Has a PH destroyed my sand bed????

[justchillin]

i woke up this morning and my tank was VERY cloudy. i checked everything and found that the PH which connects to my remora pro had come off and was pointing directly at my dsb.
obviously most of the sand in that area had been blown away...
1)is this a huge problem??
2)how can i reattach the pump to the skimmer so that this can't happen again, but so i will be able to remove it at some point (would aquarium sealant work)?
3)should i be worried about losing any life (snowflake eel, and tiger cowry)???
thanks,
mike

 

[beth]

There shouldn't be any real ill-effects from the PH blasting the sand...if anything, it probably stirred things up a bit so that the detrivores can have an easy lunch today! As for attaching the PH to the Remora, I wouldn't. I don't have a Remora but skimmer and PH should be checked, serviced and cleaned up occassionally, so you need to be able to get it apart--unless you want to break the silcone seal every time you service the PH.
I would suggest that you make sure the PH is attached well, and check for any defects.
[ June 21, 2001: Message edited by: Beth ]

 

[justchillin]

the problem is that now the ph falls off everytime i turn it on...it doesn't connect directly to the skimmer, there is a 1 1/2 tube that connects the ph to the skimmer. the tube stays attached to the skimmer, but the ph come right off now. i i use the aquarium sealant to attach the tube to the ph i could still remove the ph/tube from the skimmer if needed...

 

[7up]

I have a Remora and assume it is made in a similar way. The PH does not attach well to the down tube and when I try to adjust the skimmer box level, the PH occasionally detaches and sprays water out of the tank... a significant design flaw. I may try your idea of fixing it to the down tube.

 

[guppie]

I would not worry about the sand being stired up it could be a good thing, getting all that crap out of the sand and into your filter. I can't help with the skimmer. Good Luck

 

[c marlowe]

Well, stirring up a DSB is definately not a good thing. I have had the exact same thing happen once or twice, and I didn't notice any adverse effects. For those wondering what the big deal is, deep sand beds reduce nitrates due to bacteria that lives in the lower areas where very little O2 reaches. Any anaerobic activity was destroyed in the area of the bed that the powerhead disturbed. I believe alot of factors have to be lined up for a seriously negative effect to take place (but it is remotely possible depending on the bed), so I wouldn't worry.

 

[botp2k1]

Can you prop something up against the pump to assist in keeping it in place? Like a piece of LR or even a pvc pipe?