what happened?!

[Turbovr3six]

so i was away for 1 night and all nine fish in my reef tank were dead/missing/dying.... i flipped out, and instantaly did a 40 gallon watter change (125 tank), took out all the rockwork and found all the fish dead... hard as a rock... what happened?! all my water parameters have been the same for months and alll the fish were fine before i left. all the corals are looking normal. any ideas?? are my corals next?

 

[skip2142]

Did you change anything before you left??

 

[Turbovr3six]

nope... only thing different was the fan that cools off the halides wasnt shut off when the lights were shut off so the water got a little cold,,, 73 degrees

 

[Shane Hoffman]

Thats not cold enough to cause any issues....but why didnt they shut off???

Electrical problem??? Maybe get a meter and do a current check...be careful. Also immediately check your perameters..

Whether or not they have been the same for months they are not immune to change.....sounds like PH crash or low oxygen...

I need more info.....

All Parameters you can test (test now if possible)

Everything done to aquarium in last 2 to 4 weeks

Any children or someone other than you had access to tank...i.e...cleaning lady (or man)

 

[Shane Hoffman]

Also do you have anything like a cow fish or sea apple that is missing or looks dead???? If you havent tested in a while could have been an amonia spike........

 

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15369918#post15369918 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Turbovr3six
nope... only thing different was the fan that cools off the halides wasnt shut off when the lights were shut off so the water got a little cold,,, 73 degrees

Temp swing quite a bit in shallower reefs. So I doubt the water temp is the culprit.

My tank got down to 76 the other night. Stupid Hydor heater was stuck on "off" and wouldn't turn on. Then it got stuck and wouldn't shut off. Went from 76 to 84 over a period of hours.

Just ordered a new heater with digital controller, which will hopefully fix this stupid problem.

 

[Turbovr3six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15369988#post15369988 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shane Hoffman
Thats not cold enough to cause any issues....but why didnt they shut off???

Electrical problem??? Maybe get a meter and do a current check...be careful. Also immediately check your perameters..

Whether or not they have been the same for months they are not immune to change.....sounds like PH crash or low oxygen...

I need more info.....

All Parameters you can test (test now if possible)

Everything done to aquarium in last 2 to 4 weeks

Any children or someone other than you had access to tank...i.e...cleaning lady (or man)

nothing has been done to the system except a new ato and a tunze 6105 with a 7096 controler and new moon lights... as far as water parameters go its:
nitrate-20ppm
phosphate-.25
ca-420ppm
mg-1400
alk-9dkh
ph-7.9
temp-80.2
sg-1.024


any ieas?

 

[iFisch]

Sounds like something toxic died to knock out all your fish. Or something along those lines. I think maybe it shocked one or two fish, which could have possibly caused the chain reaction, but this type of accident I want no part of. My knowledge doesn't extend this far.

 

[Turbovr3six]

will this kill my corals?

 

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15371017#post15371017 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Turbovr3six
will this kill my corals?

I don't know. Wait for someone with more knowledge into tragedies like this to chime in. I cannot comment any further.

 

[crooks]

Are you sure there wasnt a power outage? Do you have any kind of back up?

 

[Turbovr3six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15371180#post15371180 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crooks
Are you sure there wasnt a power outage? Do you have any kind of back up?

yes... the only reason the fan stayed on is because my lights, fan, and 2 power heads are on 1 powerstrip so i just kick off the strip at night but since i wasnt home my girl only turned off the halides....

 

[Turbovr3six]

just to be more clear... yes im sure there was no power outtage

 

[woodiecrafts]

Is it possible that any type of aerosol could have been sprayed around the tank, or something possibly spilled into it. If you are positive that stray voltage isn't an issue, that would be my only guess, with the exception of a serious ph or oxygen issue.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15370968#post15370968 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Turbovr3six
nothing has been done to the system except a new ato and a tunze 6105 with a 7096 controler and new moon lights... as far as water parameters go its:
nitrate-20ppm
phosphate-.25
ca-420ppm
mg-1400
alk-9dkh
ph-7.9
temp-80.2
sg-1.024


any ieas?

did you test your ammonia level?

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15371597#post15371597 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
did you test your ammonia level?

this is sounding so familar to another thread where the fish died but the corals were okay. I am also suspect of a voltage leak from that heater

 

[Turbovr3six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15371597#post15371597 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
did you test your ammonia level?

yes and its 0 as well as nitrites

 

[Turbovr3six]

could i just test if the water has voltage by grounding out one lead on a voltmeter and stick the other in the water?
i dont think i have a stray voltage problem tho, but id rather be safe than sorry

 

[Turbovr3six]

could i just test if the water has voltage by grounding out one lead on a voltmeter and stick the other in the water?
i dont think i have a stray voltage problem tho, but id rather be safe than sorry

 

[Aquarist007]

You can, but if the heater died if might have malfunctioned first and zapped the fish.
I have grabbed a heater before only to end up the ground with a shock---luckily it was in my salt mixture container.
It was working fine too--no indication it was releasing current.

You can also install a ground probe in your sump which will help with stray current