My son nuked my tank

[qwiksilver711]

I have had a tank for around 1.5 years... and i think my 19 month old son did something the other day to it. I came into the living room and he had his hands in the tank and was playing around, so i took him away from it, and thought it would be ok. The next day everything, and i mean everything is dead. I also have some algae that appears to be growing on the bottom... if I wanted to just start over (with the tank higher up from little hands) What would be the best way to go about cleaning the tank out and such. can you use soap and water? or should I just use hot water?

 

I am planning on starting over 100%, as if it were a new tank. I would rather do this, re cycle and all that, than try to put more things in here that may just die.

 

EDIT: more appropriate title

[qwiksilver711]

Also, would I need, to seed it with more live sand and rock? or if i took a small amount out and kept it in some good water before I cleaned everything, then put it back in with the clean material, would that be enough to start the cycle?

[krug1313]

If everythings dead just restart with fresh sand and live rock. Since you don't know what your little one put in there it could be stuck in the live rock. Also you can sterilize your tank with bleach and water. 70% water 30% bleach. Make sure to rinse a few times. Also any Equiptment can be soaked in it and rinsed.

[Gatotsu77]

Shoot dude... that sucks. Definitely don't want to use soap... I'd boil the liverock and rinse the tank out half a dozen times. I'm not sure it'd be worth saving any of the rock... depending on what made its way into the tank, there may be residual contaminant that could damage any future livestock.

 

 

To supplement what Kadri_Nation said, make sure you rinse w/ water that is heavily saturated (we're talking 3-5x the suggested dose) in dechlor, to ensure you get rid of all the bleach. I personally don't use bleach, but that's because I'm allergic to chlorine.

[d9hp]

Boil the rock. Soak everything in vinegar. Then spray with bleach and let it sit in the sun for a few hours. Rinse it 4-5 times. Start over.

 

Sorry to hear man.

[qwiksilver711]

Do I need to seed it with live sand and such from the local pet store, or can one pull a complete cycle off with fresh sand and rock? (I'm asking because I have both of those on hand, and the nearest pet store is an hour away, on icy roads)

[_reefermadness_]

If everythings dead just restart with fresh sand and live rock. Since you don't know what your little one put in there it could be stuck in the live rock. Also you can sterilize your tank with bleach and water. 70% water 30% bleach. Make sure to rinse a few times. Also any Equiptment can be soaked in it and rinsed.

 

 

 

I am so sorry to hear that, it is so horrible when we invest so much time, passion, and money into something and it all just comes crashing down like that.

 

No amount of rinsing would make me feel safe enough to use bleach as a cleaning agent on a salt water tank - even if it is empty. I clean everything with water and vinegar because it is safer, and it really cuts through all the algae. Again, you will still need to rinse well, but if a spot is missed I would not be nearly as terrified as if I were using bleach.

 

With regards to new rock and sand, I would say it is essential. You never know, your son could have put something in there that would cause a permanent phosphate issue, which would linger in the rock and sand.

 

I find that kids and people like to touch all the stuff in the tank. Every person that enters my house wants to hold my starfish or help me feed the anemone. The first thing everyone hears before they set foot in my house is that they can touch, but they must go to the bathroom and wash their hands with soap, and then I keep a pail of RO/DI water for them to rinse – everything is supervised as well. It may be wise to do the same for your children and they will learn as they get older, hands in the tank means they need to be clean and someone needs to be there.

 

 

Do I need to seed it with live sand and such from the local pet store, or can one pull a complete cycle off with fresh sand and rock? (I'm asking because I have both of those on hand, and the nearest pet store is an hour away, on icy roads)

 

 

I would see if the cycle takes on its own before I would seed. Give it a week or so and if you don't see any change in the parameters I would talk to you lfs about seeding.

[qwiksilver711]

Thanks for the tips guys, I wont have time until monday to do this, but i will use the vinager and water to clean it all, and try to cycle without seed... I'm crossing my fingers on this one, and also installing baby proof latches on the lid.

[19jeffro83]

I clean my filter socks with bleach and let it sit a few days. As long as you give a few days the bleach will evaporate. It's fine to use if you use it correctly.

[Nanobuds]

nooo quiksilver that sucks im sorry

[qwiksilver711]

what kind of vinegar to use? apple cider?

[augustus007]

Sorry about your tank too. You have no idea went in the tank? That sucks. I have a 7 year ould daughter who I think is past that curiosity stage. But my wife cleans our house and I keep on telling here to stop using those harsh chemicals. I smell them as soon as I walk in. God I hope she never ruins my tank. Sorry man. Yea, I would start over since you do not know what went in there. Could have been a penny(copper) maybe, who knows. Anyways, I would get new LR and LS only because you want all that good stuff that comes with the rock.Oh yea, bleach tank and then use viniger and rinse , rinse rinse!

[qwiksilver711]

I'm planning on new sand, i have some extra from when i started the tank, and as far as the rock is concerned, i'm planning on going with about half as much as i had before, and the pieces that i want to use are in the tank, and they are some beautiful pieces, so i'm gonna clean clean clean them. I think if i can get it to cycle on its own, i'll get some live sand once the roads clear up a bit, not quite willing to risk my life for my tank in its current state

[BLoCkCliMbeR]

i played with the idea of child locks on my tanks, but honestly. id probably just put a real lock on it, and keep everyone out. even kids can figure out child locks. and if it can still open enough for them to shove stuff in they will....

 

ive read many threads where kids have "dosed" tanks with everything from baby powder to bubble bath...

 

just a hazard of being in the hobby and having kids.

 

sorry for your loss, good luck

[will46r]

Sorry about your tank man, my nephew nuked my FW tanks with bleach trying to help out.

[Llamaguy]

Was it a can of tuna? That's what I put in when I was little. :P

[qwiksilver711]

i'm fairly certain it was either the lotion on his hands, or a penny

[_reefermadness_]

nooo quiksilver that sucks im sorry

 

 

I just use white vinegar.

[Greenstar]

hahaha, that sucks

[qwiksilver711]

Its not really a haha... More like several hundred dollars down the drain when I can't afford it

[_reefermadness_]

hahaha, that sucks

 

Kinda rude to laugh at other people's low points. There are tons of fish and corals that died not to mention the money and time put into the work of having a salt water aquarium.

[scottsdale454ss]

i'd like to have more information, not that i know anything just curious. How big is your tank???? What did you have in the tank that died? coral, fish and inverts? did you test the water? was the temperature correct? i wouldn't jump to the conclusion that you need to boil the rocks and scrub the tank. If you can figure out what happened maybe you just need a major water change and some carbon.

[ChrisCT]

Good luck on the restart qwiksilver. keep us posted on the progress.

[Shyla8]

Well chalk is fine in a tank, so it wasn't that, I know from experience with my nephew. And playdoh. But instead of nuking my tank he just busted the darn thing and spilled it on the floor. I was able to switch the tank over to a 50 though and saved it all. Stinks after all that I lost my tank in my move to NC.

However it happens, it sucks to lose a whole tank, I totally feel your pain!

[qwiksilver711]

i'd like to have more information, not that i know anything just curious. How big is your tank???? What did you have in the tank that died? coral, fish and inverts? did you test the water? was the temperature correct? i wouldn't jump to the conclusion that you need to boil the rocks and scrub the tank. If you can figure out what happened maybe you just need a major water change and some carbon.

I dug through the mess he made of my gravel and found three pennies. A finger leather, mushroom rock, zoa rock, firefish, clown goby, skunk shrimp, and my cleaner crew were included in the casualties. It was a 14 gallon biocube scottsdale