I think I just cooked my tank...

[SilverGryphon]

So like an idiot, I forgot to plug the return pump back in after feeding last night. It was discovered this evening, and the pump was plugged back in before I caught the temperature in the sump. Tank was at 70F, Sump was at 107F (temperature probe is in the main tank). My stupid butt didn't think things through all the way in my panic at the unplugged return pump, and my tank did a drastic 10F shift in the matter of a couple minutes, now sitting at 80F. I have my returns pointed up to generate a bunch of flow inside the tank and help with water oxygenation (Due to the hot water that came from the sump), but I fear I'll wake up tomorrow to seafood soup thanks to the drastic temperature shift. By the time my brain realized I done F'd up, it was too late to change anything. Banded coral shrimp I had moved into the sump while I had peppermints working on aiptasia definitely bit the big one, now I'm watching and worried to see if anyone else go.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

so sorry! i hope everything will be ok. just remember we all mess up. dont be too hard on yourself. i had a bigger temp fiasco when i had a heater malfunction. i was surprised at what all pulled thru. lost some stuff but some made it. hope it works out for you!!

 

[SilverGryphon]

I hope so. Fish for the most part are out and about, not swimming at the top so I think 02 is ok, but my orange spotted watchman is hiding. Torch is closed up and ticked, but the hammer next to it seems fine. Zoas and shrooms should be ok, and I see snails moving about. My pincushion urchin is perched on top of my gyre, and has moved a little bit. Just really frustrated with myself. I've had this tank up and going 4 months with no issues other than the usual ugly phase, now I'm worried I just set myself back quite a bit.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

not necessarily

 

[RMS18]

Time to make changes to the system for alerts, controllers, feed settings etc. the system should be fine tbh. You may have lost some bacteria in the sump. It will come back.

 

[edsbeaker]

In my many years of reefing my biggest lessons have been learned from either overlooking something or not thinking through how things are set up. It happens to all of us! We never stop learning with this hobby because at every turn something can go wrong, and will go wrong. There lies the challenge.

 

[EricR]

Stupid question but (((sorry, lots of linear info in your post))):
You unplug your return pump to feed?

 

[ninjamyst]

Hope everything pulls through! Corals and fish endure more changes in temperature during shipment although not as fast as 107 mixing with 70 instantly. Corals in the direct path of the return took the blunt of it and may not make it. Fish should be fine though.

 

[SilverGryphon]

Stupid question but (((sorry, lots of linear info in your post))):
You unplug your return pump to feed?

I had been doing some spot feeding with reef chili. I try to give a much time for everything to get what they can before it gets blown around by the return or my gyre wavemaker. The gyre kept the tank going with flow all day.

 

[DJF]

One quick immediate fix, in case it’s not on your radar, should be to put that temp probe controlling things in the sump with the heater(s). I have my probe “upstream” of the heaters.

 

[SilverGryphon]

One quick immediate fix, in case it’s not on your radar, should be to put that temp probe controlling things in the sump with the heater(s). I have my probe “upstream” of the heaters.

Yeah, I plan on shifting the controller for my heater closer to the sump. Right now it is on the wall behind the tank for easy access, but the probe cable isn't long enough to reach the sump.

 

[SilverGryphon]

Update: So far so good. Nothing bad seems to have come from this F'up except cooking the banded coral shrimp in my sump. I gave the tank a rest day today, tomorrow I'll do my normal water change.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

so happy for you!

 

[Dave-T]

Instead of unplugging the return pump, you could get a cheap Wi-Fi controllable outlet that you would turn the return pump off with on a timer. Then, if you forget to turn it back on, it would come back on anyway when the timer expires.

 

[Aquariumaddictuk]

Don't panic too much just yet.
Corals can be resilient.
I have no embarrassment listing my dismal tomfoolery during my first 6 months keeping salt.
*ato sensor placed in skimmer section not return section so Wilding swinging salinity.ooops.
*Inkbird broke sending temp to 30 degrees!
*bleached montipora with my redsea led90 on full beans for full photoperiod
*initially used redsea coral Pro & overdosed alk leaving dkh at 14
*used far too much gfo leaving zero po4 while alk was sky high
*first coral placed in the tank was SPS which somehow is still there

These creatures can be tough!

 

[waqas_01]

As suggested above, I'd move the temp probe to the sump, sounds like this is already on your radar.

Second suggestion, pull the chord on the skimmer next time and keep the return pump running. Unless if you have filter socks/roller, the skimmer is really what you want to turn off in the sump. This will eliminate a failure point in your process of feeding even if you forget to power it back on for a day.

Better yet, if you have even a simple smart outlet to turn on/off on a schedule, even if you manually turn off, the schedule will switch it back on at a specified time.

 

[SilverGryphon]

Day 3 update: Might have lost my Chaeto down in the sump. I pulled it to clean up the debris that collects in there, and noticed it felt kinda mushy, not the usual springy / wiry feeling chaeto normally has. Otherwise everything in the display looks ok, hell my fish have been out more since it happened lol.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Day 3 update: Might have lost my Chaeto down in the sump. I pulled it to clean up the debris that collects in there, and noticed it felt kinda mushy, not the usual springy / wiry feeling chaeto normally has. Otherwise everything in the display looks ok, hell my fish have been out more since it happened lol.

Glad it all worked out for you! It's bound to Harlem to the best of us. One way or another