Your Reef Crash Story

HeadleesSon

New member
Please share with others if you have had a reef crash and what caused it and if there is a lesson we beginners can learn from it.

My crash: I added some coral to the sump and realized I did not have a good place to add alk. I was in a hurry and added it to the display, but did not drip it. I figured just a small splash into the heavy water flow and things should be fine. Everything got burned. Over the next week the tank slowly died.

Lesson: always use a drip for alk. Even a small splash is too much. Also, I will not put coral in my sump anymore.
 
Crash 1:

Tank on a single outlet (friend babysitting), Rio 800 pump melted, tripped breaker, friend was on vacation so without circulation it all died

Crash 2:

Mexican turbo snails didn't survive acclimation, soiled the water, killed a clam which domino effected...


3 lessons:
Dont buy Rio pumps (not sure you still can)
ALWAYS use multiple circuits with a recirculating pump on each
super slow acclimate snails and preferably QT them.
 
Crash 1: Tank move

Reused transport water because not enough fresh saltwater was made. Rushed away to work on something else while most of the SPS melted away.

Crash 2: Tank move

See above :facepalm:

Lessons Learned:

Don't rush things, take your time and do things right.
ALWAYS keep SW on hand
Have an RODI unit that can produce water quickly
NEVER, EVER, EVER reuse transport water when moving a tank. Seriously, don't do it!

Have a game plan for a variety of scenarios, and make sure your family, friends, etc. know where to find information/protocols if they cannot get a hold of you. Ultimately, preventative costs are invaluable when it comes to protecting the organisms we keep in our tanks, especially after all of the hard work, dedication, and passion we literally pour into this hobby.
 
Metal Man, Thanks, you just made me think of something. I have a used 250 gal, that will not fit into the new house. I think maybe I should set it up in the garage with premixed salt water and a small circulating pump, just in case of emergency.
 
How big is your tank? I doubt you would need that much SW on hand.
Good sized RO and SW reservoirs (depending on tank size) in combination with a quality RODI unit will be your best option, at least IME.

For example, my first tank move, I was only using a 5g RODI reservoir. Having a 125... such a low volume did not cut the cheese. To compound on the issue, my RODI unit performance was degraded from neglectful maintenance schedules prior to the move. I was not prepared in the slightest.

Of all the things to skimp on, water production is not one of them. I learned that the hard way.
 
Live in California. Late June, early July. Vacation. AC set to auto @ 78 degrees.

Year was 2006. Enron...need I go on?

Random brown outs while on vacation. Tripped breaker. AC never made it back on. House too hot, more evaporation than I counted for, sump ran dry, burn pump, and the train reaction kept on rolling. 100 gallon soft tank with a rather large frog spawn and elegance coral.

Refilled with water after I cleaned it all up. Oddly enough the sand bed made it through ok. Rock recovered. Even some zoa's came back. Never got much back into it after that so tore it down and move the rock and sand into a couple 29 gallon bio cubes that later feed a 40 breeder that I use today.

I should have had someone come by to check at least once a day but I didn't. Family, even extended, was with us on vacation (family reunion). Could have also maybe serviced the AC unit to make sure it was solid before I left in hind sight. Or doubled up on top off. Then again, I don't think anything would have helped after talking to my neighbor and what we know today about the whole Ca and Enron deal.
 
I will end up running about 750 gallons total, so 250 is 1/3 the volume. I do not know why I would ever need an emergency 33% water change, but having the option may be very desirable, if I ever think the tanks are crashing.
 
Haha, yea that changes things. Another big thing I just thought of is to not over react. Keep a level head and know how and where to find the right information in the time of a crisis. A network of local hobbyists is a good place to start, and of course, RC is an excellent source of information.
 
I had a crash related to equipment failure. In short, a pump locked up and either electrocuted the tank or leaked heavy metal. Cascading effect followed as a tried to recover for several weeks!

Lesson learned: Test new equipment for some period of time before putting it in your tank. If something is going to fail, chances are it will fail after heavy use or just after it is turned on the first time.
 
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