Clown trying to survive RIO burn...oil?

aquaworld75

Member
I posted this in disease, equipment and clowns...sorry for the repetition but it deals with lots of things
Well the other day I come home about 7pm and I smell something burning. I follow the smell and I noticed it was coming from my 20 gallon tank upstairs and the tank is couple inches low in the main part and the sump is full. But everything is working except the return pump. Rio 2100. GFCI did not trip, temp is down to 72 from 78, and float switch auto top off is working fine so I know it did not run dry.
My only fish-percula clown that I have had for 3.5 yrs-is fine. I put the heater in the main tank and put a HOB filter on top with no media or bio wheel. I then add some water from the sump back to the top so it has enough water to run and then leave. Everything looks fine.
RIO has 2 puncture looking spots on the area around the impeller casing. Did not notice any oil in the water but the pump smells really bad like it burned. I threw it outside.
Does anyone know what happened to the pump???
Also second part after couple of hours my clown is on the ground barely moving. The room smells really bad and the water stinks also. My mom takes the clown and moves him into my 75 downstairs, where he drops to the bottom like a submarine and lies there the rest of the night.
Maroon clown then starts to harrass my clown and I put an egg crate divider in the tank to give him some stress relief. He is just breathing hard at the bottom staying up right and swims around for 1 second and then goes back down
The 75 and 20 have almost identical water chemistry so I dont think the move stressed him too much. Nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia 0, ph 8.0, salinity 1.025. Both have been running for more than a year.
Did the burning of the pump do something to the water to intoxicate the fish??
He seems like he just got posioned or something....
Any help would be appreciated on the pump mystery or the clown intoxication..oil on gills??
Thanks in advance
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Unfortunately you have had the worst thing happen to you in the saga of RIO pump melt down. There is not much you can do except break down your 20 gal and start over. As for the clown, providing him with quality water and a stressless environment is all you can do. Wait and see if he makes it.
 

aquaworld75

Member
Thank you for the response Beth...I am in the process of breaking down the entire 20 gallon setup...sump drill overflows, drilled returns...etc.
One more question.
1. I am going to throw away all the water.
2. But can I keep the live rock? should I clean? scrub?
I can survive if I have some die off on the rocks..not much there but coraline and featherdusters
3. What about the Carib Sea Sand I payed 20 bucks for? can I reuse??
Thanks again
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
I would toss the sand and try to save the rock. You can set up the rock in the 20 and basically babysit it to see if you get life on it. Untill you see a rebound on the rock, I would try to really start up the 20 again. Did you have any thing else besides the fish?
I'm afraid the little clown is likely poisoned and won't make it. Just let him die in piece if it comes to that.
Sad. Sorry this happened to you.
 

aquaworld75

Member
Well I threw the rock into a 30 gallon tank I have which I just put rock in.
I am going to leave the 20 alone bc I need a return pump(which I dont have anymore) to run the setup, it is all drilled and with built in overflow.
The clown was the only fish in there and 1 hermit crab which is fine and in my 75 also.
As of tonight the clown has been in my 75 for 1 full day and has just been resting and swimming a little. I have a small area divided in my 75 with egg crate for him. I will see how he is in the morning. He is getting his color back also.
thanks for your help, i will let you know how he does tomorrow
 

aquaworld75

Member
Today by 11am my clown is not breathing hard anymore. But he is just swimming about 1-3inches off the sand bed. he still seems kind of weak and cannot swim to the top. I tried to feed him and food would just go right by him and he would not eat.
Is it okay that he has not eaten in two days?
I dosed my weekly amount of Amino Acids and Vitamins yesterday and I heard that this is a good source of "absorption food" to keep fish going...
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Well, its good to see the little fella still handing in there. Try target feeding him with a turkey baster.
 

aquaworld75

Member
Day 2. I fed my tank and his side at about 8:30am and he grabbed a few of the smallest pieces of brine and flake that came by him. So at least he made an attempt to eat. I am thinking about making his corner a little bigger and putting a few more pieces of live rock in there so he has more hiding places.
As far as target feeding...I think he is getting food close enough to him, he moves around and pieces are faling on him and moving by him. Today he finally grabbed a few as mentioned above...thanks again.
It seems like he is going towards the positive side..but I will keep my fingers crossed.
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
I was going to suggest to you to a a peice or two more rocks, or whatever just to make the area a bit more secure.
Long term, you are going to have decide what you are going to do since he isn't going to get along in the tank with the other clown.
 
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