Tank just hit 90!!

[fawkes027]

So I get up this morning to find my tank at a steamy 90 degrees. Don't know why. Think maybe my heater was malfunctioning as the tank had been dark since the previous night.

I hurried up and opened the canopy up more, added a huge ice pack and proceeded to start chilling some of my water. Long story short, it's been almost 3 hours and I've now gotten down to 85. What a scare! Here's a warning to all - check your tank temperature regularly! I don't think it was at 90 for long as nothing seems dead or anything. I think perhaps I caught it just in time.

 

[dad300]

Sounds like a heater went bad. I had a heater go bad last winter and the tank got to 96 for a very short period of time. I didn't have much in the tank so I didn't lose anything but....I check my temps every day at least once.

 

[Scarfish]

can't ick surface after a temp change? You might wanna just start feeding your fish soaked in garlic just to be safe.

 

[Moe_K]

I had a big heat spike like that.
A nice pink birdsnest that SteveSCG gave me bleached out like a mofo.
Most of my other corals were fine after the temp came back down.

My temp spike was because I messed with my heater. I didn't think it was keeping the tank warm enough during the winter. Turns out I turned it up waaaay too high. Dummy me.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

My tank went up to 85 yesterday, I forgot I isolated the 75g from the main system. So there was less water for the lights to heat up. I caught it at 84, edged up to 85 by the time the cooling took effect.
Had the A/C on today, 83 max. I realyy need to hookup a permanent fan, right now I just have a clip on

 

[fawkes027]

I'll keep my eyes out for Ich. It's never surfaced in this system so far. Hoping it won't. Of course if that's all I get, I'm lucky. I'd have been heart broken if I didn't catch this and lost things.

 

[fawkes027]

Possible casualties:

my colt coral is leaning over limp
my BTA's mouth is gaping (first time this has happened)

Should I wait and see what happens?

 

[Groove]

I'd wait. Keep a close eye on your skimmer. When my tank started to melt down my skimmer went nuts. You may also want to have some water change water handy in case things start to look bad.

Good luck.

 

[Cheeks69]

I'll keep my eyes out for Ich. It's never surfaced in this system so far.

If you quarantined your fish and it was never introduced to your system then I wouldn't worry about Ich. The BTA I would watch out for and if it continues to decline I would consider removing it.

 

[fawkes027]

The skimmer should be all set. I took it out and cleaned it all up just to be sure. I've got water ready and waiting should I need it for an emergency. Thanks everyone!

 

[fawkes027]

And all my fish have been quarantined for minimum of 4 weeks. I've never had Ich in this system. I was too afraid of having to try and catch them if they did.

 

[Cheeks69]

I wish ya the best of luck fawkes027 and hope your tank makes a full recovery.

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

just because ich has never been in your system and the fish were quarantined for a long time does not mean that it can not show up. a lot of fish can carry ich but not show symptoms or even have it affect them. it is when they become stressed that the ich becomes a problem for them. just keep an eye out and be ready to treat as soon as you see it.

 

[fawkes027]

Update:

Colt coral - gone
tree coral - gone
one of the sps frags I got from Armando is totally white and another is following behind it. Will these recover?
BTA - mouth still gaping, still shrunk.

Ugh. Fish are okay. Eating and very active. No white spots.

Tank temperature back down to a very reasonable range along with my blood pressure.

 

[Cheeks69]

just because ich has never been in your system and the fish were quarantined for a long time does not mean that it can not show up. a lot of fish can carry ich but not show symptoms or even have it affect them. it is when they become stressed that the ich becomes a problem for them.

"It is a common misconception among hobbyists that fish must be in a weakened state before they are susceptible to infection with Cryptocaryon irritans. Stress is a factor as it does reduce immune function in fish. This makes it less likely that fish will develop some level of acquired immunity after becoming infected. However, stress (or weakened condition) is not a prerequisite to infection with Cryptocaryon irritans. Healthy fish that are not unduly stressed are susceptible to infection upon exposure to this pathogen.

Another commonly held belief among hobbyists is that Cryptocaryon irritans (ich) is always present in every marine aquarium. They mistakenly liken ?ich? to an opportunistic bacteria or other pathogen that is always present within the aquarium and assume that it only becomes problematic if the fish are in a weakened state (i.e. poor water quality, or diet). Those that hold to this belief often downplay the importance of preventive measures such as quarantining new acquisitions prior to placing them into display aquariums. Cryptocaryon irritans must be introduced into the aquarium before an infection can develop. Generally, this parasite is imported into a system or aquarium with infected fish. Failing to quarantine these new additions puts the established stock at a much greater risk of infection. It is also more difficult and problematic to treat disease outbreaks in a display aquarium; especially those that contain live rock, or invertebrates."


http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/mini1.htm

Sorry for the hijack fawkes027 and for your losses

 

[Adam Stone]

boy do I Know how it feels to have your fishtank hit a really high temp

i had to move the ballasts to the side of the tank, and move the lights up a bit Its been fine since, the highest its hit since was like 84

 

[Cheeks69]

When I added a 250w MH retrokit to my canopy my tank was hitting 86 degrees and that's with the bulb 12" above the water and 2 speed variable fans blowing across the top of the tank. I have to leave the canopy door open and have a large fan blowing directly at it to keep from going above 84.