everyone will love this story

Joined
Feb 24, 2005
Messages
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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
 
What a terrible experience, just what all of us fear - glad you were able to save everyone and everything!

I believe Oceanic tanks are guaranteed for 5 years - maybe you can get a replacement.

Nancy
 
Wow!!! Every aquarists worse nightmare! Nice quick thinking! My worst flood was forgetting I was filling my daughtors 20 high in her bedroom...same deal....why do I hear water flowing???Then that terror filled realization....Glad you were able to save all!

Carol
 
i know i was just lucky i wasnt in a deep deep deep sleep yet or i would have been standing in and inch of water when i woke up also just think if kashmir was still in there... can you imagine an angry octo that had a home that was draining like a bathtub.
 
Wow is right! I am sorry to have found myself laughing out loud at your description... picturing you at 2:30 in the morning transporting your tank contents paints quite a picture. Nice job saving it!
 
I had to laugh too, only because I remembered the time my 120 gallon cold water tank burst a seam. I was running around filling coolers with animals and water. Midnight is not a good time to be drenched in 65 degree water... Why do tanks always fail late at night?

Good thing you had enough buckets and another tank!!! I just set up a new tank and I think I don't have enough buckets for an emergency... I need to get some supplies...
 
Glad you could save everyone. Your description was great, ever thought of going into descriptive writing!

I don't have tanks at home but our 5000L tank in the reception area of the Marine Studies Centre sprung a leak just after it was installed............fortunately during the day!!!! We had about 2000L of seawater on the carpet.........not good, twas the day the boss was due to head off to Canada and we had VIP's due at the end of that week.................sigh...............we hired about every dehumidifier in the city to dry the place out, then got the carpets cleaned and our VIP's got to see a lovely empty tank!!!! Such is the joy of fish keeping I guess!

J
 
Well, what a series of disasters!!! My only comparable story would be the 125 that popped a seam (once again, in the night...odd ) while I and the girl I was seeing were under it. (don't ask)
Very exciting stuff.

Glad it turned out o.k. for you...
 
cthulhu77 said:
My only comparable story would be the 125 that popped a seam (once again, in the night...odd ) while I and the girl I was seeing were under it. (don't ask)
Very exciting stuff.

Greg--

I believe you have the best aquarium story.

Ever.
 
DHyslop said:
I wish I didn't have a sump!

even kinkier! The lady actually thought that the small leopard sharks we had were very sexy, and well, you know how it goes. Thank god there wasn't a trickle filter or a skimmer to contend with on top of everything else!
 

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