Complete Reeftank Disaster!!!!!!!

[JLAudio]

I just got home from a 4 day vacation up north and evryone of my corals is bleached completely white. EVen my sps corals are dead, EVERYTHING except for a cpl polyp rocks. They were some colonies I had for over a year and some since I started 5 years ago.

My gf's mother was tending to the tank and only told to add top off water when needed and given careful instruction on amounts. Also only told to add small pinch of food twice in 4 day period.

I am somewhat clueless. I know during the period there was a problemn with my tank and my chiller feed pump died, and my gf's mother ran AC in room in mean time. It was 90 when she called me tell emand the next day it was 78 with AC on and halide light 20" above tank to keep heat down.

Only other possibilities is one of the power stips with my t5 actiunics was off, could my landlord have turned them off in an attempt to save money?

What could completely beach corals from saturday to today like that

Must it have been a chemical or could temperature and inadequate lighting of did this,

PLEASE HELPPP!

 

[nanchil]

Sorry to hear that... Since I am a newbie couldnt be much help. Sorry.

 

[JLAudio]

Im freaking out, COuld it have been the temp fluctuation in such a short period of time that did that? Lack of lighting what could kill coral so fast?

 

[ssmtcarlo]

I think the tank being at 90 was the cause.

 

[JLAudio]

My feed pump for chiller has been working fine all of a sudden it stops when im on vacation, I dont think I can recover from this one

 

[jackson6745]

Yep, Was the temp IMO. Sorry to hear. If I had a larger tank going I would hook you up.

 

[nanoreefer22]

I agree, I'd say it was the temperature swing. Somehow things ALWAYS go wrong when you're on vacation, ALWAYS!

Very sad to hear what happened to your tank

 

[lazibonez]

Jason, very sorry for the lost. I agree with everyone on the high temp.

 

[NYreefNoob]

sps can go atleast a few days with no light, know from experiance on that, and as with the rest a 90 degree temp for a day or more would have done it

 

[Chongpark27]

sorry about ur loss. Sounds like the temp was the cause.

 

[ZZROCOOL]

that really sucks def. the temp

 

[JLAudio]

Yea, i Dont know if I have the guts to try this again, I was honestly content and was anxious to see my tank like a family member and all I saw was the whitest coral you could imagine, even my hammer, candy cane and brane. 90 degrees a temp swing could do that much damage?

 

[JLAudio]

oh and due to my insane reaction (borderline psychotic, head punching, screaming throwing objects etc.) my girlfriend left and I now im officially depressed

 

[daaznmofo]

did any fish or inverts die if you had any?

 

[meagheavz]

ur gonna be OCD with ur next tank.. i used to hav a wet/dry that would over flow and flood, and then i had a clown jump once becuz of a loud noise. now before i leave, i makea check list and like stair at my tank and count the fish over and over. im like fing late for **** all the time now becuz im scared my fish will jump or something else would go wrong

 

[Dace]

oh and due to my insane reaction (borderline psychotic, head punching, screaming throwing objects etc.) my girlfriend left and I now im officially depressed

Been there, you need to take a step back and take some time to relax, i know it's hard, but try your best, as for you losing everything i'm sure once you get you tank up to the correct levels and it's stable, we can start a thread and get you back and running with some donations from the members on this site, they did it for me. I will be donating some sps frags to you when your ready, just let me know.
David

 

[fernandokng]

So sorry to hear man. These things are so tough. Good luck.

 

[Bob 1000]

Sorry to here this... I cut my vacae in half to check on my tank, to find that my calcium reactor (fed by gravity) had stopped... Co2 was filling up the reactor... Effluent wasn't dripping out..
Good thing my mother wanted to come up to the vacation home... Now I'll be driving 3 hours back up there for 3 more days,,,lol...
I love this hobby...

If you fall get right back up and learn from your mistake... My reactor will get a MJ on saturday... No more stops for me...
Can you say reefaddiction.. Cost me $90 to get back down here and back,, in gas...

 

[JLAudio]

Been there, you need to take a step back and take some time to relax, i know it's hard, but try your best, as for you losing everything i'm sure once you get you tank up to the correct levels and it's stable, we can start a thread and get you back and running with some donations from the members on this site, they did it for me. I will be donating some sps frags to you when your ready, just let me know.
David

Im honestly blown away by your generosity, and kindness. Im currently out of the house having some wine with my pops sulking. GF is still not talking to me but im not stressing that, im just dredding removing all the bleached corals. I mean a 12" X 8" acropora and a many many, huge colonies all as white as a ghost.

I did notice some fish swimming. But didnt check for other things. I had to leave immediately because I was gonna do something stupid. My crazy thoughts lead me to believe my landlord might have turned off power to save money and this could have been malfunctionin. I wanted to flip out on them but I got in my car and got away, either way I need somne3 time away to think and relax and accept the $$$ loss and over complete distruction of my prize and joy, one that was recently refered to by a fellow hobbyist as "the best tank he's ever seen in a house or store" (albeit he hasnt seen many of your tanks but still).

Its gotta be a $2000 worth of coral loss. I will post pics when I return to house of horrors

 

[alfani]

i don't see how during the 4 day period it could swing like that. in what the way the temp was brought down to 78? how long was the tank in 90

day 1. chiller fail, temp slowly goes up
day 2. temp at 90
day 3. temp back to 78
day 4. back but everything bleached

many of us don't have chiller, so i don't know how the temp reaches 90, the room must have been close to 100, this would be unlikely if there is someone in the house

something else much have cause the raise in temp besides chiller failure