Disaster And A Word Of Warning

[qkingston]

Hi,
I wanted to share this with you since it seems really bizarre to me and I didn't consider it possible. I went to feed the fish this morning (newish tank but all going well since Feb) and I discovered the tank completely empty of water and fish all dead on the gravel! I looked around at the tank, couldn't see any obvious damage, then I noticed the plastic hose from the airpump had become detached and that is where the water was clearly sitting, well the small amount from 125 litres that wasn't on the carpet! The airpump was on the same level as the tank but as instructed by the manufacturer I had installed a non-return (check) valve near the pump outlet. I run the pump from time to time but not continuously. The plastic pipe (4mm)had detached from the check valve allowing the water to syphon out overnight and empty the tank. The pump and the heater are completely u/s having run out of water. I refilled the tank about a quarter and miraculously 1 zebra Danio, 1 algae eater and I think 1 Peppered Cory seem ok, the rest not. Any advice for reinstating the tank in terms of things to watch out for?
The moral of the story, beware the syphon effect!!!!

 

[Tizer]

I don't think you are the first to have this happen somehow A check valve right after anything you put in the tank is usually a good idea, i.e., in the water, not out of the water.

 

[LongS]

Mate, sorry to hear that. That is bloody heartbreaking especially considering the amount of time and effort that goes into this hobby. I know i would be devastated, you get quite fond of the little buggers.

I'm not sure about starting up again. Was the filter media still quite wet when you found it? You might be lucky enough to have not lost all the bacteria from the media if so. If i were you i'd set up again with the surviving fish and keep a close eye on the ammonia levels, stocking slowly from then on making sure the filter is dealing with the waste appropriately.

I'm not really sure what else to suggest i just hope it hasn't put you off!

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

mmm I think I ran the risk of this happening to me. Can I clarify as to *where* on the airline the check valve is supposed to go? Because I had one on my airpump and the airpump still got some water in it and the water still went down the airline, but never flooded (or had any consequences at all...). I had it this way for ages. I don't use a pump anymore but would be good to know. I'm guessing the valve should have been closer to where the line left the tank?

(also I would have never known to get a check valve if I wasn't lucky enough to have a knowledgeable person unlock the cabinet the air pumps were in at P@H when I went to buy one!)

 

[qkingston]

mmm I think I ran the risk of this happening to me. Can I clarify as to *where* on the airline the check valve is supposed to go? Because I had one on my airpump and the airpump still got some water in it and the water still went down the airline, but never flooded (or had any consequences at all...). I had it this way for ages. I don't use a pump anymore but would be good to know. I'm guessing the valve should have been closer to where the line left the tank?

(also I would have never known to get a check valve if I wasn't lucky enough to have a knowledgeable person unlock the cabinet the air pumps were in at P@H when I went to buy one!)

The manufacturer says to put the check valve as close to the pump outlet as you can but I think as Tizer says it would sound to make more sense to have the valve in the water near the airstone so the water never gets back up the line...?

 

[Tizer]

how about this totally crazy idea guys, use TWO Check Valves, one near the device and one near the pump! Its crazy i know, but it might just work!!

 

[FishBlast]

Hi,
I wanted to share this with you since it seems really bizarre to me and I didn't consider it possible. I went to feed the fish this morning (newish tank but all going well since Feb) and I discovered the tank completely empty of water and fish all dead on the gravel! I looked around at the tank, couldn't see any obvious damage, then I noticed the plastic hose from the airpump had become detached and that is where the water was clearly sitting, well the small amount from 125 litres that wasn't on the carpet! The airpump was on the same level as the tank but as instructed by the manufacturer I had installed a non-return (check) valve near the pump outlet. I run the pump from time to time but not continuously. The plastic pipe (4mm)had detached from the check valve allowing the water to syphon out overnight and empty the tank. The pump and the heater are completely u/s having run out of water. I refilled the tank about a quarter and miraculously 1 zebra Danio, 1 algae eater and I think 1 Peppered Cory seem ok, the rest not. Any advice for reinstating the tank in terms of things to watch out for?
The moral of the story, beware the syphon effect!!!!

What kind of filter or air pump was that? Horrible thing to find, next to heater boiling the fish and having a tank cracked. I hope I never experience these problems. I love my fish...
I think the catfishes survived due to being able to survive for a while with only moist skin and air breathing. I've found hoplos that have escaped from my tanks surviving for over 4 hours on dry. Not sure how the danio survived.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

how about this totally crazy idea guys, use TWO Check Valves, one near the device and one near the pump! Its crazy i know, but it might just work!!

Nobody likes a smart-*** Tizer!!!

 

[Tizer]

Good job i'm not here to be popular then

 

[DJH584]

how about this totally crazy idea guys, use TWO Check Valves, one near the device and one near the pump! Its crazy i know, but it might just work!!

That actually might not be a bad idea, but I wonder how the two restrictors (one in each valve) would affect the actual output to the airstone.
In all seriousness would you care to try it out for us all? If it works, then maybe it would help prevent any further accidents like this happening.

@gkingston

Sorry to hear about your loss - it's bad enough to lose fish through illness/disease etc but that really is catastrophic.
Hopefully those fish that have survived the ordeal will fully recover and you will be able to get your tank back to its original state in due course.
R.I.P. those who, unfortunately, didn't make it.

David

 

[FishFanatic04]

I agree ^ You would lesson the effectiveness of whatever device. I would think just using a check valve right before the line goes in the tank would be enough.

 

[Tizer]

how about this totally crazy idea guys, use TWO Check Valves, one near the device and one near the pump! Its crazy i know, but it might just work!!

That actually might not be a bad idea, but I wonder how the two restrictors (one in each valve) would affect the actual output to the airstone.
In all seriousness would you care to try it out for us all? If it works, then maybe it would help prevent any further accidents like this happening.

David

I don't actually own an air pump because I think bubble walls or ornaments with bubbles coming out them look tacky as anything, so might be a bit hard ;D I do however run two check valves on my CO2 line without any problems

 

[qkingston]

Hi Guys,
Having now rescued 4 fish from the tank syphoning disaster of 2 weeks ago, I added 5 more zebra Danios to keep the sole survivor happy which seems to work ok. I Algae Eater and 2 Corys seems ok. However since the 100% water change I am getting lots of fine green algae, especially on the plants. Now it may have been starting before the disaster but it certainly seems worse now. The lights are on for 12 hrs and the tank gets some sunlight but not too much, what else can I do to combat this?

 

[onidrase]

how about this totally crazy idea guys, use TWO Check Valves, one near the device and one near the pump! Its crazy i know, but it might just work!!

get like 50 check valves, and have only 1 inch of plastic pipe between each one

giant check valve chain

probably would be utterly useless and awesome

problem solved

 

[DJH584]

get like 50 check valves, and have only 1 inch of plastic pipe between each one
problem solved

Might be going a tad OTT