Why do tanks crash?

[viperfish]

Originally Posted by Snappy

As they say - there are two types of reefer's ------those who have had their tank crash and those who haven't -----------------yet!

I have had too many different issues and things go wrong I couldn't list them all. (especially since I don't know some of the causes)

... but the main thing is we're too stubborn to give up!

... and we're lucky to have wives who don't mind a little water on the floor!

[PoonTang]

I had a full crash caused by a design flaw which led to electrical failure which led to no flow and low oxygen levels. I also had a nano crash when a heater got stuck.

[christyf5]

two partial crashes, one a SE bulb broke the outer casing and continued to work, irradiating one side of the tank with UV killing 3 fish and a multitude of corals.

Second crash was due to reefer stupidity (not listed, I selected temperature deviation): moving the tank at the end of the day (an all day move) and left the livestock on a cool concrete floor (it didn't feel all that cold at the time) while I took a dinner break. Then put the corals into the tank without matching the temperature. The colonies in the coolest water started to RTN and caused a cascade effect that took 2 weeks of massive waterchanges to get the ammonia down to an acceptable level where it wouldn't cause issues for the rest of the corals. I lost most of my larger colonies, didn't lose any fish though (they were in an insulated cooler).

[Lance]

One partial crash: An electric fan fell apart and into the sump, which tripped the
GFCI. Fish & critters came out ok but lost many corals. Not entirely sure if the problem was the oil in the fan getting into the water or a good jolt before the breaker tripped; or maybe a combination of both.

[amoreira]

My tank crashed due to the recirculation pump (from the sump to the DT) failing overnight. The oxygen levels in the DT fell and all the fish died. I think most crashes happen as a result of equipment failure. Cheap equipment is more prone to failure. For instance, many opt for cheaper pumps, which fail as they have a big demand on them (running 24x7 for years at a time). Cheap heaters will get stuck on and cause overheating. Skimmers overflowing will empty out the sump, etc.. IMO, get the best equipment you can afford. After all, it is a life support system for your precious reeflife. Losing them can be a big shock too (always use a GFCI).

[lastlight]

I think the ideal thing to do is run a pair of smaller pumps. Or (if your system is small enough) run an eheim. i'd bet my life on one =)

[Lampshade]

I agree, i lost all my coral and inverts when starting out due to a cheap heater sticking on. My advice to anyone starting out on a budget is that good used stuff is better than shiny new crap.

[Maverick00]

been lucky so far but a controller is defiantly next on the list, the network camera only goes so far when im out of town..

[Strickland_673]

FULL CRASH!!! Front pane of my 55g completely blew out.

[MKLKT]

Had a leathers vs. LPS chemical war which resulted in the LPS dead but otherwise no crashes. *knocks on tank stand* I've never had a single dead fish/invert cause problems which is nice, don't need to feel in a panic if that does happen, they pretty much just become food.

[edit] My skimmer pumped 2 gallons of water on the floor because I didn't tighten it properly one time, but luckily I only run it 12hrs on during the night so it didn't have a chance to really do much.