Came back to a DEAD TANK

[topmav1]

Went on vacation for 9 days. Had someone come check my water levels a few times and the night before I came back he told me my Toadstool looks dead...then he asked if the lights were supposed to be on. Turns out my tek light fixture bugged out and didn't turn on for what I imagine is the whole 9 days. There was one 175w halide running. Anyway, I lost 3 fish, 2 were new and one was getting bullied so who knows but all the corals are gone. Huge Toadstool, A beautiful Elegance I had for a long time GONE, Acans, A 10" rock with about 10 Hairy Mushrooms, GONE. And I mean literally gone. There's no trace of them on the rock anymore. 3 different Frogspawns, all DEAD. I can't imagine that this was all from the light issue. My calcium did drop from 450 to about 340.
I'm really down about this. Guess looking for some answers as to what could have killed the whole tank. My assumption is that something died as a result of the Calcium drop and lights and then poisoned the rest.

Tough to put yourself back into something like this when one vacation can destroy everything.

Pic of the Toadstool. Horrible.

 

[guarda]

Wow that really sucks man. Do you have a controller? If it is any consolation, I have a nice green tipped mushroom with some purple edges sized bigger than a golf ball. Yours for the taking.

 

[fishman1069]

WOW dude that sux!!! Im sorry for your oss but it definitely was from the lack of maintenance all together. The reefs we keep are pretty delicate when left alone. You have to be able to catch a problem quick! The calcium dropping that much is bad by itself. Then you have the difference in light for a long period of time. All it takes is 1 die off and everything is pretty much screwed! Especially since there was noone there to catch it and do a water change. You have to have some one thats experianced check on your tank, at least, every other day, when your on vacation.

 

[prattreef]

Sorry to hear this. If it is any consolation, it appears to me that the leather might very well recover if you improve water conditions it appears to still have polyps partially extended. They are really, really resilient animals.

 

[guarda]

Oh yeah, that leather is totally comebackable!

Sorry to hear this. If it is any consolation, it appears to me that the leather might very well recover if you improve water conditions it appears to still have polyps partially extended. They are really, really resilient animals.

 

[125reefer]

has to be something else.the calcium and lights wont kill off the fish.check everything.i might be that the toadstool could have been the culprit in the death of everything.they release a toxin when stressed and that could have resulted in the death of your tank.if you find nothing else is off with the parameters check for stray voltage and temp.

 

[jr973]

Wow that sucks bro makes me worry about my upcomin vaca I might have to start teaching my brother what to do jus in case

 

[topmav1]

Wow that really sucks man. Do you have a controller? If it is any consolation, I have a nice green tipped mushroom with some purple edges sized bigger than a golf ball. Yours for the taking.

Thanks a lot! May take you up on that soon as I get things in order...if I get it back up at all. Tough to think that all your work can fall apart so fast so I'm reserved about rebuilding.

Last night I removed the Toadstool and Elegance....so "Comebackable" is no longer an option. It was really terrible and when I touched it the whole stem fell apart and disintegrated...not to mention it stunk so bad.

 

[topmav1]

has to be something else.the calcium and lights wont kill off the fish.check everything.i might be that the toadstool could have been the culprit in the death of everything.they release a toxin when stressed and that could have resulted in the death of your tank.if you find nothing else is off with the parameters check for stray voltage and temp.

That's what I think but I wasn't around to see anything go south so who knows who was the culprit. It just looks too devastating. I think it was one thing that died and set off the chain. This was a Rapid die off. Ppl talk all the time about leaving the lights off for days at a time to curb the algae and cyano growth so don't think that was it.

 

[Chongpark27]

Sorry about your loss

 

[topmav1]

Sorry about your loss

Thanks. I'm really f'ed up about it. Didn't realize how attached you get to certain pieces let alone every coral I had. All this and I have no time to think about my Onyx clown. He was awesome.

 

[tommy1618]

sad. had something similiar happen to me, now that reefer mentioned toadstools, i think he might be right

 

[tommy1618]

btw sorry for ur loss

 

[ed51802]

Sorry for your loss bro I know how u feel lost a lot of nice corals and some fish last summer when I went on vacation funny enuff my toadstool lived and still have him. Sorry thought

Sent from my SPH-M900 using Reefs

 

[topmav1]

btw sorry for ur loss

Thanks...Reefers Beware I guess. Especially if you go on a Vacation.

 

[NYPDFrogman]

I have a few hairy mushrooms if you want, and some frags drop me a line and we will arrange something

 

[tommy1618]

yea, i have some zoos also

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

i have been there man, i took a week for a disney vacation and came home to a totaly shut down tank and all of my beautiful frontosa cichlids had become clumps of dead flesh that had began to rott , im really sorry and i share your pain .

p.s. it was my brother in law who unplugged the tank just so he would shut off the lights murderer!!!!!

 

[topmav1]

Thanks NYPD and Frogman. We'll be in touch hopefully.

Can a parasite have done this? Bought some Acans before I left...maybe a bad hitch hiker???

 

[TRIGGERMAN]

Doubtful it was a parasite..maybe the acans themselves died and wiped out the tank. I almost had a small colony of acans wipe my tank out last week. I was doing water changes the last few days I think I'm going to do another one just to be on the safe side. Don't get discouraged man $#!T happens. It happens to us all just get back up on that horse. I have some leathers and stuff I could hook you up with.