Left tank for 2 months, what to expect

Bmgrocks · 01/02/2008, 07:00 AM

Well, had xmas break and my college is on a trimester, meaning i have 3 quarters, got off around thanksgiving, and go back jan 5, giving me a chance to go home, work and make more money for these reef tanks.

I left an 12 Aquapod HQI, at school, Filled it to the top, turned off the halides, and left. I had a AC 70 that was normally a fuge filled with chaeto, since i left, and knew the chaeto would die w/o light i replaced it with carbon, and left it running. The tank had all livestock taken out, except 3 snails-i completely forgot about them, and was left with 20lbs of LR and 15lbs LS.

When I get back to school on Saturday, what should I expect besides ton's of evaporation? BTW i did leave the glass top. All Livestock is being held at the LFS on campus.

SaltyDr · 01/02/2008, 08:01 AM

If you had a lot of evap then the SG will be through the roof. Id check that first. You'll need to get that back to normal, but do it slowly. If it went too high and killed everything, I'd just cook the rocks for a couple of weeks and then reseed it with a few small pieces of cured new LR.

m2434 · 01/02/2008, 09:15 AM

I don't know, but bring a camera.

Bmgrocks · 01/02/2008, 01:42 PM

So would my LR be dead, and I guess its safe to assume my snails are gone as well...

If i completely changed all the water say 80%, would my LR and LS be established enough, to not prevent a cycle or would the beneficial bacteria be killed if i had a major SG spike?

reeferman00 · 01/02/2008, 02:43 PM

where are you from in maryland?
what college?

rustybucket145 · 01/02/2008, 02:57 PM

I don't think it will be that bad. You may have a hair algae problem but I'd guess that all the snails are fine (unless they've gotten turned over) The salinity was raised very slowly due to evaporation so I'd suggest lowering it very slowly over the course of a week or two. Doing this will allow the bacteria time to adjust to the higher salinity. Other than that I think you're good to go.... as long as the entire tank isn't empty.

Depending upon your setup I'd be greatly concerned with the sump running dry and the pump burning out, melting and otherwise catching on fire or electrocuting the tank.

Bmgrocks · 01/02/2008, 04:55 PM

I doubt i'd have Hair Algae, since there was no light to fuel algae Growth? None of the pumps would have run dry, they're at the bottom of the tank, and the intake of the AC Filter goes down pretty far..

I'm from rockville/bethesda
Attend Ohio University

01/02/2008, 07:00 AM	#1
Bmgrocks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,006	Left tank for 2 months, what to expect Well, had xmas break and my college is on a trimester, meaning i have 3 quarters, got off around thanksgiving, and go back jan 5, giving me a chance to go home, work and make more money for these reef tanks. I left an 12 Aquapod HQI, at school, Filled it to the top, turned off the halides, and left. I had a AC 70 that was normally a fuge filled with chaeto, since i left, and knew the chaeto would die w/o light i replaced it with carbon, and left it running. The tank had all livestock taken out, except 3 snails-i completely forgot about them, and was left with 20lbs of LR and 15lbs LS. When I get back to school on Saturday, what should I expect besides ton's of evaporation? BTW i did leave the glass top. All Livestock is being held at the LFS on campus. Last edited by Bmgrocks; 01/02/2008 at 07:25 AM.

01/02/2008, 09:15 AM	#3
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	I don't know, but bring a camera. __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

01/02/2008, 02:57 PM	#6
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	I don't think it will be that bad. You may have a hair algae problem but I'd guess that all the snails are fine (unless they've gotten turned over) The salinity was raised very slowly due to evaporation so I'd suggest lowering it very slowly over the course of a week or two. Doing this will allow the bacteria time to adjust to the higher salinity. Other than that I think you're good to go.... as long as the entire tank isn't empty. Depending upon your setup I'd be greatly concerned with the sump running dry and the pump burning out, melting and otherwise catching on fire or electrocuting the tank. __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

01/02/2008, 08:01 AM	#2
SaltyDr Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Southwest Florida Posts: 1,191	If you had a lot of evap then the SG will be through the roof. Id check that first. You'll need to get that back to normal, but do it slowly. If it went too high and killed everything, I'd just cook the rocks for a couple of weeks and then reseed it with a few small pieces of cured new LR.

01/02/2008, 01:42 PM	#4
Bmgrocks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,006	So would my LR be dead, and I guess its safe to assume my snails are gone as well... If i completely changed all the water say 80%, would my LR and LS be established enough, to not prevent a cycle or would the beneficial bacteria be killed if i had a major SG spike?

01/02/2008, 02:43 PM	#5
reeferman00 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: maryland Posts: 189	where are you from in maryland? what college?

01/02/2008, 04:55 PM	#7
Bmgrocks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,006	I doubt i'd have Hair Algae, since there was no light to fuel algae Growth? None of the pumps would have run dry, they're at the bottom of the tank, and the intake of the AC Filter goes down pretty far.. I'm from rockville/bethesda Attend Ohio University