help!.heater broke in half

[autoponicz]

what to do...dam ACURA heater broke in half this morning...
i woke up and went to check the tank...heard a noise and then went to check my powerheads and heater....to realize the heater is sizzling...
so turned it off and went to remove it from the tank...and it came apart in 2 pieces....i saw some silver powder coming out of it....ahhh!
ok...this is a new tank...just added sand and 1 piece of LR....
i only have it 3/4 full and added salt also....still making more water to fill the whole system...

do i need to replace evrything ..sand/water? or take out most of the water and start over?
the heater was an old acura brand...just used it raise the temp of the water...
first time this ever happened to me....i always used titanium heaters...but its in the holding bin for my livestock so i just used whatever i had laying around....(i also have a marineland 100w heater in there also and its working fine..)

the silver seems to be floating at the top....thin layer...barely noticable...
now im not sure if it just broke or had been broken half the night...but i did hear a funny noise and then sizzling sounds after about 1 minute when i went to check the tank...

 

[jhale]

since it's not even set up yet i would start over.
if this happened in an established tank I would run a huge amount of carbon and do a 100% water change.

 

[autoponicz]

so change out all the water?
or throw out the sand too?

 

[alistair]

Buy a titanium heater with ranco controller

 

[fernandokng]

I'd wouldn't risk it. It sucks, but I'd start over. Imagine having that tank then run into problems later on. Sorry buddy.

 

[autoponicz]

Buy a titanium heater with ranco controller

i have a titanium heater controlled by a RK2
but this was just used to heat up salt mixing buckets...
why couldnt it have broken in a bucket...and not in a tank...

 

[jhale]

i have a titanium heater controlled by a RK2
but this was just used to heat up salt mixing buckets...
why couldnt it have broken in a bucket...and not in a tank...

that's just how it happens, sorry

 

[autoponicz]

:banghead: :dead1:

 

[MatthewScars]

well i mean, if there is like one bag of sand in the tank, dump it. If its two bags... depends on your budget. But I would dump it.

Just leave the rock in the sun for a week or something. Since the tank was empty, you lucked out Ive always had luck with the AGA heaters.

and +1 on getting a Dual Ranco.

 

[jhale]

better to dump it all, one piece of rock and some sand is not worth the risk. who knows what the heater released into the water.

 

[aznt1217]

Seems like you got mercury in the tank.... =X

 

[qy7400]

I had the same thing happen, came home to half the tank off and found this in the sump.

My only fear was copper but after a 40% WC, lots of carbon and a poly pad everything survived. Ultimately your call but since the tank is new replacing everything maybe be cheaper down the road.

 

[autoponicz]

thanks guys..
QY7400...thanks!...i feel better getting some info from someone that had experienced it...

ok...ill chuck all the water and rinse the sand well...the rock dont matter...i have more...but probly can rinse it well also...after i refill the tank ill run carbon and floss...
this is a description on the ACURa heaters..:
high thermal diffusion--nickel-chrome wire on heater core touches the glass tube,heating the glass,not the air inside the tube:

it might not have any type of copper or mercury...but thats the most i can find on whats inside the heater...

 

[rgun2515]

I would contact the manufacturer and ask them. I would like to know what's in it that could leak. is there is mercury in it...

 

[autoponicz]

from looking at another glass heater(marineland visi-therm)...looks like nothing more than coils with some housing connected to a thermostat...correct me if im wrong..anyone has put more thought in the technology of these heaters?

 

[duke62]

i had 1 of these break in my first setup.did absolutly nothing to my setup

 

[autoponicz]

thanks duke..im refilling the tank right now...but also super rinsed the sand..

this is the dam heater..the thermostat goes inside the glass tubing

 

[qy7400]

To my knowledge there is no mercury in the heaters, there would be a warning label on the package. My fear with the copper was from the copper wiring inside the heater, power cord and element corroding in the saltwater.