Tank Crash. Lost all my corals :(

[OCDP]

Originally Posted by genix

is it really, though? i like the way soft corals sway in the current and i'm pretty satisfied with them. i like the colors and shapes of some SPS but the added expense and risk hardly seems worth it. it's too demoralizing to lose livestock for me to attempt SPS just for the challenge.

Who is to say you will lose all your livestock though? Even so, as reeferaddict stated, if you had a tank full of LPS or softies, and tank temps get out of control, too much light, etc... you'll still lose all your corals. So really, with all proper planning for unexpected heat and anything else you can easily avoid this from happening. If I would have had a temp controller or even a fan blowing at the water surface, things may not have been so bad. Anyways, moral of the story is, it can happen to any tank, no matter what corals your keeping, anyone can suffer a tank "crash" perse... just plan around it. I need to start adding things to my tank like temp controllers and fans, especially for summer, well... only for summer really.

Another update:

I did yet another water change, the tank is clear and stench free. I vacuumed that sand on Tuesday and it worked like a charm. One more vacuum and the sand should be really clean.

I took all my rocks out yesterday after work and rinsed them thoroughly and gave them all a quick scrub. I also rinsed them in FW for a bit as suggested. They look a bit better, I just have tons of detritus sticking to the tank walls and rocks, and it makes my entire tank look like ass. I have been basting it off and using the AC500 with the foam insert to help get rid of some of the large particles.

I also bought a digital thermometer (was using a stick-on previously) I have to admit, they both work well... the stick on is pretty accurate, as well as the digital obviously.

Another thing I forgot to tell you all, was that my Royal Gramma I purchased that I thought jumped never jumped. I must have found (and I am ashamed to admit this) a really old dried up fish of some sort under my sstand. You have to udnerstand though that my tank stand has barely any clearance on the bottom to look under, so I had nooo clue about this (the only reason I looked there is because my female clown made her way under there when she jumped) I got home Monday and he was unfortunately gasping for breath. I have NO idea where this little bugger was hiding, but he did a good job of it. The heat and tank crash must have pushed him over the edge and he never made it I just thought it was bizarre, I got home and seen this bright purple and yellow... "Hey! He's ALIVE!!" ... sadly he was stuck on a Seio intake . RIP little buddy.

After a few days of working on the tank, I must say I am more pleased with the empty look, although I do miss some of my fav. SPS pieces ... but the tank looks much more "open" . I'll snap some pics... I think my tank would be perfect for a host anemone ... right dead center in the tank where my clam is. I am able to get a free purple H. Crispa from a friend, and I will put him in sometime next week or next weekend. Things seem to be stable now and I have changed out at LEAST 25g of water since Monday. Carbon is being used and I am skimming heavy, cleaning the cup daily.