obvious that the rupture happened as a result of the bottom seam of the acrylic panel giving way and two fractures occurred dealing with the distortion from water pressure. This was in his professional opinon a manufacturers defect. There was no prior warning. The panel was cleaned twice a week from the date of installation without a day missing in that entire time. As anyone who has followed this thread knows I wanted to be prepared to share this tank on any day or night without any excuses for the condition of the tank or its inhabitants. I wanted to keep this tank pristine and I did. My annual maintenance cost was $100,000 per year to have the tank cleaned and inspected three days a week and we never missed a single day of that schedule.

Apparently, the house insurance will only cover the water damage NOT the tank or the priceless contents therin. My only recourse then is to establish a dialog with the tank manufacturer in hopes to replace the tank.

I share my thoughts at this point with this community, as this kind of event is not unheard of to members of the large tank forum. Most of the impact of this is emotional. I know everyone is going to say that it is financial not emotional. Let me explain. After the cleanup I had breakfast with my closest friend who asked me what I wanted to do with the future? All of my immediate responses focused on costs to reestablish the tank. He pointed that out and asked me if cost was NOT an issue how would I feel. I hadn’t really thought about that and I realized that I would probably love to do it again only better.

Imagine starting with the accumulated knowledge and experience that we have gained in the last five years and it’s a no brainer. We would have the tank of the century. I am retired and I have learned that this hobby is a very respectable way for someone like myself to spend his time. I have felt well supported by this community in the past and would presume to keep that family together and even grow it substantially.

Again, anyone who has followed this thread knows well I have avoided any discussion whatsoever of costs associated with this build and tank. The reason was that I didn’t want the dialog in on the forum to focus on the finance rather than the accomplishments in discovering best practices in the hobby. I loved sharing the evolution and accomplishments with this community and taking pains to thank those that helped along the way. This has been a community tank that has benefited from some of the best, most passionate players in the world. Folks from Thailand, Romania, Australia, China, United States, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Russia, Brazil, Peru, Greenland, Iceland, Italy to name but a few, have either visited in person or contributed through this forum community.

I started this journey with limited knowledge and yet we (the folks in this forum) succeeded as a group in building a world-class aquatic marine environment that has been visited and admired by some of the top personalities in this industry. In fact You Tube credits views from 135 countries for a total of 850,000 visitors. Add to that over 2,250,000 views from this community and we can all take a bow.

I feel some relief in sharing this devastating experience with my RC family. I now need to go back to the tank and do some more thinking about where to go from here and perhaps let some of the pain soak in with regard to what has just happened. Stay tuned, as I will keep you all informed of what is to come.

Peter


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I am so sorry for your loss. All your time and dedication has been a inspiration to many in this community.

If you need anything please ask.

As for the intruder aspect, I am very glad you and your family are ok.
 
wow...stunned... Very sad to see all this work and effort and have this kind of loss. You were an inspiration to this hobby and best of luck in the future,,,

Sad...
 
Peter, as I read your well written and heart felt story, I could feel a knot starting to form in my stomach. I am soooo sorry to hear this news, what a disaster. As you said so well, it's far more than a financial loss, it's the entire experience, the livestock and their lives, the journey. I feel your pain and shock.

I encourage you to get back on the horse. As you said, you are now much more knowledgable and have the support of a large experienced community, including local people and online. Think about the possibilities in designing your next system. Onward and upward my friend.

You are now not only much more knowledgable but you have had the experience and enjoyment of being the curator of a complex reef system, full of intricacies that capture the imagination. Do you know of anything else that can substitute for that? I don't.

Eastern philosophy teaches us that happiness can only be achieved through our problems. That our problems are really our blessings in disguise.

Carry on Peter. Carry on.
 
An incident on this scale is akin to a death in the family. I'm sure anyone who has been with you in any way is more than a little heart-broken tonight. :sad1:

Thank you for allowing us to accompany you on your journey. Best of luck on your new journey.

Daniel. :wildone:
 
As I read your description I could feel the bottom of my stomach dropping out. I am still in shock. I guess none of us could foresee such a massive seeming tank failing so catastrophically.

On the other hand, knowing what a forward thinker and visionary you are, I am already starting to get excited about what you will choose to do to top this tank. The possibilities are seemingly endless. I can only wait with baited breath to see where your journey will take us all to next. Naturally I make myself available to you for any small contribution I may be able to make.

Dave.M
 
Peter, I am very sorry for your loss. This makes me want to re-evaluate my plan for catastrophic failure, do I have the necessary equipment and tools in place to deal with an event like this (though on a much smaller scale)? I thank you for sharing your journey and look forward to what you come up with next.
 
I can't even imagine the different emotions you must be experiencing. It's amazing how these tanks, no matter the size, become a part of us. I'm sure in the weeks to come you'll know what's next in this journey. Whatever the direction you take, what you and your fellow reefing friends have done in the advancement of bringing the ocean to life outside of the ocean is unparalleled and the memories and experiences will be with you always and with us as well since you've been so generous in sharing them. I hope one day you will benefit this community even further by teaching us all in print and authoring a book.
 
Peter, my heart goes out to you and Judy. You have just experienced one of my biggest fears and my stomach is in knots thinking about what you must have gone through. The enjoyment that we receive from our hobby can't be replicated or replaced. I hope that you find it in you to rebuild and continue to share your experience and passion with all of is.

- Dan
 
Peter; I can not begin to fathom the emotional impact that this event has caused. The depth and breadth of this epic journey you have shared with the Community at large is awe inspiring.

".....and I realized that I would probably love to do it again only better.

Imagine starting with the accumulated knowledge and experience that we have gained in the last five years and it's a no brainer. We would have the tank of the century. I am retired and I have learned that this hobby is a very respectable way for someone like myself to spend his time. I have felt well supported by this community in the past and would presume to keep that family together and even grow it substantially......"

I'll give Mr. Wilson a shout and co-ordinate with him of how I can lend a hand when your Team is ready.
 
Wow. Totally the opposite type of update I was expecting. I'm really sorry for all of your loses. I can't even begin to imagine what you are going through. One can only wish you can recover from this and hope for an epic comeback and see one of the greatest home aquariums come back to life.

Robert
 
Peter, I can't begin to imagine the heartbreak you are going through. Your tank has been an inspiration to a lot of folks including myself - I wish you well and look forward to your next build.
 
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