That's it. I'm done

Bent said:
Aw thanks!

It's about 4 hours from Pitt. Probably a little far.
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Your even further fromt he Philly area but like others I am all for paying it forward. I have a few plumbing pieces and other odds and ends left over from my recent build. If you need anything and I have it sitting around I will ship it out to you.

USPS flat rate boxes are cheap and while in a different vain it meant a lot to me when friends helped out after I wrecked my race bike with parts and labor to get me running again. So let me know if you need anything.
 
toothybugs said:
I vote Option 1. You had a 55, right? Get a 75. Better footprint, same equipment.

You've been around long enough that you might get a few of us to toss you a few bucks via Paypal or something to help out with the loss. I figure it's a pay-it-forward deal; I have about 6 guys willing to put together frag packs for me after they heard I lost nearly all my SPS stocks in my tank transfer. Pitch me your Paypal info and I'll send you something to help you get on your feet again.
Click to expand...

Happy to contribute too.
 
Bent said:
Aw thanks!

It's about 4 hours from Pitt. Probably a little far.
Click to expand...

a bit, but if you're going to be in the area hit me up. offer stands.

the whole situation is a rotten bit of luck. hopefully it works out though.
 
Hey Bent - I have some extra live rock. It's been sitting in saltwater in a large plastic bin, with a couple of power heads and a heater for about a year. I'm SW of Philly/close to Delaware. I don't remember how much it weighs - probably 40-50 lbs. Would you have a need for some live rock?

I also have 3 bags of new, unwashed sand/crushed coral. I can post of a pic of it, if you are interested. My wife would love me to get rid of the sand.
 
Aww bent, I'm so sorry!
I know your system has been giving you a little trouble lately, maybe the upside is you can take what you've learned and make a better tank. I'm upgrading right now and doing a lot of stuff differently, like things that weren't worth fixing but I'm glad to not deal with anymore. Not that that will dry your floors :(

I don't believe for a second you'll quit ;) but if you want a little nudge, I vote #1. I'd prolly chuck the sand and run bb for a little while to make it easier to vac out detritus that all the commotion will produce, then add rinsed dry sand after everything settles down. I think maybe you have a wrasse? You can put some old sand in a deepish Tupperware for his bed and to help seed the tank.

Nice to see the locals pitching in too!
 
I am very sorry to hear that! These situations always take a lot out of us. I have a spare 18" T5 (may need new bulbs) if you have lighting issue. I do have a stand for a 45 gallon but I am probably too far (savannah, ga). Keep your head up and I agree with the others, you like this hobby too much!

Oh and a 36" panaroma ecoxotic led strip, underpowered but should work for starting.
 
Sorry to hear. Back in 2001 I felt about the same way when we returned from vacation only to have the smell of rotten egg hit us upon opening the door. Ca went through the so called brown outs but in reality it was caused by corporate greed and market manipulation. Anyway, lost power back to back to back and then some and we lost our 100 gallon tank. At first it was the same thing, just air out the house then take it all to the dump in the morning. My daughter said don't, helped remove dead coral and fish, make some quick water using tap, and left it on auto pilot for a few weeks. Amazingly, rock was still alive more or less as was the deep sand bed. Quick water change and cleaned the rocks, checked water, then added a pair of clowns to call it home.

We left it that way for over a year and watched some basic coral, mostly zoas, reappear while the rocks and sand bed continued to thrive. I ended up taking down the tank and moved the sand and rocks into two 29 gallon biocubes. Tanks thrived still, no issues, and about a year ago I consolidated those two tanks into a single 40 breeder. Same rock, same sand. Ironically, I'm now planning a 240 or so gallon tall tank in which I'll move the rock and sand again :) So while I did lose a tank I still have the rock and sand dating back to 2001 or earlier after my daughter said no, and helped.

If the budget works out to do a minor upgrade, then do it. Otherwise, you can always keep what you have and downsize for a bit while you prepare for the next tank. Accidents and mistakes happen, we live. We learn. We adapt.

Again, sorry for the loss but sounds like you are on your way to a pretty solid recovery. Best of luck.
 
Sorry to hear. This is my worst nightmare. The damage would be devastating for me.

Good luck in the rebound. I suggest to get some leak detectors and Apex unit.
 
Go for a 100 gallon, either long or deep. It's a size that can satisfy just about everything you want to do or will want to do. I have a 105 of that sort: tall, bowfront, just stack up the rock and populate it with coral, and it's compact enough one good LED covers it.

I say this, a little soggy myself, having had the hose come off the skimmer, and a real fountain ensuing.
 
Where are you located at? I might have some extra stuff laying around or can lend a hand if you are close. You said about 4 hours from Pittsburgh, what direction?

Corey
 
Sorry to hear about your misfortune, but glad to hear you are bouncing back. My daughter's 10 gallon freshwater tank recently decided it didn't want to hold water anymore. I can only imagine the mess a larger tank would make. Hope the new tank works out great for you.

-Ivan
 
Yes you guys are great. Thanks so much.

I don't think I need anything. I moved the rocks down to the sump so they are still wet. I think I'm going to re-use the sand. Can I spray it out a little at a time with a garden hose? I don't think I'm going to add any more, if I use the small amount I have it may not collect detritus as much. There may be bare spots showing, but meh, who cares right?

I found someone who's giving me a 75g tank and stand and it's not tempered. So I'm going to buy one of those ghost overflows from eBay and install that.

Two questions:

1: should I put something on the bottom to maybe prevent this from happening again? Does everyone else set their rocks directly on the bottom glas?. It just dawned on me that the bottom of that 55g I was using was not tempered glass. Since it cracked the way it did. So I must have had the worlds first temper free 55g aquarium.

2: I want to make a return that's better plumbed. Something other than just a single 3/4" lock line sticking out. Anyone have maybe the best way to design the return?
 
For the bottom of the tank you could use something like starboard, or you could do like I do and use eggcrate (light diffuser) and then sand over that. Some might say it will trap nutrients but I've been fine with ~1-2" of sand. Put the rocks on top of whatever you lay down and if they fall then it will at least spread the force out to prevent a crack/break in the future.
 
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