Thank God you're OK. I'm sorry that you lost most of your critters.
A lot of powerstrips say that they come with a guarantee if they don't protect your stuff. I've never had to try to enforce the guarantee.
What brand of powerstrip was it? How would one go bad?
Hopefully, your homeowners insurance won't give you a hassle.
Other than the luck of the draw, do you think there is anything you could have done differently to prevent this. I think we all have powerstrips connected to our systems. It would be helpful to learn from your tragedy.
If you go to a fishless tank/sump for now, you won't have to worry much about maintaining it. I have a tank in a brightly lit room that I don't even turn the lights on for. All the critters in that tank are fine. You might want to check the SG to make sure it is still where you want it.
If you toss your rocks and stuff in a bucket or garbage can, you might not have as much die off as you think. In many parts of the word, reefs are exposed to the air for part of the day.
Due to the hassle factor, I wouldn't bother trying to keep the sand moist. If you do, don't put the sand in a container with anything else as there will be a huge die off.
In the past, I have had lots of rocks (easily 50 gallons worth) in a brute garbage can with a heater and powerhead in a naturally lit room for several days. Most critters made it and the live rock stayed "live". If you had to, you could probably go weeks like this.
When you get set up again, I can probably donate a couple of critters to the cause. I can't guarantee that they will be firesafe. Well, then again maybe my aiptasia is. Just Kidding.
Best of luck,
Roy
Back of tank
Back of tank and stand
