InAtTheDeepEnd Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 I'm so sorry. I had this with my 4 gal a few months back. Had to give everything still alive to lfs - it was gutwrenching! At lights on everything was fine, went out and came back to it having totally crashed. Ammonia literally went up to 0.5ppm in about two hours 😞 and I never did work out why but I'd done a lot of syphoning behind the rocks like 36hr previously. 1 Quote Link to comment
spectra Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 Sorry to hear and well at times we all need a break I guess. I have been in and out of the hobby a few times……keep saying let’s grab a small tank…..and then never happens right now. It is nice to not have to worry about water changes and tank work right now. Good luck on the decision and hope all is well. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 UGH! Still can't believe my clowns are gone! Was really a job breaking everything down and getting it all out of the house. The stink was unbelievable. Still not sure what I'm going to do. Might try to sell it. Hubby wants it set back up, but hubby doesn't do much in the way of help. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what to do with all of the live rock? I hesitate to reuse them as they are for fear that they may be holding onto whatever crashed the tank. 1 3 Quote Link to comment
InAtTheDeepEnd Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 14 hours ago, Pjanssen said: UGH! Still can't believe my clowns are gone! Was really a job breaking everything down and getting it all out of the house. The stink was unbelievable. Still not sure what I'm going to do. Might try to sell it. Hubby wants it set back up, but hubby doesn't do much in the way of help. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what to do with all of the live rock? I hesitate to reuse them as they are for fear that they may be holding onto whatever crashed the tank. I'd blast it under tap water then dry it out completely and let it sit dry for a bit before recycling from scratch if you do set back up 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 It might be too late for me to add a suggestion; however, mature rock is a relatively valuable resource. So if you plan on setting up another tank, I'd be tempted to leave the rock curing in some saltwater (could be in any container). Activated carbon could potentially adsorb any toxins. Then, you could get a test fish (or some other livestock) sometime down the road. It would be nice to know what caused the crash. Who knows, maybe it was hydrogen sulfide that got released from disturbing the substrate. Mature tanks don't usually crash like this on their own. I feel bad for you. It might be nice to take a break for awhile (while maybe even planning a future replacement). Sometimes it's nice to be able to start with a clean slate. And knowing what you like and what works best for you, setup something new (maybe someday). 4 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 Trying to save the sole survivors of the crash- The Torch and a Toadstool. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Murphs_Reef Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Penny that is gutting mate.. I'm glad you reached out on Instagram, as I don't come back here as often anymore. We are here to help you out in whatever path you take.. Your an amazing Reefer and I would hate to see you leave the hobby / community (even short term) . We all know it's a frustrating hobby at the best of times. But this is a total shame... Don't give up lady... ❤️ Your the best 😘 Chris 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment
SeaFurn Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Hi - I'm so so sorry to hear this. I read you had an RFA loss that you thought might be part of the problem - releasing toxins and such. I had a big RFA melt while I was on vacation for a week (in a 10g) and while it did cause a spike in the params it didn't nuke the tank Just passing this along. It sucks - hope you persevere when you're ready. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 1 minute ago, SeaFurn said: Hi - I'm so so sorry to hear this. I read you had an RFA loss that you thought might be part of the problem - releasing toxins and such. I had a big RFA melt while I was on vacation for a week (in a 10g) and while it did cause a spike in the params it didn't nuke the tank Just passing this along. It sucks - hope you persevere when you're ready. Yea, I never really thought it was the RFA, just throwing out ideas. I actually think it was a casualty of the crash 3 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 Thought I posted this already, but I don’t see it. I’m thinking maybe this Anaerobic “Life” Now, I haven’t seen this written about in a long time (probably because no one writes about deep sand beds these days), but older literature warns about a risk of “old tank syndrome” or the leaching of toxic chemicals from the anaerobic layer. And this is one of the biggest fears aquarists have about going over the standard layer of sand in their tanks. If they set up a deep sand bed, they’ll end up toxic gasses, such as hydrogen sulfide, pooling in pockets that will eventually escape to the water and kill all of the fish. Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 Life Torch is still dying, but Toadstool is looking ok-ish 7 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 3 hours ago, Pjanssen said: Life Torch is still dying, but Toadstool is looking ok-ish It'll bounce back. When I crashed tank(s) back in the day, my toadstools used to stay sulky for weeks, then they'll open up back again - a bit at a time. Once the tank(s) restabilize, they'll bounce back fully. Sorry to hear about the crash though. 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 Uhm... This? Innovative Marine ext 200 peninsula Or? Innovative Marine 120 SR 4 1 Quote Link to comment
InAtTheDeepEnd Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 The 200. Purely because it's bigger 🤣 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Elizabeth94 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 This hobby can be quite the rollercoaster of emotions. Sorry you had to go through a crash 😞 but id have to say- that peninsula would be amazing if you have a good spot for it. More water volume is always a bonus too. 3 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 19 hours ago, Elizabeth94 said: This hobby can be quite the rollercoaster of emotions. Sorry you had to go through a crash 😞 but id have to say- that peninsula would be amazing if you have a good spot for it. More water volume is always a bonus too. I have the space, but do I have the budget? Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 On 1/3/2024 at 8:06 PM, Pjanssen said: UGH! Still can't believe my clowns are gone! Was really a job breaking everything down and getting it all out of the house. The stink was unbelievable. Still not sure what I'm going to do. Might try to sell it. Hubby wants it set back up, but hubby doesn't do much in the way of help. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what to do with all of the live rock? I hesitate to reuse them as they are for fear that they may be holding onto whatever crashed the tank. I am heartbroken for you! Can you put the rock in a brute can with a small power head and just circulate while you recover emotionally? Then if you want to set up a tank on down the road, put a few pieces in a 10 gallon and test with some junk coral. If the coral do ok, try some crabs and grass shrimp, then maybe fish after that. 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 1 hour ago, vlangel said: I am heartbroken for you! Can you put the rock in a brute can with a small power head and just circulate while you recover emotionally? Then if you want to set up a tank on down the road, put a few pieces in a 10 gallon and test with some junk coral. If the coral do ok, try some crabs and grass shrimp, then maybe fish after that. The rocks have been sitting in a trash can with some water, not circulating, since the incident. I haven't had the time to remove all of the dead corals. I'm sure it's nothing but a cesspool right now, and I'm not looking forward to going out and taking the cover off of the can. This happened at the worst time, as January is my busiest work month. I'm hoping to see what I can salvage on Monday, as I only have half a days work that day (12 hours is half, right?). 1 1 Quote Link to comment
InAtTheDeepEnd Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 aw i'm so sorry. if i wasn't in a different country i'd offer to come help and give some moral support. I think people misjudge how attached you can get to our little pet pieces of ocean. I miss my rasta zoanthids 😞 1 Quote Link to comment
kimberbee Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 2 hours ago, Pjanssen said: I have the space, but do I have the budget? #YOLO!! 1 Quote Link to comment
debbeach13 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Which one will be the easiest to provide the lighting you need for the coral/livestock you want? Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Down to one head on the torch. toad did some shedding today. Don’t know if that good or bad Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Added some rock and More Fluval bio boost. Maybe that’ll help keep the ammonia from staying high. cut all but one head of torch away. It was very smelly so that’s probably what was keeping the ammonia up anyway. im officially out of salt, so no more water daily/bi-daily water changes unless I can find time to get to lfs. I suppose I could usu IO from petco, or order online Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 I feel like I’m putting a lot of time energy and money now into a coral that I could have bought for about $15-$20. If the last torch head pull through I’ll feel a little better about it 1 Quote Link to comment
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