I wont make that mistake again

bensr20det · 09/01/2012, 11:57 AM

So I decided to do a little cleaning today. As I was scraping the algae from the glass I noticed nothing was coming out of my canister filter. I know a canister isn't the best thing to use but I only run filter floss in there and I change it once a week, it keeps the water nice and clear. Anyways I turned it off two days ago when I feed everyone. Not thinking anything about it I plugged it back in. The first thing to shoot out was about 20 copepods, I was thinking "Awesome I should do this more often." Then as I am watching the fish eat up I start to smell something. I look around to see if my dog was close but he wasn't. Sometimes he is able to make some pretty nasty smells. The smell got much stronger and a lot nastier. I stuck my nose up by the rim of the tank and oh boy, it was bad. So I turned everything off, scrubbed the filter, did a 10% WC, and cleaned up my skimmer. I am going to do another 10% once my RO unit makes it. Has anyone else ever done something silly like this? lesson learned - Check the filter after feeding and turn that sucker back on!

planedoc · 09/01/2012, 12:14 PM

It's not as bad as it ...a smells I guess. Your tank will be ok. I built a timer switch just for this problem. It's kind of complicated but goes like this. You run you pump power through a normally closed relay circuit. Pump is always on. You take a simple fan timer and wire it to energize/ open the relay turning off your pump . When the timer runs out pump comes back on. No forgetting. Here is what it looks like on side of tank.

bensr20det · 09/01/2012, 12:21 PM

I didn't figure it was too bad for the tank, just bad for me when the wife gets home and she walks into the bedroom where the tank is and it hits her in the face. That timer is very fancy, I think I will be heading to home depot later this evening to get working on this setup for myself. Thanks for the idea.

planedoc · 09/01/2012, 12:37 PM

You need a sealed spdt (single pole double throw) 120 v relay. Proballt won't find at HD
http://www.google.com/shopping/produ...=0CGcQ8wIwAjge

dzfish17 · 09/01/2012, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bensr20det

I didn't figure it was too bad for the tank, just bad for me when the wife gets home and she walks into the bedroom where the tank is and it hits her in the face. That timer is very fancy, I think I will be heading to home depot later this evening to get working on this setup for myself. Thanks for the idea.

There have been reports of complete tank crashes when doing this... youre just lucky it didnt get nastier in that CF.

bensr20det · 09/01/2012, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by planedoc

You need a sealed spdt (single pole double throw) 120 v relay. Proballt won't find at HD
http://www.google.com/shopping/produ...=0CGcQ8wIwAjge

Thanks for the info. I will check some of the spa store then or just order two from online. I think it would be nice to have my filter and skimmer each on one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dzfish17

There have been reports of complete tank crashes when doing this... youre just lucky it didnt get nastier in that CF.

So what was actually going on in there while it was turned off and what did I send into the tank when I turned it back on?

dzfish17 · 09/01/2012, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bensr20det

So what was actually going on in there while it was turned off and what did I send into the tank when I turned it back on?

From my understanding, the aerobic bacteria in the canister filter starve from a lack of oxygen and start to die while anaerobic bacteria multiply (from ditritus and dead aerobic bacteria). The anaerobic bacteria are toxic and when the filter is turned on... tank crash. I dont really know what Im talking about, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

dan-in-gr · 09/01/2012, 04:29 PM

Ah the smell could not be as bad as what I went through last Sept. I moved and my son put the live sand in two 5 gal buckets and extra rock in a 5 gal bucket, all three had tops on and sat in the sun on my back deck, I went to set up the tank in October. The smell was incredible from dead bacteria, anyways I put it in new tank, knowing the skimmer would take care of it, my living room smelled for three days.

Well the smell from that was gone and decided to put bio-pellet reactor back in after the new setup was running, the bio-pellet reactor was also stored wet for nearly two months now - another stench problem for a couple of days.

09/01/2012, 11:57 AM	#1
bensr20det Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Louisville Ky Posts: 54	I wont make that mistake again So I decided to do a little cleaning today. As I was scraping the algae from the glass I noticed nothing was coming out of my canister filter. I know a canister isn't the best thing to use but I only run filter floss in there and I change it once a week, it keeps the water nice and clear. Anyways I turned it off two days ago when I feed everyone. Not thinking anything about it I plugged it back in. The first thing to shoot out was about 20 copepods, I was thinking "Awesome I should do this more often." Then as I am watching the fish eat up I start to smell something. I look around to see if my dog was close but he wasn't. Sometimes he is able to make some pretty nasty smells. The smell got much stronger and a lot nastier. I stuck my nose up by the rim of the tank and oh boy, it was bad. So I turned everything off, scrubbed the filter, did a 10% WC, and cleaned up my skimmer. I am going to do another 10% once my RO unit makes it. Has anyone else ever done something silly like this? lesson learned - Check the filter after feeding and turn that sucker back on! __________________ “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” - Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: 55 gallon reef, 75lbs of LR, Current USA Outer Orbit 48 w/ 2x130watt actinics and 2x150watt HQI 10000K, Reef Octopus HOB BH-1000 Last edited by bensr20det; 09/01/2012 at 12:22 PM.

09/01/2012, 12:21 PM	#3
bensr20det Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Louisville Ky Posts: 54	I didn't figure it was too bad for the tank, just bad for me when the wife gets home and she walks into the bedroom where the tank is and it hits her in the face. That timer is very fancy, I think I will be heading to home depot later this evening to get working on this setup for myself. Thanks for the idea. __________________ “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” - Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: 55 gallon reef, 75lbs of LR, Current USA Outer Orbit 48 w/ 2x130watt actinics and 2x150watt HQI 10000K, Reef Octopus HOB BH-1000

09/01/2012, 12:14 PM	#2
planedoc Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 535	It's not as bad as it ...a smells I guess. Your tank will be ok. I built a timer switch just for this problem. It's kind of complicated but goes like this. You run you pump power through a normally closed relay circuit. Pump is always on. You take a simple fan timer and wire it to energize/ open the relay turning off your pump . When the timer runs out pump comes back on. No forgetting. Here is what it looks like on side of tank.

09/01/2012, 12:37 PM	#4
planedoc Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 535	You need a sealed spdt (single pole double throw) 120 v relay. Proballt won't find at HD http://www.google.com/shopping/produ...=0CGcQ8wIwAjge

09/01/2012, 04:29 PM	#8
dan-in-gr Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 385	Ah the smell could not be as bad as what I went through last Sept. I moved and my son put the live sand in two 5 gal buckets and extra rock in a 5 gal bucket, all three had tops on and sat in the sun on my back deck, I went to set up the tank in October. The smell was incredible from dead bacteria, anyways I put it in new tank, knowing the skimmer would take care of it, my living room smelled for three days. Well the smell from that was gone and decided to put bio-pellet reactor back in after the new setup was running, the bio-pellet reactor was also stored wet for nearly two months now - another stench problem for a couple of days.