All fish dead?

[rscotth]

I have a 55 gallon reef, it contained only 7 fish and about 25 corals. Last night everything was ok. When I got home from work today all the fish except the goby and possibly one maroon clown were dead. There was no marks or anything out of the ordinary seen on the dead fish, their color was even still vibrant. The goby looks good now and the maroon clown looked dead but moved when removing it. I moved it to the q-tank. All corals look normal now, polyps are open and the frogspawn is fully expanded.

I checked water quality, everything was as close to 0. The temp was monitored and no alarm went off. I have a bacpac skimmer that has been producing and I feed at least every other day. I have no idea what could have happened. The only thing out of the ordinary was a burning smell that was coming from one of the fans. Does anyone know what could have happened? Any suggestions on what to do now?

Thanks,
Scott

[deano]

Sorry to here of the loss, Man thats a bummer.

Is it possiable the burnt smelll from the fan is an indication of a short. Which could of electricuted the tanks inhabinates. IME Fish are more subseptable to electrical shock than corals are, not saying they are not effect but just not as bad. This would explain no outword apperances to the fish loses, just sudden death.

I would check for any stray voltage.

[zt allstar]

Have you added anything to the tank recently?

[rayjay]

Can you clarify the "close to zero" comment? Ammonia and nitrite MUST be at zero. I also wonder if it has something to do with the load on the tank. I don't stock as many fish in my 90's as you had in that 55. How long has the tank been in operation?

[rscotth]

The tank has been up and running for more than 2 years. The problem actually was the heater. It must have been shorted internally or somehow leaking voltage into the tank. All the fish except the shrimp goby died and all the corals lived. The test kits that I have for everyting except calcium and alk suck! I never use them unless I see a problem or precursors to a problem. They are accurate but difficult to tell between the 0 and 0.25 on the ammonia chart.

Thanks,
Scott

[rayjay]

That's strange because I've had power heads and one heater that malfunctioned to the point I got zapped when I put my hands in the tank, but I didn't loose any livestock over it. I did lose livestock when an Ebo stuck on and overheated the tank.

[rscotth]

My temp never got above 84. I couldn't figure out what it was until it exploded. I really can't explain it, I just know it happened. The goby shows no signs of stress.

Scott

[marwes 2000]

Have you added a sea apple or sea cucumber lately?