[ErYn]

well guys... i'm done, no more tank..... everything is dead, and when i say everything i mean everything!!!!! i went on vacation this past week, and i had some one going over to my house to take care of my fish. well.. while i was in the keys on vacation totally relaxing.. i get a call from the person i had fish-sitting, all in a panic saying that i had some major problems... i guess they had thier own little emergency and didn't get by to feed my tank for a couple days, (which isnt the end of the world but still not cool)... so when she finanly went and check my fish, i guess my house had been hit by lightning or gotten a power surge or something, but at any rate the power was cut off.... so i guess my fish had been with out any power for 3 days.. so my clown fish and damsel were still alive so she put them in my 10g sw mixer tank, and took them home with her till i got back on saturday. by the time i got there the only thing that was left was the damsel. and it seems to be just fine! but everything else is dead... i'm sooooooo upset! i still have my rocks, but they smell really really bad! do you think they are ok? or are they gonners too? what should i do???

[tray262]

First off I'm sorry for your loses. But your rocks will be ok, They will probally need to cure again. So that will not be fun at all but it will still be ok. How long was you power out for ?

[ErYn]

it was out for 3 days.

[smidoid]

That's a *****. Battery powered backup is a must if you can get hold of it. A large (functioning) computer UPS hooked to a deep discharge battery is your best bet.

Your rock bacteria is probably fine though, so it's not a total wipeout.
A horrible loss to be sure, but not a complete wipeout.

[gregb]

You will never relax again.

[charlie]

Sorry to hear what happened. The rock is probably good, but it will need to be recured. If you had a sandbed, it's gone and needs to be replaced.
A battery backup is a good choice, but I don't know if that would have lasted 3 days.
So, are you going to start over??? Let us know, we will be around here for you if you do!!! Good luck !!!!

[ErYn]

thank guys for the kind words and incentive to try it again... i think i will give it another shot!

[BubbaWPB]

Eryn, I'm very sorry for your loss. I don't know which is worse, coming home to a disaster like that or watching it happen slowly in front of your eyes after a hurricane. Hang in there. Tank disasters are part of the learning process of keeping a piece of the ocean in your home.

Living where you do, you may want to consider having a pump on a Universal Power Supply (computer battery backup)... and if you don't have one already, a generator. I also have people stay at my house while I'm gone for more than 2 or 3 days... just to keep an eye on the tank. The youngsters that work at the LFS are usually willing to make a few extra bucks staying at the house and they know how to manage most problems.

[dougc]

This is why I have an AquaController. I thought I had mine set up to page me in the event of a power failure. The modem is on a UPS so that it will still be able to dial out. Recently, I came home after a couple of days away and found the tank dark as pitch. One of the GFCIs had tripped (as usual, because of a heater). I couldn't understand why I hadn't received a page until I took a look at the AquaController program and realized that there was no statement to trigger an alarm if the power failed. The best laid plans...

Fortunately, I have my tank split between two dedicated circuits and, to the extent possible, have redundant devices on each circuit. Even though the lights were off, one of my return pumps was running and the Tunze Streams were also still functioning.

There is no way to guarantee a disaster-proof tank. All we can do is plan in as many safeguards as possible and hope for the best. The toughest part is finding a reliable fish-sitter. I am lucky that my 22-year-old son, who has had his own fish tanks and worked in an aquarium store, is usually available to watch my tank when I am away. My wife and I have discussed what we would do if he is not around a few years from now and we go away for a long vacation. I think I would have to hire the folks from my LFS, who I would trust with my tank, to fish-sit. It wouldn't be cheap, but I would have peace of mind.