Big Trouble Help Quick!!!

[9supratt4]

I just noticed my stand pulling away from my tank!!! Looking underneath, I noticed the bottom plastic around the tank is cracking and the tank is inching toward the inside of the stand. I have 180 with ton of rock, fish and corals (SPS, LPS, etc.)....What can I do....and do now?????

 

[meowzer]

Hurry and get rubbermaid totes.....get as much rock and water out as fast as you can,
all I can think of
let us know how you make out

 

[luvmyreef]

to add to what meowzer suggested, do you have a back up tank or tanks? get it/them out....

 

[9supratt4]

Rubbermaid totes?? What kind of totes??
I have a 55 Gallon that i'm cleaning out right now.
What do I do with the coral??

 

[meowzer]

Anything that you can put the rock and stuff in quickly...better in totes with a powerhead than all over you floor....know what I mean
you can position your lights over the totes (don't know what you have)...until you can make more permanent arrangements.....right now IMO based on what you have described, you need to get the weight out of that tank

 

[chaseter]

Yeah as meowzer said, get a rubbermaid tote or big plastic container and drain a lot of the water into it. Then, put your fish and coral in it with the powerhead.
Drain some more water off until you get everything out, take down the tank, take out the stand, get you a new stand tomorrow, and put everything back.

 

[9supratt4]

I wish it was that easy. I have an old 55 and an old 20Xtra-High. My gf just ran out to get some vinegar. I'm going to put sand, rock, coral & fish in the 55. The rest of the rock in the 20 since that can just be packed to the top.
That should work. Problem is all my rock is epoxied together.
The tank is probably going to be trash too. But won't know until I get everything out. This is unreal!!

 

[chaseter]

What kind of stand was it? Homemade or store bought? What was it made out of?
Just give us a heads up so that we don't make the same mistake.

 

[meowzer]

I would not put anything live in the 55g till the sand settles....you are gonna stir a lot of stuff up.....I have never done this before, BUT I have read a lot of crashes due to stirring....
use your tank water, put all live stuff in a tote....when the sand and stuff settles in the 55G and the water tests at 0....then add the livestock
Like I said...I have never done this....BUT it seems the safe way...and you can get a 55g rubbermaid for under $10 too

 

[chaseter]

All the rock, sand, and fish don't have to go in the same container right? I agree...I would put the rock and fish in one, and the sand in the other.
I doubt it is good for your fish to be ingesting sand particles and other particulate you stirred up. Plus, a big change like that may start another cycle and kill your fish.

 

[spanko]

IMO do not put the sand in the tank. Just the rock and water and critters. Again do not put the sand in the tank you are going to use to hold you rock and livestock.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3153521
IMO do not put the sand in the tank. Just the rock and water and critters. Again do not put the sand in the tank you are going to use to hold you rock and livestock.
So would you throw it out? I'm just curious.....can you not use it after it settles????

 

[9supratt4]

I think i'm going to just leave the bottom bare as spanko suggested.....it'll be easier that way. Some rock and the fish and corals in the 55. The LR packed in the 20XH and then i'll have to figure out what to do with the sand.

 

[spanko]

Lois stirring that sand up and moving it to another tank is going to release all kinds of pent up detritus, most likely more than the tank biofilter will be able to handle causing a spike of ammonia. I would leave the tank barebottom for now and just move the rock, critters and water.
The sand can be used again, but IMO only after a good cleaning. Yes you will kill all of the bacteria and flora and fauna in the sand.
9supratt4 put the sand in some 5 gallon buckets and leave it until you get ready to use it again. Then rinse the bejeesus out of it. I would take a garden hose and stick it in the 5 gallon bucket, turn the water on slowly and let the water cascade over the sides. It will carry with it all sorts of nastiness. Of course you will need to move the hose around in the bucket to stir the sand to release the nasties.
If this were me, I would can the old sand and purchase new dry sand myself. But that is just me.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3153534
Stirring that sand up and moving it to another tank is going to release all kinds of pent up detritus, most likely more than the tank biofilter will be able to handle causing a spike of ammonia. I would leave the tank barebottom for now and just move the rock, critters and water.
The sand can be used again, but IMO only after a good cleaning. Yes you will kill all of the bacteria and flora and fauna in the sand.
Thanks....I was just wondering....for future reference..

 

[luvmyreef]

HEEEYYY...are you not still sick?? Awful thing to have to deal with when your not feeling well.....

 

[eric b 125]

could it be that your floors are shifting under the weight of it all? or do you think your stand is warping?

 

[9supratt4]

Ok....now that the crisis has been averted for now, I will tell you what I did.
Right now I have a 55 with all my fish, all 8 of them, all my inverts, all my corals. I have a 45 Gallon trash can that I use for water mixing holding all my LR, except for a bunch of pieces in the 55, with a heater and a pump. I have the 20 x-tra high holding all the sand.
I'm still not sure if it is the plastic trim on the bottom, which is cracked, or if it is the stand that is bad. So in the morning i'm going to have to order a new 180 and finish emptying the 3 inches of water and rest of the sand. Then take the 180 off and see if the stand is still ok. Some quick checks on the outside of the stand with a T-Square, show the stand is still perfectly square.
I have my RO running filling into another trash can and my neighbor, who is also a reefer, bringing over another tomorrow.
Once I get the new tank, hopefully the smae one so I can just reconnect the plumbing I have.....I'll fill it with enough water to cover the rock, put the rock in, then the sand. I figure with the amount of rock I have, it should be fully cycled in 48-72 hours. And of course I will be completely cleaning the sand with freshwater before I put it back in the tank.
Well crisis averted for now....tomorrow is another day

And luvmyreef.....thanks for asking, but i'm back to 100%....Tamiflu is a miracle drug!!
Eric.....it's not the floors....the stand is on the concrete floor in my basement.

 

[yummysalt]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3153534
Lois stirring that sand up and moving it to another tank is going to release all kinds of pent up detritus, most likely more than the tank biofilter will be able to handle causing a spike of ammonia. I would leave the tank barebottom for now and just move the rock, critters and water.
The sand can be used again, but IMO only after a good cleaning. Yes you will kill all of the bacteria and flora and fauna in the sand.
9supratt4 put the sand in some 5 gallon buckets and leave it until you get ready to use it again. Then rinse the bejeesus out of it. I would take a garden hose and stick it in the 5 gallon bucket, turn the water on slowly and let the water cascade over the sides. It will carry with it all sorts of nastiness. Of course you will need to move the hose around in the bucket to stir the sand to release the nasties.
If this were me, I would can the old sand and purchase new dry sand myself. But that is just me.
Spanko, Can't he just rinse the sand in his old saltwater thoroughly, and repeat until the water is not dirty anymore? what is the upside and downside to this method?

 

[browniebuck]

to make sure that your corals are getting enough light you could get a couple of rubbermaid tubs/totes (I think that the ones that I saw over the weekend were like 40+ gallon....and were rather sturdy)...but they were longer than a trash can and not nearly as deep as a trash can. Not sure how long it will take you to get things set back up, but this could be a decent backup plan if you have any delays....then just put the tubs under the lights.