malfunction of calcium reactor regulator

[patwillman]

I am devastated!
I was sleeping, and a sound in the next room irritated me. When I awoke, it was the sound of loud bubbling. I went through the house, and found that the noise was coming from my aquarium.

When I got close, my heart stopped. It was the intake tube in the aquarium bubbling full force. I immediately turned off everything. I shut off the power to the regulator, shut down the Carbon Dioxide tank, and the power to the Calcium Reactor itself.

When I checked the PH on the Solar 1000, it read 6.25!

I fear that all will be dead in the morning. Everything was so beautiful. My aquarium is loaded.

I had only been using the Calcium Reactor setup for about a week. The regulator had problems, as it would never keep a set bubble rate. After setting it, it would nearly stop after a while, or suddenly go up in rate. Nothing like this though. I am even afraid the Carbon Dioxide is in the house to toxic levels.

[Billybeau1]

I don't know where you live so, is opening some windows an option ?

Good thing you woke up. You may have made it in time.

Lets hope anyways. Now that you shut everything down, your pH should start to rise.

Hope everything survives.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Don't add loads of buffers as that may end up in a calcium carbonate precipitation event as the pH rises. Limewater would be a better option, but aeration alone will work, as Billy mentions.

[patwillman]

Thank you so much for your concern. I stayed up until the PH was 7.4 which was two hours.

This morning I had no idea what I would find, and dreaded to look. The PH had risen to 8.0, and to my surprise, the corals are OK, but my Achilles Tang died, and I believe my female clown fish is dead also. I can't find her, even after putting a little brine shrimp out, just to bring all the fish out in the open. Another percula clown is not acting right either. He is on the opposite side of the tank, and he never goes there, as his carpet anemone is on the left. All in all, I am very lucky.

I closed down the reactor equipment immediately last night, I opened the doors to the aquarium and the doors to the house, and it was cold. I was really afraid that there might be a lethal dose to my family too.

I wrote Marine Depot an Email, and I called them a few minutes ago. They are sending a replacement regulator for the defective one, and I will return the defective one to them. That is all I can ask of them. I feel that is fair.

My tank is very dear to me, as well as a big investment. Everyone can relate to that.

So far, I am so lucky, it could have been much worse.

[patwillman]

By the way, you can view a picture of the aquarium this morning, after the regulator malfunctioned. This shows that the corals seem OK at this point, but I did lose a few fish.

[Billybeau1]

Sorry about the fish but I suppose it could have been worse.

Good luck. :)

[patwillman]

Thanks

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm sorry to hear about the fish too. Watch for an ammonia spike, and let us know how it goes!

[patwillman]

Thank you Randy

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're welcome.

Good luck and let us know what happens. :)

[patwillman]

I am pleased to inform you that all is well in the aquarium, and I am confident I have nothing more to worry about as to damage from the sudden, and temporary drop to 6.25 in PH when the regulator malfunctioned.

The missing female Clarki Clownfish has been found, and all others accounted for. The Percula acted poorly for a few hours, but by this morning it was back in his Anemone. So my loss was limited to the death of the Achilles Tang.

My alkalinity is still extremely high at 22.5 KH, or 7.94 meg/L, and the calcium level is 525, but everything including the elegance is healthy. There isn't a sign of damage, except the Tang dying.

I must have awakened right after the regulator malfunctioned. I am so glad I am a light sleeper.

Thank you everyone for your concern. At least you will know if it happens to you, that all may not be lost if you catch it in time.

[italia]

even though u found out that the fault was the regulator, u could always as a precautionary measure, get a PH controller and hook it up to the regulator. I'm sure you have a monitor or controller already on the reactor right? that way if the PH in the chamber gets too low it will shut off...well, just piggy back the 2nd ph controller that will 24hr monitor the actual tank PH and set it for........I don't know what ever u think u would want to be alarmed. 7.5ph when the ph in the tank gets that low, u know ur reactor is doing something and it will shut it down.
Hope that helps.
glad to hear everything is okay

[patwillman]

Thank you. Great idea.