Pumps left off.

itz frank · 11/07/2006, 04:20 PM

Ok so last night i accidentally left my return pumps off. Now this morning i found all my fish at the top of the water column gasping for breath with the except of one fish. My sailfin tang was laying in the sand gasping for breath. She seemed to be ok after a little while although she stayed very dark and almost drunk swam throughout the tank. No wi came home from being out and i've found her laying in the rocks gasping again. Anythign i can do to save her? Anything at all?

Randall_James · 11/07/2006, 04:31 PM

not that I know of..

I have a system that stops this accident from occuring again.

Get a regular mechanical timer for your pumps (pump powerstrip) and set the "ON" tabs every 2 or 3 hours. No OFF tabs are going to be set. You can use the timers "Off" wheel to stop pumps and turn them on again. Should you forget, the "ON" tab will restart the pumps should you forget.

papagimp · 11/07/2006, 04:35 PM

Just don't do anything that may stress her out more than she is already. Is your return pump the only flow in your tank? If you have power heads going as well, you may want to consider other sources as the problem. water quality, ect....

itz frank · 11/07/2006, 04:38 PM

well i do have powerheads in the tank but at night i turn them off incase the anemone decides to go for a walk. I haven't built anything to keep him out of the powerheads yet. The problem with the pump is that i unplug the pump to turn it off. So this wouldn't really solve it. Should i turn the PHs off? Would this cause more stress? Do you think she's a gonner?

dc · 11/07/2006, 05:12 PM

Water change can't hurt. It only takes about 2 minutes to cut a hole in a sponge and zip tie it over a PH. I used to turn off my return pump to feed until I did the same thing. Luckily my fish survived it. Now I just let the food blow all over.

papagimp · 11/07/2006, 05:19 PM

I would leave the power heads going at night, cover em up, something, but don't turn em off. I occasionally unplug my return pump (goes to my fuge) for a few days here or there. I have a powerfilter hangin on the fuge for flow there, and I have powerheads in the tank for flow. This way, even if the return quits working, my livestock int he fuge and tank don't suffer.
Keep in mind, corals depend on flow to bring them oxygen, you cut down flow, you're cutting down their "breathing"

itz frank · 11/07/2006, 05:29 PM

I'm gonna do the sponge and zip tie idea. Someone else said to use a mesh material and ziptie. No one has said whether or not the fish will make it out. She's still just laying on her side. I guess it's just a waiting game now.

dc · 11/07/2006, 05:32 PM

That's about all anyone can predict. Wait and see. Hopefully they will be ok.

dcombs44 · 11/07/2006, 05:33 PM

I would say make sure there is as much surface aggitation and hope for the best. She may be basically brain dead/damaged. Same thing that happens to us when we nearly suffocate or drown. Your only hope is that she snaps out of it with increased oxygen. Best of luck.

itz frank · 11/07/2006, 05:39 PM

Ok. Well fingers crossed. It seems like she can still move from time to time. So it doesn't look like her motor skills are lost. I just hope that she's only stressed out or in shock of some sort. Thanx for everyone's hope and wishes. Not much i can do i guess. Sucks to lose a fish that i've had for 8 months now and have had since she was about 2 inches long.

reefdadx2 · 11/07/2006, 06:17 PM

dcombs44 said it best. You want as much surface aggitation as you can get. Aim your powerheads toward the surface to cause a toilet bowl swirrel on the surface of your tank. Good for oxygenating your water. Good luck. Michael R

beaniebeagle · 11/07/2006, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Randall_James

I have a system that stops this accident from occuring again.

Get a regular mechanical timer for your pumps (pump powerstrip) and set the "ON" tabs every 2 or 3 hours. No OFF tabs are going to be set. You can use the timers "Off" wheel to stop pumps and turn them on again. Should you forget, the "ON" tab will restart the pumps should you forget.

smartest thing i've heard all day

rick s · 11/07/2006, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Randall_James
not that I know of..

I have a system that stops this accident from occuring again.

Get a regular mechanical timer for your pumps (pump powerstrip) and set the "ON" tabs every 2 or 3 hours. No OFF tabs are going to be set. You can use the timers "Off" wheel to stop pumps and turn them on again. Should you forget, the "ON" tab will restart the pumps should you forget.

I agree! That is very clever!!!

I did the same thing with an intermatic, in-wall, "reverse action" timer. But this idea is simpler and cheaper. Very, very clever!

11/07/2006, 04:20 PM	#1
itz frank Gives Bad Advice. Join Date: May 2006 Location: Ft Lauderdale, FL Posts: 2,168	Pumps left off. Ok so last night i accidentally left my return pumps off. Now this morning i found all my fish at the top of the water column gasping for breath with the except of one fish. My sailfin tang was laying in the sand gasping for breath. She seemed to be ok after a little while although she stayed very dark and almost drunk swam throughout the tank. No wi came home from being out and i've found her laying in the rocks gasping again. Anythign i can do to save her? Anything at all?

11/07/2006, 04:31 PM	#2
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	not that I know of.. I have a system that stops this accident from occuring again. Get a regular mechanical timer for your pumps (pump powerstrip) and set the "ON" tabs every 2 or 3 hours. No OFF tabs are going to be set. You can use the timers "Off" wheel to stop pumps and turn them on again. Should you forget, the "ON" tab will restart the pumps should you forget. __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

11/07/2006, 04:35 PM	#3
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	Just don't do anything that may stress her out more than she is already. Is your return pump the only flow in your tank? If you have power heads going as well, you may want to consider other sources as the problem. water quality, ect.... __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

11/07/2006, 05:12 PM	#5
dc Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wyoming Posts: 44,684	Water change can't hurt. It only takes about 2 minutes to cut a hole in a sponge and zip tie it over a PH. I used to turn off my return pump to feed until I did the same thing. Luckily my fish survived it. Now I just let the food blow all over. __________________ Debi ~60 Cube~ Why? Because I said so of course. -Sent via Tapatalk Smoke Signals-

11/07/2006, 05:19 PM	#6
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	I would leave the power heads going at night, cover em up, something, but don't turn em off. I occasionally unplug my return pump (goes to my fuge) for a few days here or there. I have a powerfilter hangin on the fuge for flow there, and I have powerheads in the tank for flow. This way, even if the return quits working, my livestock int he fuge and tank don't suffer. Keep in mind, corals depend on flow to bring them oxygen, you cut down flow, you're cutting down their "breathing" __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

11/07/2006, 04:38 PM	#4
itz frank Gives Bad Advice. Join Date: May 2006 Location: Ft Lauderdale, FL Posts: 2,168	well i do have powerheads in the tank but at night i turn them off incase the anemone decides to go for a walk. I haven't built anything to keep him out of the powerheads yet. The problem with the pump is that i unplug the pump to turn it off. So this wouldn't really solve it. Should i turn the PHs off? Would this cause more stress? Do you think she's a gonner?

11/07/2006, 05:29 PM	#7
itz frank Gives Bad Advice. Join Date: May 2006 Location: Ft Lauderdale, FL Posts: 2,168	I'm gonna do the sponge and zip tie idea. Someone else said to use a mesh material and ziptie. No one has said whether or not the fish will make it out. She's still just laying on her side. I guess it's just a waiting game now.

11/07/2006, 05:32 PM	#8
dc Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wyoming Posts: 44,684	That's about all anyone can predict. Wait and see. Hopefully they will be ok. __________________ Debi ~60 Cube~ Why? Because I said so of course. -Sent via Tapatalk Smoke Signals-

11/07/2006, 05:33 PM	#9
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	I would say make sure there is as much surface aggitation and hope for the best. She may be basically brain dead/damaged. Same thing that happens to us when we nearly suffocate or drown. Your only hope is that she snaps out of it with increased oxygen. Best of luck. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

11/07/2006, 05:39 PM	#10
itz frank Gives Bad Advice. Join Date: May 2006 Location: Ft Lauderdale, FL Posts: 2,168	Ok. Well fingers crossed. It seems like she can still move from time to time. So it doesn't look like her motor skills are lost. I just hope that she's only stressed out or in shock of some sort. Thanx for everyone's hope and wishes. Not much i can do i guess. Sucks to lose a fish that i've had for 8 months now and have had since she was about 2 inches long.

11/07/2006, 06:17 PM	#11
reefdadx2 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Salem, VA Posts: 941	dcombs44 said it best. You want as much surface aggitation as you can get. Aim your powerheads toward the surface to cause a toilet bowl swirrel on the surface of your tank. Good for oxygenating your water. Good luck. Michael R