So last week i am on vacation in Mexico for a week. Upon arrival into Dallas I decide to check my voice mail since my phone has been off the entire time. One of my voice mails is my fish guy saying the hose popped off my return pump emptying about 16g worth of water to inside of my stand and surrounding area. He didn't want to dig threw my house to look for a fan which I can respect so he got as much up with towels as possible. He then mixed up a new batch of salt water and topped it of. As you can guess I come home to a very stinky house and one of the stand doors now drag when I close it. I had done a search and every thing I had read pointed to saltwater not molding which would have been great, but I pulled my sump out tonight to lay down some odor control on the stand and there was mold. Does this mean I have to take down the whole tank and clean the carpet under it so it doesn't mold? I am sure others on here have dumped large amount of water on carpet or have had similar experiences. I apologize for writing a novel, but I am extremely frustrated and really don't want to tear down the tank or have my carpet and sub floor ruined.:furious:
Time for a new floor?
- Thread starter tsiklauss
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preef
New member
Sorry for your troubles. That is a nightmare. Unfortunately, I think you are going to have to pull it down and replace the carpet and pad. Your subfloor is probably fine. The fans wouldn't have helped.
My washing machine overflowed years ago. The water flowed under a wall and under my cichlid tank. I soaked it up right away with a shop vac, lifted as much carpet off the pad and pulled out the pad from behind the tank. I had fans all over the place and still molded.
I moved that tank to the basement and ripped out the carpet. After the carpet was replaced I started my SW tank in that spot. Consider this an excuse for an upgrade.
My washing machine overflowed years ago. The water flowed under a wall and under my cichlid tank. I soaked it up right away with a shop vac, lifted as much carpet off the pad and pulled out the pad from behind the tank. I had fans all over the place and still molded.
I moved that tank to the basement and ripped out the carpet. After the carpet was replaced I started my SW tank in that spot. Consider this an excuse for an upgrade.
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Alex T.
Active member
Flooring is what I do. Water doesn't always equal mold. I'm assuming that your tank is up against a wall? If so, you can always pull it off the tacking strip enough so that you can see what might be going on around the perimeter of the tank. I doubt that mold has started spreading that fast through the carpet and padding and ultimately reaching the subfloor.
If possible, I would have a local carpet installer come and cut a seam from the wall toward the middle of the room about two feet in front of the tank on each side, or at least on the side that sprung the leak. Then, stick a hairdryer under the carpet for however long it takes to dry the area. I'm assuming you have the tank on your first floor? If so, and you don't have a finished basement you could pour some diluted bleach solution under the carpet padding on the subfloor and hope for the best. Moving the tank at this point seems a little drastic.
If possible, I would have a local carpet installer come and cut a seam from the wall toward the middle of the room about two feet in front of the tank on each side, or at least on the side that sprung the leak. Then, stick a hairdryer under the carpet for however long it takes to dry the area. I'm assuming you have the tank on your first floor? If so, and you don't have a finished basement you could pour some diluted bleach solution under the carpet padding on the subfloor and hope for the best. Moving the tank at this point seems a little drastic.
Alex T.
Active member
No problem. Happy to help. This is one of the reasons I rolled a vapor adhesive to the floor under my tank and the wall behind it and then installed Durock backer board and siliconed every seam before I tiled the floor and walls.
My 150 sps tank is in my small home office and humidity alone would have destroyed the sheetrock around the tank in such a small space. I actually got into the hobby a few years ago by taking a job to tile the ceiling, walls and floors in someone's dedicated equipment fishroom. I had never seen a reeftank before that day, and the customer (a wealthy doctor) had a 12' x 3' x 3' 750 gallon reef. The humidity was causing mold to dominate every surface around his beautiful in-wall tank. After the plumber was done installing a duct for a ventilation fan, the customer hawked over me to make sure I didn't get dust in his sump or tank. Toughest grout job I ever had. Now I'm in the hobby and he's one of my best friends.
I should have ran when I had the chance...lol
My 150 sps tank is in my small home office and humidity alone would have destroyed the sheetrock around the tank in such a small space. I actually got into the hobby a few years ago by taking a job to tile the ceiling, walls and floors in someone's dedicated equipment fishroom. I had never seen a reeftank before that day, and the customer (a wealthy doctor) had a 12' x 3' x 3' 750 gallon reef. The humidity was causing mold to dominate every surface around his beautiful in-wall tank. After the plumber was done installing a duct for a ventilation fan, the customer hawked over me to make sure I didn't get dust in his sump or tank. Toughest grout job I ever had. Now I'm in the hobby and he's one of my best friends.
I should have ran when I had the chance...lol
lordofthereef
One reef to rule them all
Is your "fish guy" just a neighbor? Someone you are paying? I simply ask because going by the store and buying a $20 fan isn't too much to ask, I don't think (I assume you would have reimbursed the fellow anyway). Time for a new "fish guy" IMO lol!
I work in the restoration field. We do floods, fires, mold and so on. The mold could very easily have been avoided by drying as fast a possible. Mold cannot grow in a constantly changing environment. At least just running a fan would have slowed the chances of growth of mold.
The problem you are facing goes beyond mold though. In our standards of industry book, the s500, your water source would be considered at least a category 2 if not category 3. That has to do with bacteria, not mold. If 100% pure clean water floods an area 72 hrs later it is considered category 2, 24 hrs after that is category 3. Each category has a degree of risk. In category 2, we can save things like carpet and sub floor, but carpet pad always gets tossed. In category 3 any material that can absorb water, bascially anything but plastic, has to be removed. Thats the problem you are dealing with. Even if you dry it 100% back to dry standard, even just a couple of drops of water and you are going to be dealing with bacteria again, and back comes the odor and health risks. There are few types, but some bacterias can even become aerosolized like mold spores.
So thats the basics I guess. If u have any other questions, let me know. You might want to check your insurance, it might be covered. Then you can get paid to move your fish tank!
The problem you are facing goes beyond mold though. In our standards of industry book, the s500, your water source would be considered at least a category 2 if not category 3. That has to do with bacteria, not mold. If 100% pure clean water floods an area 72 hrs later it is considered category 2, 24 hrs after that is category 3. Each category has a degree of risk. In category 2, we can save things like carpet and sub floor, but carpet pad always gets tossed. In category 3 any material that can absorb water, bascially anything but plastic, has to be removed. Thats the problem you are dealing with. Even if you dry it 100% back to dry standard, even just a couple of drops of water and you are going to be dealing with bacteria again, and back comes the odor and health risks. There are few types, but some bacterias can even become aerosolized like mold spores.
So thats the basics I guess. If u have any other questions, let me know. You might want to check your insurance, it might be covered. Then you can get paid to move your fish tank!
I wouldnt have been able to get any thing done with a tank like that sitting in front of me! I tried to convince the girlfriend that we should just tile the living room, but she doesnt seem to think it would look good in a county style capecod :spin2:
He is an employee @ my LFS and does aquarium and pond maitence on the side. This was the first vacation I have taken since having the tank so it was my first experience with him. I agree it could have been handled differently, but the damage has been done. I will be trying some one else next time and hopfuly it goes with out issue.
Well crap! Not what I wanted to hear, but I appreciate the professional info. I will contact my insurance company and see what they say and see if it makes sense to report it with my deducatble.
