Tank Crash!!!!

J

jabo

New member
Well it has been a sad day around here. I did a wter change late last night. Before I did a 400 watt titanium heater shorted out in my RO rubbermaid. I figured what can a little electricity do to water? SO being out if salt and having moved to the middle of B.F.E. i did the change. This morning I woke up to a not so pretty tank! Still being without salt and waiting on RO water to make this is a helpless feeling. Thanks Richard for the advice earlier.

The fish are fine, all parameters are in line, salinity is perfect, NO IDEA WHAT CAUSED THIS. My guess is copper maybe? Can copper (from the wiring)dissolve that fast. The reason i suspect copper is that almost all inverts are gone. My shrimp, snails, and tons of bristle stars. I did notice a large bristle star still around but he is out in the open which is very odd. A nice size sand siffting snail is still around but most all of the other are not making it.

Ideas,suggestions, even prayers welcomed!!! here are a few pics...



BEFORE

Aquarium10-22-092008.jpg



TODAY

crash005.jpg


crash003.jpg


crash002.jpg
 
Ouch! That's gotta hurt. Not sure, but it could be copper, assuming that electric current was still flowing through the broken heater (that is, you didn't blow a fuse). It's not that the copper dissolved... it was forced into solution by the electric current. It's kinda like the opposite of copper plating, where there are copper ions in solution and negative electric current attracts the ions to a surface that you want to coat with copper. But in your case positive current passing through copper wire might have forced copper ions into solution.
 
There was absolutely current in the water. Thank god i didnt touch it. When i noticed my temp was still real low I picked the heater up by the cord and all i got was cord. There was a few crackles and sparks coming from the cord when I lifted it out of the water. Thanks for the info.
 
WOW, man that sucks. I still have the frags you gave me the other week so if you need them after things clear up they are here. When you told me the other night your heater shorted I thought you meant it shorted out like mine did the other day. I didn't realize you meant it exploded.
 
something i've always had since the day I stuck my hand in the sump and thought my arm fell off, is a grounding probe. Would it have saved the tank? Who knows. As for the coral, I would say that the zoas and pallys might come back. their pretty tough. If you can manage it, do at least a 50% water change. FILL your media reactor (or whatever your using for ACTIVE Filtration) with good, reliable carbon. get a "poly pad" and add it to a bubble trap baffle. The poly pad is NOT just some polyfill material, its an actual filter for removing some of the medications, including Cu.chttp://www.marinedepot.com/Poly_Filter_Filter_Pad_Mechanical_Filter_Media-Poly_Bio_Marine-PB1111-FIFMMEPM-vi.html
theres a little more info on it.
Give the 50% water change a day to let your fried corals foul it up, then do another 50% change. If you can, try to get a small hose and syphon slime and goop off the corals before it gets worse. let that water syphoned off be a part of the first water change.
Above all else, try not to get too down about it. Most everyone that's been in this hobby long enough has a horror story to tell about a mishap or a full tank Chernobyl. Try to look at this as a reason to try something different, change your aquascaping, go bare bottom, go all acro, etc.
 
Thanks for the kind words and encouragment... I was thinking about trying something different like setting my tank up out back and seeing if I can pick off polyps with my 22 caliber rifle....LOL... It will be ok.

I am thinking a new heater controller, maybe a reef keeper 2, definetly a new heater, etc are in my near future!!! LFS here i come!!

I need to quit buying corals and invest in hardware but if these new zoas(blue hornets) i just bought dont make it i might just go nuts!!
 
+1 on the grounding probe. I have one in mine "just in case". I stuck my hand in my tank a long time ago and got a BIG "tickle". Found out it was from an internal pump. Since then I have had a grounding probe. One of those cheap investment that hopefully you never need but you never know.
 
Barrett I moved 2.5 hours away or beleive me i would be looking for a bunch of babysitters right now.

Thanks Jim i may need them.


Someone explain this grounding probe and where I can get one? Even though this happened in my RO tub and not the actual tank I think i will get one for both just in case.
 
their usually made of an inert metal that is not effected by submersion in saltwater. Mine is titanium and i got it at Kermits years ago. its a little more expensive than some, but well worth it. basically all you do is drop the titanium probe into the sump and at the other end of a long cord is a plug. the only part of the plug that's "live" is the round prong, the grounding prong, underneath the positive and negative prongs. as long as your house is grounded, that's all you need.
 
I do hope all turns out ok .... pls do let jim and I know if there is any frag's you might be interested in to start off with agian ... I will pray to the coral gods lol .. for help to your corals that they may all live and ... not go to coral heaven lol .. sorry im just trying to enlighten things out there for you... Seriously .. just call Jim .. if you need any help at all .. Darlene ..
 
Couple things, safety-wise, come to mind. First, if it was a dead short (and a 120v cord in water counts), the circuit breaker should have tripped - you need to have someone find out why that didn't happen. Second, GFCI outlet? If not, install one. Third, too late for prayer, your alive and given what you describe, you could have been a smoldering mass of meat by the time someone found you. I can't describe how lucky you and everyone else in the house is not to have stumbled across this situation, this story could have had a much more devastating ending. As for you tank, perhaps something in the tube contaminated the water. Copper 'leaching' from the wires in that short of time, I can't see it. Perhaps your new house's water is well water and is high in something it shouldn't be? - Just a thought. Glad your ok.

On the topic of 'grounding' probes...This is just my opinion...Your inviting a problem into your tank. I am not saying under perfect electrical conditions, they are not useful, I am saying that perfect electrical conditions rarely exist...especially in newer homes. When you attach a 'ground probe', basically a metal wire into the house's 'earth ground', you are providing a direct path for 'stray' electrical current out of and *into* your tank. Thats right kids, electrical current can flow both ways if there is any difference in potential. No one knows why electrical current flows in what direction sometimes, what we do know is, like water, it will take the path of least resistance and if your tank is that path it can lead to dangerous situations. Take for example a severe storm with lots of lightning. I know, we live in the south east, so its rare, but lets just pretend its possible. A good lighting strike even near the house, much less hit the house, could travel into the home via the grounding stake (Everyone has one outside, properly installed and checked every quarter to ensure its good and tight...right????...) and through your grounding probe, which is essentially a super expressway to your tank. Doubtful it will terminate there as it must 'discharge' somwhere.

Im not shouting the sky is falling but you should know the risks vs benefit before making a decision to do something that quite frankly, may not be warranted.

Best of luck and glad your still with the living.

-PC
 
Jason, sorry to hear about the mishap, but glad you're around to tell us about it. I know you have had several offers, but if you want any of the stuff you've gotten from me, just let me know. I'm about to downgrade my tank anyway...
 
Thanks for all the offers and kind words guys!!!

Things are looking better. The paly's still look bad but tht ezoas are looking a lot better and all the high end frags made it.

I am going to do another 50% water change today and I hope all will be close to normal again.
 
You know since you live up here now, I don't mind helping if you ever need anything. I always give frags of my coral to my brother in law, also in Portageville, in case something ever happens. If you ever need anything, just let me know!
 
On the grounding probe, I have seen many arguments for and against them on RC. Some people claim they are electricians and say a grounding probe can save your life. Others say they are electricians and claim it can just be another bad problem. Both sides throw facts and figures out there claiming to be right, but there seems to be no definite answer. Using a volt meter I found a few stray volts in my tank. I removed the faulty heater and it dropped, but still left a few. I made the decision to add a grounding probe after reading all the data from both sides on RC. It dropped my volts down to 0. I think I will always have one in my sump.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

8
What am i looking at here ?
Replies
5
Views
250
griss
griss
J
Losing fish possible tank crash
Replies
18
Views
645
leebca
L
griss
Don’t Neglect Your Tank Kids
Replies
9
Views
375
griss
griss
H
Fiji 38 gallon
Replies
3
Views
94
wvned
wvned
S
Help with free tank, new to saltwater.
Replies
3
Views
357
SantaMonica
S
Back
Top