The Tank of Death
- Thread starter BraveHeart
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goby
Premium Member
Bryan,
I did not mean to suggest that your house was a dungeon!! quite the contrary, it has a reef, how could it be
There are several people that post bot here and at AL that have had this problem with their reefs. Some of them even have their tanks in the living room. It seems that some houses are just built very "tightly". The lack of oxygen in the air that you breath is not going to kill you, and things will be fine for you forever, it's the tank, however, that suffers. I am not saying that this is your problem, just something to check into. Anyways, the bubbles in your skimmer, etc, are just air bubbles. this is not to say that they are super saturated with oxygen. The only way to ensure that would be to use an oxygen bottle and to dose it straight into the tank. Besides, it is a quick and easy test that might end up being your answer...
Just trying to help!
g
o
b
y
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The quest ( and the questions) continues...
www.iag.net/~vigg
I did not mean to suggest that your house was a dungeon!! quite the contrary, it has a reef, how could it be
There are several people that post bot here and at AL that have had this problem with their reefs. Some of them even have their tanks in the living room. It seems that some houses are just built very "tightly". The lack of oxygen in the air that you breath is not going to kill you, and things will be fine for you forever, it's the tank, however, that suffers. I am not saying that this is your problem, just something to check into. Anyways, the bubbles in your skimmer, etc, are just air bubbles. this is not to say that they are super saturated with oxygen. The only way to ensure that would be to use an oxygen bottle and to dose it straight into the tank. Besides, it is a quick and easy test that might end up being your answer...Just trying to help!
g
o
b
y
------------------
The quest ( and the questions) continues...
www.iag.net/~vigg
geez, there's a thought. What a bummer--tear down a tank and find a penny stash in one corner.
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Larry M
See my tanks at Northern Reef
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Larry M
See my tanks at Northern Reef
BraveHeart
New member
goby,
I performed your pH experiment during the lunch hour today. The results were:
pH Inside : 7.98
pH aerated outside : 7.98
pH aerated inside : 8.00
Staceon & Larry,
You're right. It would be tragically ironic to find that a 1 cent mistake ended up causing several hundred dollars worth of damage and many months of wasted effort. My LFS actually proposed the "penny theory" some time back. Short of tearing the tank completely down and sifting the sand bed (which I'll probably end up doing anyway) I don't know of any way to determine whether this could be the root of my problems.
In reality, I doubt that I will ever know what caused this failure.
Bryan
I performed your pH experiment during the lunch hour today. The results were:
pH Inside : 7.98
pH aerated outside : 7.98
pH aerated inside : 8.00
Staceon & Larry,
You're right. It would be tragically ironic to find that a 1 cent mistake ended up causing several hundred dollars worth of damage and many months of wasted effort. My LFS actually proposed the "penny theory" some time back. Short of tearing the tank completely down and sifting the sand bed (which I'll probably end up doing anyway) I don't know of any way to determine whether this could be the root of my problems.
In reality, I doubt that I will ever know what caused this failure.
Bryan
I think to qualify as a dungeon, it must be damp and contain women in chains.
I think you'll wind up tearing it down and starting over. If I were faced with your situation, I would do one of these things:
1. Tear down and start completely over. Problem is, I don't know if there is something in the tank material (acrylic/glass) that is harboring poison. I saw a description about super-cleaning the tank; I would just buy another if I couldn't eliminate the impregnated poison possibility. I'm not saying that's what you should do, I'm saying that's one of the things I'd think of doing.
2. Give it a little more time, but while living through this probationary period, I'd start a completely separate, new 20g tank. Go through all the setup and satisfy myself that it is only the 75 that is sick. Gain a little experience and confidence.
3. Throw in the towel completely. This solution bugs me though because I'd never know what went wrong or how successful I could have been.
My two cents.
I think you'll wind up tearing it down and starting over. If I were faced with your situation, I would do one of these things:
1. Tear down and start completely over. Problem is, I don't know if there is something in the tank material (acrylic/glass) that is harboring poison. I saw a description about super-cleaning the tank; I would just buy another if I couldn't eliminate the impregnated poison possibility. I'm not saying that's what you should do, I'm saying that's one of the things I'd think of doing.
2. Give it a little more time, but while living through this probationary period, I'd start a completely separate, new 20g tank. Go through all the setup and satisfy myself that it is only the 75 that is sick. Gain a little experience and confidence.
3. Throw in the towel completely. This solution bugs me though because I'd never know what went wrong or how successful I could have been.
My two cents.
ClearWater
New member
If only patience was required then Braveheart you more than qualify.
Are you sure the carbon you are using is phosphate free? Please double check.
Good luck.
Are you sure the carbon you are using is phosphate free? Please double check.
Good luck.
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