New Sump BIG PROBLEMS!! HELP

[scherzo]

How long did you wait for the silicone to cure before filling? Everyone is correct.. Never use silicone with mildew resistant additives.

I'm not an expert but I'd I had done this by accident I wouldn't necessarily worry about my bacteria being killed off but more that it was actually killing my corals. I would also worry about other things leaching into my live rock and staying there permanently. If you have to wait until tomorrow then do so but I would get it out out ASAP and then do a couple of pretty substantial water changes to try and get rid of what has leached into the water.

[yellowworld]

Thanks, should i be worried about it continuing to leach into the water? should i pull the sump and change all the silicone? or should i just do a few heavy water changes? secondly how come only my corals have been effected by it? my fish and crabs and snails are all more then healthy, no breathing problems or loss of appetite and they are all still very active

[tinman]

If it were me I would pull the sump if possible and do a water change and also get some carbon going in a high flow canister filter.......go to home hardware they have the silicone you need says right on the tube aquarium safe and cheap like 3 big tubes for 10 bucks. Then redo the sump and razor blade it super clean,rebuild it and let it set up for 24 hours then you should be good to go.

[scherzo]

It is tough to say. Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe something will leach out over a long period of time. Who knows... people just say not to use silicone with mold resistance in it.

I guess you could be our guinea pig and let us know how things are doing in a few months.

If it were me, I would have ripped everything out and re-done it because I don't like the risk. But if you have had no problems with it before then let us know if anything bad happens.

I was suggesting the water change only after you changed the silicone (if you changed it) to make sure that any chemicals that were leached into your water was reduced so that it would be less concentrated. Doing it now may or may not do anything since you are just keeping it as is.

Originally Posted by yellowworld

Thanks, should i be worried about it continuing to leach into the water? should i pull the sump and change all the silicone? or should i just do a few heavy water changes? secondly how come only my corals have been effected by it? my fish and crabs and snails are all more then healthy, no breathing problems or loss of appetite and they are all still very active

[tinman]

Originally Posted by yellowworld

Thanks, should i be worried about it continuing to leach into the water? should i pull the sump and change all the silicone? or should i just do a few heavy water changes? secondly how come only my corals have been effected by it? my fish and crabs and snails are all more then healthy, no breathing problems or loss of appetite and they are all still very active

Fish have a liver corals dont

[yellowworld]

I removed all my fish and corals and put them back into a 35g tank that i was about to tare down but didnt, thank god there are only 24hrs in a day. I left the silicone as is, I have used it before on othere systems without any problems but looking back i did do something different.

Before i let it set up for 24hrs then ran water through the sump (self contained using the return pump and a hose to make it cycle) for another 24hrs. then drained it and put it into the system.

This time due to massive thunder showers i had to skip that step and only let it setup for about 24hrs cus i was concerned the power might go out when i was at work and flood my house cus i was using a small back up tank and as sump for the night that i built it.

so far I both systems that i did that way are running very well, not a problem with then at all, one is very new only a month old and the other is about a year old

First system 1 year old 35g + 10g sump


Second System, 20g + 5g sump for Girlfriend




finally my new 90g system with problem sump

[Reef23]

Nice work on the aquascape !

[yellowworld]

scaping out of everything to do with fish has to be the thing im best at. I work in construction and building and designing stuff is my strong point. To bad the sump is screwing it all up.








Quick update on the tank as well, Everything is moved out and I have done a 25g water change, and added two massive bags of carbon to the sump as well as some stability and clarity and it seems to be clearing up nicely, but time will tell