what to do for tank contamination, tank crash emergency, what to do...[informational]

[Sk8r]

1. Fast, draw off one water sample. Save it. AND POST AN SOS on RC!

NOTE: If really, really extremely lethally bad pollution, [like soap, bug spray] before you do anything else, immediately prepare a bucket of fresh salt water and get all life out of the tank and into the raw salt water ASAP, in your qt tank, in a clean Rubbermaid tub or old salt bucket: clean raw salt water is better than being in a tank with poisoned water. THEN go back to RC and wait for answers.

THINGS THAT AREN'T AS BAD AS THAT: pure alcohol, sugary things, other foodstuffs, electrical smell, small metal objects and tv remotes you know weren't in there but briefly, etc: judge how severe, and watch your oxygen levels: if it clouds up, watch your oxygen levels, and pull all lifeforms if oxy-short.

Now we concentrate on saving your live rock and sand. At any point in this process, if you have left fish in, and your tests are going in a bad direction, get all living things out.
2. do a 20% water change
3. run carbon [removes ammonia and many contaminants]
4. if metallic or unusual or chemical run polyfilter: see note below.
5. if spiking high ammonia, try Amquel or its equivalent: in an emergency I have used it with sps coral, and had no bad result.

Now: test your first water sample with every test you've got. Write down the results. Then test your water as it is now that you've run a fix. Write down the results. Better? You're going in the right direction. Keep going.
Worse? Get your live rock out to a tub of fresh salt water, prepare to light, test params, and aerate while you try to get your tank back in order. You may have to strip sand and go back to square one. IF YOU SAVE YOUR ROCK, add new sand, clean tank and equipment thoroughly, add new water, put rock back in. If you have kept your rock safe and 'healthy', you will probably have a one-week cycle and be able to add cleanup crew in the second week.

THe worst disaster is to lose your live rock and have to start with cured rock.

NOTE: every situation is different. Determine what happened as best you can. Don't panic.

NOTE TWO: polyfilter is expensive. To test water for effectiveness of polyfilter, snip off a bit. If it colors up even faintly it means its resin is absorbing a particular kind of contaminant, as for instance pale aqua tint means copper. If it is absorbing something, red, blue, yellow, brown, black, etc, run more of it, and it will take it out faster.
As always, discussion and input welcome.