Tragedy!!!!

[BiG_KiD]

Hello everyone, just thought that I would share my expierence with everyone. I came home from work yesterday to see my tank, a 55 down about 25%.. I am thinking wow that's a lot of evaporation.. Nope.. Tank sprang a leak.... The bottom seal was leaking all the way around... So I immeadiately jumped into action. Transfererred all my live rock with corals attached to a rubbermaid and put my livestock in the same one.. Put my other LR with nothing on it to another rubber made with all the sand.. As of this morning my Hippo must have decided that he didn't like it. Jumped out and committed suicide.. also found a snail outside of the rubbermaid on the carpet.. My question is this.. how long can I keep livestock in the rubber maid.. I am frantically searching for a new tank today but even if i purchase today it will take several weeks to setup and cycle before i can put anything it in..
Livestock in the rubbermaid as of now..:

1 GSM
1 Coral Beauty
1 Strawberry Basslet
1 Green Spiny
1 Cleaner shrimp
1 Black Cucumber
1 Green Spiny Starfish
5 RBTA... this are what i am most worried about
assorted polyps and mushrooms..

I have all of this in a 25 gallon rubbermaid..it's pretty tight but it seems that everything is okay for now but i am sure that it can't be good for all my friends.. I am thinking about a 90 gallon bow. any comments on this tank. Thinking about oceanic.. PLEASE comment on that tank as i need to act quickly and PLEASE comments on long term housing of livestock in the rubbermaid.. THanks...

My old tank before crisis..

[Patwa]

sorry dude...if i was in your area i'd offer my tank to help hold some of your corals....maybe someone in your area will help u

[loosbrew]

Cycling shouldnt be that big of an issue if you have well cycled LR. I would..

1. start RO to fill new tank
2. purchase replacement
3. drain the old tank if not already
4. purchase new sand if you have any.
5. add a few cups of the old sand if any
6. fill tank with fresh water and some water form the rubbermaids.
7. test everything
8.once the salinit has stableized and the water doesnt test porrly, add the livestock and monitor closely


Good Luck!

Luis

[scuba cam]

you could silicon the crap out of it use your tank you have already

[BiG_KiD]

Will replacing all the sand help keep cycling time down?.. also any thoughts on bow front reef tanks.. I searched the arcives but didn't find a whole lot.. I am soooo upset right now.. I had my hippo for about a year and a half.. poor little guy.. he was beautiful with no lateral line problems...

If anything tank failure has lead me to want something bigger.. I also forgot to mention that I am moving in december.. hence the question about keeping livestock in the rubbermaid.. I don't wanna setup the tank get everything settled in and have to move it again.. THanks for the speedy reply..

[tekknoschtev]

As long as you maintain the rubbermaid tubs just as you would maintain your tank, and as long as it has aqequate space, I dont see any reason why you couldnt feasably leave them in there until december. I understand your concerns, but I have experience on a much smaller scale.

It sucks that your tank sprang a leak. I personally am a fan of a "normal" tank or a cube. I drool over the oceanic cube at the LFS over here. I dont like the bow fronts, but mostly from an aetetic standpoint. They seem to be nice tanks overall though, so i think its more of a personal preference.

Good luck and hopefully everything works out.

[afishyonados]

Please do not replace your entire sand bed. It would only get worse.
I would suggest stirring the sand in water you could discard. Since you don't have much left, (I am not laughing) pre-mix 20 or so gallons to the same parameters of your tubs. Use that to clean the substrate. I would put the tub with the sand on the tank stand and siphon the detritus out completely. This should prevent nutrient explosions.
Best wishes!

[Shooter7]

What part of IL are you in?

[asfullax]

I agree, if you can keep the sand in a temp container with yout LR while you get the new tank, use it all. just fill with RO, drop in the sand and LR, let it settle and you should be good. what I am worried about is the lighting. Rubbermaids are not heat resistant, and with the water weight and the light, you may wind up melting the container. The small space comes in at #2 concern.

IMO...Out of all of our tanks (over 10) the only one we ever had a problem with was out 46 bowfront. The bottom seal went out, midnight dec. 31 2001. hehe, happy new year?!? I don't think so. luckilly my wife and I have always had a backup tank ready for action so it wasent a huge problem, but we still had to clean up 46+ gallons out of the carpet. Anyway, my carpet ano. survived the 24 hour holding period no problem.

good luck, and it should work out.

[loosbrew]

Heh, I am a fan of the DSB so in a case where you have a 4-6" sand bed, I would not advise using the sand from the bottom few inches, but thats just me, I'm not a fan of potentially disturbing the deep sand once its very established. If you stir the sand around you may find more detritus and "junk" than youre willing ot deal with in the main tank right off the bat. I'm finding out that people dont have DSB much anymore so go with what the others say as I have not to deal with emergency situation slike this anyway...

Personally I would feel very uncomfortable leaving my animals in a rubbermaid tub that long, just me.

Hope all goes well for you!

Luis

[chevegan]

Set up the new tank bare Bottom or faux sand bed, lots of flow and that should do it . your live rock will still be your filter and will work well as long as you have a good skimmer. I would use half old water half new. get the temp as close as u can to the tub...and viola. Seriously, it's that easy. oh, they'll be fine in the tub as long as u treat it as you did your tank. Minus the crack

as for the bow front...use anything...as long as YOU like it. that's what that comes down to. YOUR the one looking at it everyday not us.

[kbmdale]

we do not have a bowfront, but threads that i've read with people having bowfronts say that they eventually wish they hadnt gotten them. the bow on the glass(from what i've read) can make u dizzy looking into it for any amount of time, also its said that it distorts the viewing.
Again, We do NOT have a bowfront, this is just what I've read.
Chevegan makes a very good point though, YOU"RE the one looking at it everyday, not us.
Good luck, and sorry for ur lion loss
Brianna

[kbmdale]

sorry, HIPPO loss

[Shooter7]

Kinda funny, all this bow talk...I was asking where he was in IL because if he was near me, I knew there was a couple people selling 46 gal bowfronts for fairly cheap he could at least use in the immediate future. Then came the blows to the bows.

Have a 26 gal bow myself, guess we'll see how it holds up.

[kbmdale]

i wasnt smashing the bowfront idea, as i said, i dont have one, only what ive read about them
Bree

[BiG_KiD]

Okay everyone sorry for the delay in my posts had to go to work .. gotta pay for my new tank somehow.. Anyway here's an update.. Everything seems to fine so far minus the hippo.. I am thinking about going with a 90 rectangle.. after checking prices on the bow fronts it kinda scared me off.. I have been quoted everything from 1900 for oceanic with stand and top from a guy who claims " I have the best prices in town"... to 900 for the same tank.. still a little steep for me.. I think that i am going to go with a 90 from oceanic in there new metals collection for a stand and canopy.. I now a guy that has a 75 oceanic with granite finish stand and top for 200 buks.. THinking about this pretty hard too.. One major question..Is it bad to let a tank sit with no water in it?.. He said that is has been empty for around 6 months but I have no way to prove or disprove this. also it was previously freshwater with ciclids in it.. Does leaving a tank empty potentially damage the seals?..

Shooter 7 Bloomington IL...

I also use a Remora pro skimmer, maxi jet power heads and I had about 80 - 90 lbs of sand not sure of the brand but it's not southdown.. i know cause i payed way too much for it.. Also have about 60-70 lbs of fiji live rock.. Thanks for all the help.. I can't see myself leaving all my stuff in the tubs.. Probally going to get the new tank. I have moved my 55 2 times already so i know what work and i have a decent system down for it.. Thanks again for all the replies..

[wantahealthytank]

Well the tank with ciclids could be bad if it was ever treated with medications or copper because that can stay in the silicone I think. If a tank is empty too long the silicone can dry out and become brittle, but I doubt that would happen in 6 months. If the guy knows that there was never any copper added to the tank then you will probably be ok. Sorry about your tank, that is my biggest fear with mine!

[Tunguska]

I kept 2 tomato clowns, a small foxface, a hatian pink-tip anemone, and an LPS colony (LR hitchiker, reddish-brown with white tipped tentacles) for 3 months in a ~20 gal. rubbermaid. Just keep it against a wall to help prevent bowing, and keep your light higher than you normally would. It will be fine.

[BiG_KiD]

Just thought that i would give everyone an update. I have lost all my fish.. don't really know what the deal is.. I can only assume that one died and i didn't see it quick enough and it polluted my water.. My GSM was the last to die.. she was always the meanest in the tank... would never let me near her anenomes.. all 5 of them.. she has tried to bite me numerous times.. I have done water changes twice today and twice yesterday to try and get the water back up to par.. Came home tonight and my anenomies look okay.. ones starting to bleach so i moved light a little closer to my tubs.. I also moved some of my lr with things attached to a 10 gallon tank that i had laying around.. Have my light over top of it braced up with instant ocean salt buckets.. Hope i can keep my remaining things alive.. I am sooooo depressed about this.. Don't even know what to do.. i am thinking about sellng all remaining items and just getting out of the hobby..

[@LVIN]

Sorry 'bout your loss, dude. When's the replacement tank coming?


@LVIN