There is a saying out there that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In literal terms, this means the strength of a chain is limited to that of the weakest link in the chain, even if other links are stronger.

I believe reef keepers should take this saying to heart. There are many things that can cause a reef tank to take a nosedive and spiral out of control. A return pump could seize up, a needle valve on a C02 tank feeding a calcium reactor could malfunction and dump excess C02 into the tank, a dosing line could get clogged, and so on.

Have a Solid Plan in Place
Many of these things can be prevented with regular maintenance but sometimes misfortune can be caused by poor planning or a faulty design when setting up equipment.

For instance, I have a float switch in my sump that is designed to kill my auto top-off when the water hits a certain level in my sump. The problem is this float switch is positioned too high in my sump so by the time it is tripped my salinity will plummet. MORE