So, how did you nuke your tank?

[Mariner]

In this month's issue of RK mag, Melev makes this comment on dripping kalkwasserPersonally, I won’t use it for my tanks because I feel the risk is too great. Kalkwasser has a pH of 12, and if too much is added to your tank accidentally, all your work can be lost in mere hours.
That made me wonder how many reefers have actually lost tanks due to kalkwasser incidents as opposed to other kinds of "accidents". Personally, I've been dripping kalk in my tanks for nearly 6 years without a problem. However, I did entirely nuke a 10g nano when a cheap heater got stuck and basically cooked everything in the tank.

So, how about it? Give us your "here's-how-I-nuked-my-tank" story.

Mariner

[Whys]

Many years ago when I was much younger and more irresponsible, didn't know squat about saltwater tanks, just set one up and threw fish after fish into it. One day everything died at once and I never could figure out why, as my parameters were good (amazingly). It wasn't until I got back into the hobby last year and started coming here that the cause became apparent. I had a sea apple. It was beautiful, but stressed by an overstocked tank. Now I know it nuked it.

[jener8tionx]

I had a float switch stick and dumped 5 gal of newly mixed kalk into my 20L in April.


http://debriyn.com/images/kalk_crash_1.jpg

Everything lived except the plate coral. Here it was a day later:

http://debriyn.com/images/kalk_crash_2.jpg

[Mariner]

You can read here (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1080179) about how Steve Weast nuked what was possibly the nicest tank in the universe.
WARNING: It'll make you cry! ;)
Mariner

[Mariner]

Everything lived except the plate coral

Sorry, losing one coral doesn't count as a nuke :p You have to have wiped out your whole system! :D
Mariner

[billdogg]

it wasn't me - it was my (then) gf. I went for a long weekend to Put in Bay with the family. Left her in charge with very detailed instructions on what to do. No Problem, right??? WRONG!!!!!

It was then end of july/early august, and a very hot one at that. the very first thing she did was to turn off my AC to save me electricity!!!

this was many years ago - before i knew any better. I had 54 different creatures in a 55g tank. a little of everything. probably 20 fish, corals, shrooms, shrimp,crabs, lobster, gorgonians, anemones, etc.......several thousand dollars worth of stuff, all kept alive and well by large weekly water changes. (this was back when using powerheads on your undergravel filter was the pinnacle of marine fish keeping)

ALL BOILED ALIVE!!!!!

ironically, I had spent the time at PIB deciding that it was time to end this relationship, Boy did that seal it!!!

i tried to restart that tank for several months - it had become cursed - nothing would live. I ended up giving it to a buddy for his snake.

[Whys]

There was a reef on the Bikini islands once. We nuked that one good. :D

http://calitreview.com/images/atomic_bomb_crossroads_baker.jpg

[RokleM]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14967435#post14967435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mariner
In this month's issue of RK mag, Melev makes this comment on dripping kalkwasser
That made me wonder how many reefers have actually lost tanks due to kalkwasser incidents as opposed to other kinds of "accidents". Personally, I've been dripping kalk in my tanks for nearly 6 years without a problem. However, I did entirely nuke a 10g nano when a cheap heater got stuck and basically cooked everything in the tank.

So, how about it? Give us your "here's-how-I-nuked-my-tank" story.

Mariner

Unfortunately, I think there are a very large number of people that disagree with that specific comment. Personally, I was surprised to see it when I read the magazine. If you read many of the kalk overdose threads in the chemistry forum, Randy and other experts recommend primarily not overreacting. The main concern is just the pH change. Yes, I'm sure there are tanks that have been "nuked" due to kalk overdoses, but many many many more that have lived through it, and many that have had no issues what so ever (including mine).

Back when I had a DIY kalk reactor, I dosed my tank so heavy one night I literally could not see my live rock 4 inches in. 100% pure white out. My tank literally looked like milk. I put on a few filter bags/socks, turned my skimmer on super wet (it skims out very easily), did a few water changes, suctioned out kalk where it started landing on the rock, and was good in less than 24 hours. Not one loss of fish, coral (SPS and LPS included), or invert that I could find.

[LobsterOfJustice]

Personally I agree with mark. The problem is that you are tying two things together that really shouldnt be - i.e. evaporation and dosing. If something goes wrong, it just makes a problem that much worse. I've had a lot of kalk dumped in a few times. Overflow clogs, water overflows tank, kalk dumped in (when it otherwise would have just been RO). Float switch gets nocked off the side of sump, dumps a lot of kalk in. Etc.

[Serk]

I nuked my tank many years ago from a glass heater that cracked and the copper from the heating element got into the water...

I didn't nuke my tank when the kalk/ATO system didn't have a pH controller on it and I took 10 gallons of macro algae out, went to an event to give it away, the ATO ran non-stop and the tank's pH got to 9.8 though... The spousal unit called me "Ummm, honey... Is it supposed to be snowing in your tank?"

Asked her to check the pH on the meter I had, 9.8... Had her shut off the ATO, and start putting vinegar in the tank to bring the pH back down...

I've since added a pH controller to the ATO/Kalk reactor, and feel pretty safe and confident with my setup now... It's been running like this safely for about 5 years now in fact...

[BigJay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14967435#post14967435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mariner
In this month's issue of RK mag, Melev makes this comment on dripping kalkwasser
That made me wonder how many reefers have actually lost tanks due to kalkwasser incidents as opposed to other kinds of "accidents". Personally, I've been dripping kalk in my tanks for nearly 6 years without a problem. However, I did entirely nuke a 10g nano when a cheap heater got stuck and basically cooked everything in the tank.

So, how about it? Give us your "here's-how-I-nuked-my-tank" story.

Mariner

No nuke yet, but I have soaked my living room due to an emergency phone call during a water change. Let's just say that a 35 gallon water change on my 180 display turned into a 50+ gallon water change due to floor spillage. The livestock was all the better for it, my living room rug was not.

As for kalk, I dose into my sump via the ATO and have done so for 6 months. When the PH of the sump rises above 8.4, the aquarium controller cuts power to the ATO pump (it has never done so). I also keep a backup float switch with a snail guard on it, because I've have the primary switch jammed by a hungry cerith snail.

[texreefer]

cleaned my skimmer, did a water change, went to bed, skimmer pulled out 8 gals and kalk reacter dumped in 8 gal fresh kalk..

Nuked!... everything dead by morning. It happens

[stlrams88]

Overdosed alk and burned all the SPS, the dead tissue caused an ammonia spike which then killed all of the fish, which then spiked the ammonia even more. I was left with like 5 or 6 frags of zoas.

[jbird69]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14967692#post14967692 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mariner
You can read here (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1080179) about how Steve Weast nuked what was possibly the nicest tank in the universe.
WARNING: It'll make you cry! ;)
Mariner


I have a bunch of pics from his gallery on file to use as PC wallpaper. I almost cried when I followed that link. As I read it I was increasingly saying, "No, No, No, No......" :(

[qfrisco]

I almost nuked my tank two weekends ago when I decided to re-do the aquascape on half of my 1.5 yr-old 90g mixed reef. The day after the re-scaping I noticed severl SPS colonies had started bleaching. A quick water test confirmed the cause as a nitrate spike, undoubtedly set-off by disturbing my sand bed.

My nitrates were at zero at the beginning of the project, then shot up to around 15 after. No fish were affected though, and not all SPS colonies were affected.

[hobogato]

a large healthy ritteri anemone went thru an seio 2600 in my tank a while back. the reason i know it was still healthy is that its nematocysts took out all but three of my fish almost immediately and almost all of my corals over the next couple of weeks. out of a stocked 240 gallon tank with all types of corals and about 30 fish - three fish and four corals survived.

[Mariner]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14970250#post14970250 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hobogato
out of a stocked 240 gallon tank with all types of corals and about 30 fish - three fish and four corals survived.
I'd say that qualifies as a nuke! :eek1:
Mariner

[ccorpse27]

A heater died and killed all my african cichlids in my 75 gallon. They were 3 years old or more and numerous babies and they were all belly up. I was sad, I loved those fish. :(

My reef tank keeps on trucking though.