FIRE in my tank

[clown-lover]

hey guys...it's been a while since i've been on here...first let me say...i like the new look

Well, i had a rude awakening today...i woke up to my new puppies who were sniffing the smoke filled air and wanted me to get my attention toward my tank.
I got up to a horrible smell and bright yellow light coming from under my tank. Sure enough, there was an electrical fire.

i called the fire department and before they got here, i was able to turn off all power to my tank. luckly, when i did that, the fire died down.
they said that there was a short in one of the wires...these are the wires that are connected to my lights...and he said that once one of them shorts, all of them start to surge.
I called the place that i got the lights from...i won't say who but it's a popular site...and thank god for my corals sake, they were very understanding and they are sending me a new system. I'm sending this one back to them so they can maybe find out what happened and fix the problem for the future.
my question is...i have corals...a torch coral and some xenia...it's going to take three days for the lights to get here...will they make it that long without light?...or should i take them to my fish store for safe keeping...i'm not really sure if they can do that for me...but i'll call to find out.
Thanks for the replys. and please, take all possible precations in your own tanks so this won't happen to you. the firemen told me that i was very lucky to be here, it wouldn't have taken long for my stand to catch fire...and i don't want to think about what would have happend after that.
God Bless,
Candy

 

[rubberduck]

i would say that three is pushing it. i would moniter there health. if things look bad, take them to the Lfs. if everything else it ok (temp,lvls,etc) then i would say it is ok and the corals would be fine. the stress of them being moved to the lfs and back would cause lots of stress. so my advice is they would be ok

 

[smarls]

Sorry to hear about your fire...that is horrible, but I am really glad you (ok, your puppies) caught it before anything catastrophic happened.
I think taking your corals out of the tank to the LFS would be ALOT more stressful than leaving them in the tank with no light for three days. I have no scientific knowledge for this, but it is just my opinion.
I remember reading the specs about one of the prettiest tanks I have ever seen, and the tank owner left his lights off completely for one day each week for some reason, and he felt it was good for the coral. not syaing anyone should do this, but, if they are fine for one day, I think they will be fine for three (not optimal, but fine).
Also, in nature, I am sure there are bad storms that basically minimize the amount of light a coral gets, and minimizes the corals ability to open up, and I am sure that occurs for days at a time. Keep you other parameters in check, and I would think you will be ok.
Good luck,
Stewart

 

[clown-lover]

ok..i'll do that...without the lights, my temp is around 72-74 degrees
everything else will be fine...(params i mean)
do starfish need to have the light....it's not the light i'm worried about for my blue linkia star, it's the temp...

 

[farmboy]

How big is your tank?
What type of lighting?
Heater? Shoot for 78-80 degrees
You may buy a "shop" light or 2 (under $10.00 each) and some normal output flourescents from your lfs to carry you through.

 

[smarls]

I didn't realize the temprature was an issue. what was the tnmep with the lights? If the temp has dropped by more than a degree or two, then get a heater, and slowly raise the tank water to the correct temp.
The linkia (and pretty much everything else) will be fine without light for a few days, but yes, temprature fluctuations will harm everything.
Stewart

 

[clown-lover]

it's a 55 gallon tank
the temp...since the fire...has been about 74. it went down to 72 when i turned the fan on in the room, so i'm keeping it off. 74 is about the temp of the tank with the lights off at night. so that doesn't worry me. but any lower and i would be worried.
what are these 'shop' lights and where can i get them?
i had 4 36" VHO's on there...

 

[randy 13]

I'm sorry to hear about your fire. We just had one that was started by my power strip. However we were not home and it caused a lot of damage. I'm glad you caught it before it got any worse. Was the light new? I wish the maker of my power strip was as helpful.
Here's the link.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/show...highlight=Fire
I agree that you should go out and buy some kind of shop light for the time being. It would be better than nothing.
Tammy

 

[clown-lover]

Wow...i am so sorry for all of your losses. i've been a total wreck all day today, i'm even pretty sick over it all, i can only wonder how strong you and your family must be to get over such a thing, when i can't even hold it together over a Much Smaller event.
i am very thankful for my dogs, if it weren't for them, i wouldn't have gotten up to see what was happing right in the same room. and i'm thankful for it not spreading.
my prayers to you and your family.

 

[farmboy]

The famous department store started by Sam Walton. _almart has 48" shop lights for around $8.00 in my area. They also have some 24" which is another standard size for normal output flourescents. Not sure about 36"-make sure LFS has appropriate size bulbs before you buy but this should be easy.

 

[clown-lover]

:jumping: well, i'm proud to say that with a little luck and a lot of worry...my tank is coming back to life again!!!!
after 5 DAYS!!! with no lights, other than the light from my room, my corals are responding nicely to the new set we put on last night. i gave them a little bit of light last night, i didn't want to shock them with full light for a full day after not having it for so long. And today, they are coming out and perking up.
thanks for all the help and replys :cheer:

 

[inkman2004]

Glad to hear they made it. GO SPURS!!!!