[MasterBlaster]

My W-Mart heater cooked my tank today. I got home and noticed something different about my tank... it was brighter looking, and all the coral was withdrawn. Then I saw a dead fish, and dead Aptasia. (I had been suffering from an infestation) I checked the temp, and it was off the scale. My fingers felt the lukewarm water, and I knew.

On a brighter note, My fuge impeller was broken, and I'm supposed to get it tonight. So my fuge is ok. It wasn't inline at the time.


Do ya'll think I've ruined the ecosystem of my tank? I'm hoping my fuge will seed it back to normal... eventually.

Is all my live rock dead? It looks like 80% of the coral is gone.

Man, what a bummer.

[Reefland]

Yeah that is a bummer and undoubtedly, your system has suffered a blow. That is not to say it is completely dead though. What you should do is get your temperature back to normal and monitor any corals that remain closely, removing them as soon as there is a sign it is dead to prevent any additional problems. Monitor your levels closely and adjust accordingly and most importantly, get rid of the "cheapy" equipment.

Scott Z.

[MasterBlaster]

My protein skimmer's working overtime. It seems like all the available heaters are lacking in quality. I will now try out a titanium/or a stainless steel model next, but only because they cost so much more.

I hope their worth it.

I feel bad for my tank tonight.

[MasterBlaster]

Well, thing aren't looking too spiffy... ALL coral appears to be dead, only Hermit Crabs appeared to survive. The tank has a sterile look.

Worse things could have happened, I suppose.

[Reefland]

Sorry to hear that; faulty equipment makes it even more aggrivating.

I would go ahead and remove all of the dead corals, do a big water change and let the tank "cycle" again.

Scott Z.

[Meric]

Go to this site. This guy has a web site on how to make your very own Thermal Protection Unit for about $40.00.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/domitr...ld/shield.html


Much cheaper than an Aquacontroller and after inital configuration works quite well.

[MasterBlaster]

Day-umm, Meric! Thats just what the doctor ordered... if I can figure it out!

Thanks for the link!

[acropora]

Originally Posted by MasterBlaster

Well, thing aren't looking too spiffy... ALL coral appears to be dead, only Hermit Crabs appeared to survive. The tank has a sterile look.

Worse things could have happened, I suppose.

I'm sorry to hear about your losses. Overheating is common with heaters and many models now come with seperate sensors and controllers an are a good investment. A seperate controller can also be a good alternative. A heater with a controller will also minimize temperature swings during a 24 hr period which can cause problems with SPS corals.

[dougc]

After several disastrous incidents involving faulty equipment, I am on board with the AquaController. Not cheap, but less expensive than a tank full of dead livestock.