Holy Smokes! Quick Help!

[Reggae Fish]

I just came home and I had what looked like brown algae in my tank but I've never had any before except a little months ago...Everything was looking good and I am preparing for a water change so I look in my stand to turn on the lights and I'm missing a light!

Small Power Compact light that runs off of 4 AA batteries!
It fell in my sump! I got is out and sure enough, was dripping the same colored "brown algae"

Obviously, this can't be good! What should I do besides water changes? I'm running carbon? Everything appears to look ok...Anything I should look for?

 

[Markk96]

what did the Algae look like? How long has the tank been up?

 

[Reggae Fish]

it's not algae, it was the rust and whatever else was in the 4 batteries...I pulled it out and it was just dripping the color that was around the tank...

 

[Markk96]

hmmm that does not sound good. Run Carbon and do a water change if you can.

 

[Chelsey]

Carbon, Chemipure, and WATER CHANGES!

 

[Reggae Fish]

Ok, just finished with about a 22% water change (that is all I had enough for)

I'm already running chemipure...

Anyone know really what is in batteries???

How big of a water change should I do tomm?

 

[Sk8r]

Acid is in batteries. Check all parameters, ph. Don't panic. I know---easy for me to say---. And get some polypad. It's resin-coated fiber pads that yank various metals and pollutants out of the water.

 

[Letmegrow]

Polyfilter - Those will pull out al kinds of heavy metals.

 

[Reggae Fish]

I'm guessing I can wait till tomm.?

 

[Mykayel]

I'd be surprised if there isn't some copper in those batteries... weather or not it leached into your tank ins another story.

 

[Reggae Fish]

My test kit for phosphates is all gone. Should I be running phosguard or is that non related?

 

[Dert42]

i would enter panic mood and do everything i could...
but thats me and i tend to overreact. then i smash stuff...

 

[Letmegrow]

Dert maaaad.... Dert SMASH !!!!

The Incredible Dert.

 

[Reggae Fish]

Well basically I did what I thought was appropriate, plus what others advised that I hadn't done...Thing is though, it's out of my hands for the most part so won't help me to worry...Fish all looked well this morning...Lights aren't on yet so verdict is still out on the corals so I'm hoping for the best...Will do more water changes, etc...All my parameters seem to be fine so I'm hoping for the best...Maybe if something bad happens you can smash something of yours for me. :lol:

 

[Dert42]

exactly!

 

[mjpelikan]

LOL!!

 

[ol'saltybastage]

jeez newbie's.. tell them to raise their alk and they throw some batterys in the tank.. j/k

 

[Reggae Fish]

:lol: just for that Josh, you owe me a beer this weekend! :lol:

 

[Dert42]

battery + reef tank = the corals just keep going and going and going...

 

[Claeth]

Remember,

Dilution is the Solution to the Pollution.