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- Feb 24, 2005
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well as you all know i had some major problems with both my reef tank and my octopus tank over christmas break. i managed to finally get things straightened out and along comes every aquarist's worst nightmare.
after already having a long horrible day yesterday i came home and went to bed around 1oo this morning... 230 i wake up to hear what sounds like my golden retriever pissing on the floor and i flip the lights on... OH BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPP!!!!! my 75 reef was spewing water out the bottom corner at about a gallon a minute! freaking out i flipped off all the surge protectors, grabbed a 2 inch hose and began speed syphoning water into the sump and into buckets... in the mean time i was grabbing corals and flopping fish out of the tank and throwing them into the buckets and transporting them into the future 125 octopus tank that is in the kitchen. every gallon had to be drained from the tank before it stopped. after about 10-15 gallons on the floor and all the towels later i got the tank out side. shifting the gravel around there was no cracked glass and i cant seem to find a busted seam. the 75 gallon oceanic is only 4 years old and has never had any problems. i dont use razor blades to clean it except just the front veiwing area occasionally and its nowhere near the silicone. im baffled and freaked out at the same time! for all you people out there with small sumps under your system this is the reason to switch it with a large one that will hold at least half the water in your system incase something goes wrong like in my case. if i didnt have a 55 under the 75 i would of had probably another 30 gallons of water on the floor. anyway 1 hour and 15 min, and a lot of yelling and cussing later i got the tank outside and completely dismantled without losing a coral or a fish (except 1 maroon clown that i cant seem to find in the 125 but i know hes in there).
anyway due to this tragedy im getting out of the reef keeping for the most part for a while. i think ill keep the lowlight corals such as leathers and mushrooms and keep them in the octo tank when the octopus gets here and ill set up a small fowler tank for the fish. unfourtuantly after so many disasters i cant afford to keep a full blown reef anymore.
anyway what can you do
after already having a long horrible day yesterday i came home and went to bed around 1oo this morning... 230 i wake up to hear what sounds like my golden retriever pissing on the floor and i flip the lights on... OH BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPP!!!!! my 75 reef was spewing water out the bottom corner at about a gallon a minute! freaking out i flipped off all the surge protectors, grabbed a 2 inch hose and began speed syphoning water into the sump and into buckets... in the mean time i was grabbing corals and flopping fish out of the tank and throwing them into the buckets and transporting them into the future 125 octopus tank that is in the kitchen. every gallon had to be drained from the tank before it stopped. after about 10-15 gallons on the floor and all the towels later i got the tank out side. shifting the gravel around there was no cracked glass and i cant seem to find a busted seam. the 75 gallon oceanic is only 4 years old and has never had any problems. i dont use razor blades to clean it except just the front veiwing area occasionally and its nowhere near the silicone. im baffled and freaked out at the same time! for all you people out there with small sumps under your system this is the reason to switch it with a large one that will hold at least half the water in your system incase something goes wrong like in my case. if i didnt have a 55 under the 75 i would of had probably another 30 gallons of water on the floor. anyway 1 hour and 15 min, and a lot of yelling and cussing later i got the tank outside and completely dismantled without losing a coral or a fish (except 1 maroon clown that i cant seem to find in the 125 but i know hes in there).
anyway due to this tragedy im getting out of the reef keeping for the most part for a while. i think ill keep the lowlight corals such as leathers and mushrooms and keep them in the octo tank when the octopus gets here and ill set up a small fowler tank for the fish. unfourtuantly after so many disasters i cant afford to keep a full blown reef anymore.
anyway what can you do
