FIRE!!

[Anonymous]

The wife and I are cooking in the kitchen, getting ready for a feed at work tomorrow, for my birthday. The lights flickered a couple times and I commented about how they must be doing something up at the elevator.

She goes down to the freezer to get some Italian roast beef out that we have frozen ahead of time. Seconds later she comes running up stairs and says a fish tank is on fire.

8O

:?

How the heck does a fish tank burn up?

I go downstairs, and sure enough, there is smoke and more all the time. I can see fire ontop of the 28gal salt tank. I go over and kill the breaker. A heater has broken and the top of it is flaming away. :x

I blow that out and inspect the damage. Looks like the tank is unharmed, but there is busted glass in the tank from the heater. I will have to check the rim real good as these AllGlass tanks have a plastic rim around the top. But in bad light and a bit of smoke it looked ok.

Got the smoke cleared out in 5 min or so. Amazing, no breakers or GFI popped. A flicker, that you would have thought should have, but didn't.

Glad we were home when it happened and walked in on it.

So, anyone else ever had a glass heater go bad?





(btw Len, it's awfully bright up topside. 8) )

 

[Unarce]

Wow, close call! Glad everything and everyone's okay!

 

[Anonymous]

Wow!!!!! Definately close call, BB. Thanks god for the GFCI.

gag, gag, cough, cough Must leave now. Can't breathe with all of this clean air.

 

[Anonymous]

8O Wowsers! Did you get any current in the tank...how's the tank looking?


BTW...I hage you for tricking me topside

 

[Anonymous]

A whole fish store in Danville, CA flamed out a couple of years ago. They went out of business soon afterward. I roached a ballast that smelled pretty bad, but no open flames.

The GFCI wouldn't do shi'ite to help in this case (unless you stuck your hand in the tank to complete the circuit).

As long as the glass didn't crack, you should be ok.

BTW, why do you need a heater. Sounds like you need more lights.

 

[Anonymous]

Dan Connor had a catastrophic fire under his fish tank when he went away on vacation, IIRC.

 

[bleedingthought]

Maybe the fish didn't get enough fireworks on the 4th?! :wink:

 

[Len]

Ee 8O Good to hear things are okay, and sorry that your visit topside stems from such unfortunate circumstances. Rest assured, your eyes will acclimate in a few days.

 

[Anonymous]

Yikes. Glad to here all is well.

 

[Anonymous]

A whole fish store in Danville, CA flamed out a couple of years ago. They went out of business soon afterward. I roached a ballast that smelled pretty bad, but no open flames.

The GFCI wouldn't do shi'ite to help in this case (unless you stuck your hand in the tank to complete the circuit).

As long as the glass didn't crack, you should be ok.

BTW, why do you need a heater. Sounds like you need more lights.

Yeah, maybe this is the excuse to get those metal halide lights I have been wanting. And replumb everything. Maybe I should just do it and ask forgiveness for not asking permission from the wife.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, maybe this is the excuse to get those metal halide lights I have been wanting. And replumb everything. Maybe I should just do it and ask forgiveness for not asking permission from the wife.

Yeah...like that'll work!

 

[SnowManSnow]

holy crap!

 

[Anonymous]

8O

 

[Anonymous]

I think if insurance companies picked up on what a fire hazard our little hobby is, none of us could afford insurance.

High voltage and salt water, really hot light bulbs and ballasts. Bad combination.

 

[Anonymous]

I just took down my once pride and joy tank today, as it had really tanked. Now my evil hag is suggesting we not get a new one or put this one back up.

:?

 

[jent46bow]

Was it a submersible heater or one of those that hangs off the sides?

I have heared this before from those ones that hang off the sides and salt water aquariums. There is no seal and salt water gets in them and causes a short. ALWAYS use a submersible heater for saltwater (or silicone the top of those heaters so **** can't get in them).

I doubt it is an issue since you caught it so early but you said there was broken glass in the aquraium. Those heater coils are usally made of copper, and if they contacted the water they may have released a little copper into the tank. There are chemical methods you may try to remove copper (just to be on the safe side)

Glad to hear everything is alright

 

[Anonymous]

Was there a grounding probe in the tank? I'm really glad the damage was minor. Close call for sure! What brand of heater?

 

[Anonymous]

Nope, no grounding probe.

It was an older Acura 150w. The top has never been submerged, but salt creep or something probably got inside.

I have needed to tear it down anyway. Guess I have an excuse now.

What I really wanted to do was to plump the 75gal, the 29gal and a 45gal picture window together and use a rubbermaid 325 gal livestock tank as a sump. Nice big project and I am positive that the wifey will support doing so.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice big project and I am positive that the wifey will support doing so.

Yours too huh?