Biotope-Reef wall

[masterswimmer]

Oh well, the disaster we all dread has happened. My 16g reef wall is no more. My wife woke up yesterday morning at 6:30 and said, 'your tank sounds funny'. Now that is never something any reefer wants to hear.

So in my continuing recuperative state, I get myself up, go downstairs and step up to the tank. The floor was all wet. The sound that my wife heard, was the auto top off reservoir pump running in a dry bucket.

At first I thought the ATO failed, and it emptied the just filled 5g bucket of RO/DI water into the tank. That would have been the easy way to fix the problem.

Unfortunately the problem was a leaking seal on the bottom of the tank itself. So there I am at 6:30am with towels all over the floor. Believe it or not, my concern was not even the tank, I got all the animals out and into buckets of the tank water that was left. My concern was a brand new pellet stove that I just had installed in the basement.......directly (to the inch) below the tank. The 16g tank was sitting on hardwood floors, so the water easily found its way through the joints and was leaking through the floor and onto the ceiling of the basement.

Thank god my wife was there with me. In my dilapidated state I couldn't lift anything heavier than a gallon of water.

I immediately decided that the 16g nano tank was to be no more. I started emptying the tank water into buckets (that I couldn't lift). My wife brought everything where I asked her to. I loaded all the livestock, just coral and inverts (no fish) into the water filled buckets. She brought them down to my 75 display where everything was to have a new home.

It took me and my wife about 3 hours to break everything down. That included cleaning the skimmer, putting pumps into vinegar and cleaning up the mess that was made.

I'm sorry to see this tank go. But I always had the fear in the back of my mind that I'd have leak such as this. Hardwood floors don't take kindly to lots of water. I hope no damage was done. Other than the water soaked ceiling tiles in the basement. Fortunately for those tiles, they absorbed the water and prevented anything from spilling onto the pellet stove.

As it looked in its early days:

 

[jackson6745]

Thats suck Russ. You did a great job with that tank. Just be glad it was the nano and not a larger tank:bigeyes:

 

[bad coffee]

sorry to hear russ. Hope everything makes it. I probably don't have to tell you to put a fan on the floor to dry it out. (did you shop vac?)

B

 

[masterswimmer]

Thanks Rich & B.

Fortunately the pellet stove is DIRECTLY underneath the tank location. The ceiling tile is already taken out and was all mush. So the heat from the stove has dried everything out perfectly.

R

 

[kris]

"Your tank sounds funny" is never a good thing to hear. Where did you put the fu man chu?

 

[masterswimmer]

The Fu Manchu passed on a couple of months ago. Made it a year in this tank and then one day, belly up. RIP

swimmer

 

[Shad]

Russ, Sorry to hear the bad news. I really liked that tank. That has happened to me more than once. One time at my parents house while I was away at college. It leaked all over their living room furniture and rug. The other time at my house here in middletown. My upstairs wood floors took a beating as well as my ceiling downstairs where the tank is now. Thank goodness for homeowners insurance. What did you do with your lion fish?

 

[KathyC]

Sorry to hear about the tank failure. I remember the original build for that tank and the video you'd posted when you were so worried about the lion not eating (sorry for the loss..)
Lucky you having your wife be such a trooper!!

Was the tank old..any idea why the seal let go?

 

[tosiek]

Sorry to hear about this Russ. I loved that tank.

 

[Psycho graphic]

What a shame, and it had to happen while you where recouperating (sp?). I remember thinking how nice that wall looked while you where building it.

Sorry to hear, but it sounds like it could've been a lot worse.

 

[masterswimmer]

Kathy, thanks for the kindness. The tank was brand new when I set it up. So at most it's just a little over two years old. As to why it failed, who knows. I've never used a razor blade on the tank AND the failed silicone seam, was the one behind the wall. So I never could have cleaned that area anyway.

Thanks Tony. You always expressed an interest in that tank.

Dave, thank you. Believe me, I KNOW things could have been a lot worse. I'll deal with it.

swimmer

 

[steveo32]

I'm sorry Russ. And here I was bugging you to give us an update on that tank. Well is was gorgious, you know your great at what you do. You come up with something soon enough. Luckily there wasn't serious dammage.

 

[rgun2515]

Just looking you up to PM you about the live rock. and saw this...

did maybe the new stove have something to do with it? Anything happen during the install to a load bearing wall? Did you punch a hole for exhaust? could heat destroy the seals without the water in the tank boiling?

Sorry to hear about your tank.

Happened to me once with a 29g FW. slow leak though. Caught it about 1/2 way empty.

 

[Timbo]

Russ,
Sorry to hear about the tank. I feel your pain. It was a real pain in the ass when that happened to my parents tank. Glad to hear all the livestock is ok and I hope the floors don't suffer any damage. Talk to you soon.
Tim

 

[masterswimmer]

Steve, thanks for the constant requests for updates on that tank. I know you always showed an interest in it.

rgun, thank you for ideas. When I finished my basement (post building of the house itself) the basement ceiling was insulated (code when it surrounds an unfinished room). So the heat from the stove most likely very barely reaches the floor above it. Believe it or not I put the stove in there to keep the basement and my garage (where we keep House of Fish tanks) warm. So the intent was never to heat the house above. My previous occupation was a builder (GC), so I built my house and MANY others. No damage to anything structural from the stove.....but good thoughts nevertheless. Thanks for taking the time and effort to even think about it.

Tim, what can I say bro? Calamities are not unique to some people. Everyone is prone to them. It sucks that I had to break it down, but the animals are actually looking really really good in the 75g.

swimmer

 

[frank arriaga]

Russ what can i say that hasn't been said .Sorry my friend.

 

[masterswimmer]

Thanks Frank. Tough loss. I put an inordinate amount of time into the construction of that tank. To see it go in about an hour and a half was gut wrenching.

Russ