Now what??????:Yikes:

[Awibrandy]

Got up to something a mist in my reef! Several SPS extremely pail, some looking dead, LPS also not looking happy, PO Leathers.:Yikes:

Test everything I have test kits for found alk & calc a little low, trates a little high.
Temp 77.3
PH 8.4
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 10
Alk 6
Calc 380
Mag 1330
P04 .15
Just dosed 3.5oz Alk, and 2.5oz cal.

Since the test results were not that far off I was stumped. Checked the sump no foreign objects, noticed the skimmer was not making bubbles checked the pump, and it was not running. Pull the pump out, and there is smoke coming out of it.

Could this be the reason for the death of some of my corals?

Doing a 20% water change asap..

Forgot to mention that there was some sudsy looking bubbles on the lower side of my tank by the overflow, and the water is a bit cloudy.

 

[Quang]

that's probably it. stray voltage and/or leaked pump toxins. throw in some polypads for safe measures. good luck awi

 

[rebelson]

The pump is most likely the suspect. Sorry to hear the bad news.

 

[Awibrandy]

Thank you Quang, Rebelson!

This is a real pain in the b, neck, and to much heartache...

Just when things are looking the best some stupid equipment fails, and there goes the life's of the animals.;( That makes it 3 heaters, and now the pump to my skimmer within the past 4 years.

It seems it is a "NEVER ENDING Story" with my tank..........

 

[Quang]

:hug: hang in there.

 

[rbtwo4]

hang in there awi. could be much much worse. im just wondering if after a certain amount of time should we replace pumps and stuff like that? or does everyone have their equipment running for years and never changed them?

 

[Quang]

hang in there awi. could be much much worse. im just wondering if after a certain amount of time should we replace pumps and stuff like that? or does everyone have their equipment running for years and never changed them?

there should periodic cleanings at least. but thats for another thread :dead1: let us know how it goes awi.

 

[Awibrandy]

hang in there awi. could be much much worse. im just wondering if after a certain amount of time should we replace pumps and stuff like that? or does everyone have their equipment running for years and never changed them?

Thanks Rob! You're right it could have been much worse, but it still does not make it any easier. Especially when I see my oldest sps dead or dying.:supermad::sad2:
Pink BN, Sunrise Monti, Tri Color Valida, plus the ones I don't know the names to.

Wondering the very thing myself.:tired: How often should we replace pumps, and such?

 

[KathyC]

So sorry to hear Awilda, just when everything is going well..phooey!!
Definitely get some poly pads!

im just wondering if after a certain amount of time should we replace pumps and stuff like that? or does everyone have their equipment running for years and never changed them?

Many reefers disconnect their pumps once or twice a year to clean them and inspect them for wear & damage. You can have a cracked impeller on a Mag drive pump and won't know about it until you shut it down & try and turn it back on. It is a pump failure waiting to happen.
Folks with external pumps should vacuum out that dust/debris that accumulates in the fan end to keep them working longer.
Folks that drip Kalk should also be checking their pumps as they tend to get gummed up after a period of time.

As our pumps are nothing but a machine, we should always have a back up plan in place in the event something breaks. If your return is a single pump, best to have a spare one on hand and a variety of other pumps in case a skimmer or power head goes down. This is where the less expensive types of pumps come in handy Always good to peruse our For Sale Forum for items like these - a lot of peace of mind!!

Sorry for the hijack Awilda!! :hug:

 

[Awibrandy]

there should periodic cleanings at least. but thats for another thread :dead1: let us know how it goes awi.

Absolutely Quang! But the question still stands; should we, and how often should we replace the equipment?
It seems (to me anyway) that equipment failure happens with no warning what so ever. How many Excellent reefers have we lost to stupid equipment failure, and not necessarily cheap equipment either?

 

[Awibrandy]

So sorry to hear Awilda, just when everything is going well..phooey!!
Definitely get some poly pads!



Many reefers disconnect their pumps once or twice a year to clean them and inspect them for wear & damage. You can have a cracked impeller on a Mag drive pump and won't know about it until you shut it down & try and turn it back on. It is a pump failure waiting to happen.
Folks with external pumps should vacuum out that dust/debris that accumulates in the fan end to keep them working longer.
Folks that drip Kalk should also be checking their pumps as they tend to get gummed up after a period of time.

As our pumps are nothing but a machine, we should always have a back up plan in place in the event something breaks. If your return is a single pump, best to have a spare one on hand and a variety of other pumps in case a skimmer or power head goes down. This is where the less expensive types of pumps come in handy Always good to peruse our For Sale Forum for items like these - a lot of peace of mind!!

Sorry for the hijack Awilda!! :hug:

Thanks Kathy!
I don't think your post is a hijack as it sort of pertains to the subject at hand.
Problem is that many times (which is what has happened to me 4 X now) there is no warning. I do clean, and inspect yet I have had things go array with no warning. As a matter of fact the pump that just died on me shows no sign of wear. Only reason I know that it died is that it was not running, and when pulled from the sump I saw smoke coming out of it.
So how is one to know when a certain piece of equipment is about to crap out? You clean them, inspect for cracks, corrosion, swells, discoloration periodically, and all seems well then suddenly it quits, blows up, or what have you.

 

[jerl77]

hope you paid your life insurance lol
if you need anything let me know

 

[Awibrandy]

Thanks Jerl!!!

Ah yes, insurance paid up.lol

Guys/gals, this is unbelievable I just found another dead pump.arggggggggggggggggggggggggggg This other dead pump is to my gfo & carb reactors.:sigh:

WTH, they were both working on Friday...

 

[jerl77]

love you rangehat

 

[CHEMCHEF]

Sorry to hear this Awi. I'm sure you realize this is not at all your fault. The reality is that it would be very inconvenient to check all pumps, heaters, and various mechnical equipment on a weekly basis, and even if we all did that, the pump would crap out on Wednesday after checking it on Monday!!!
People are suggesting poly pads wich is a grat idea. But I would put a buttload of carbon in your reactor. Maybe even fill both reactors with carbon and scrap the phos for a week or so.
I would imagine a big water change would help too.
Please enlist the help of your son for all the heavy lifting.
LMK if I can help you in some way.

 

[rbtwo4]

hey Awi how long did u have these pumps? makes me wonder now if we should use these pumps for a year then rotate them with another for a year and so on and so on. i might re-think this and get a 2nd pump down the road.

 

[duke62]

sorry awilda that really blows.i am nervous aout my heater since ive had it for 3 years now and ready to switch it out for a new one.but then in the back of my mind i imagine getting a new heater and that crapping out on me in a few weeks and then kicking myself for switching.i have some frags for you when your back up and running again

 

[Awibrandy]

Thanks Jeremy, James!:hug:

Water change done, and got the reactors going again! I stole a pump from the qt/hospital tank.
Got to order more pumps. Guess 4+ years for maxi jet pumps is the extent of their life.
Don't know how old the Sedra was since I got it used.

Waiting to hear back from a member about the skimmer he had for sale.

 

[duke62]

awilda look into the vertex simmer.tey are nicely priced.also there customer service is top notch.im now staying away from used equipment.

 

[rbtwo4]

damn 4 years is a long time