D.WhiteShark
Shoulder Deep in Saltwater.......Again
It may be the hobby's biggest fear. Most definitely, it's one of mine!
I came home last week after being on vacation for a little over two weeks and was happy to see my tank looking possibly the best it's been for a long time. A minor algae issue I've been keeping an eye on was slowly clearing up, fish were looking good and healthy, Ritteri Anemone settled in a near perfect spot and I'm pretty sure my female clown was about to lay another clutch of eggs (which won't survive but it's always fun to watch). Considering I haven't done a water change in months, I'm thinking maybe this hands-off approach is worth thinking about! I always worry a little when I leave for extended periods but since I have a house sitter that stays there to take care of my 3 Mangey Mutts, I worry a little less about any major tank issues popping up without me knowing. Long story short, after a few days of being home I was in the garage (where my sump, refugium, ATO and water mixing tanks are) and noticed some water on the floor. It wasn't an instant panic because I thought maybe the house sitter over filled the ATO and this was just some residual water that hadn't dried. I can't count how many times I forgot to turn off the water while I was filling the ATO tank....But that would have been a few days ago and this is California in June, no way it would still be wet. OH Crap, maybe my sump or refugium is leaking! Looking around, I determined they both needed some serious love but were not leaking. There is some water near the wall.....Maybe one of the RODI lines?..... Nope! Well, the garage slopes downhill so....... $h!t! IT'S COMING UNDER THE WALL FROM THE HOUSE!!! (and there's the panic) I grabbed a flashlight and my screw gun, pulled off the access cover to my plumbing that runs through the wall into the garage, and it looked like a Barbie swimming pool....but no leaks. The only other place it can be coming from is the tank itself. I opened the door to the stand and there is a steady drip (like all of the life pouring from my heart). Everything under the stand was in standing water. Luckily, I'm super OCD about electrical and wire management so nothing electrical is wet except for the two sealed 12v back-up batteries. I was hoping it was just a bulkhead gasket or one of the valves, but I couldn't be so lucky. From what I can determine at this time, it looks like the seam split on the back of the tank, right where the overflow box is. Once I turned off the return pumps and drained the overflow, the leak stopped. Currently the tank is drained, and all the livestock has been split between my 40-gal refugium that can run independently from the DT and a 20-gal "holding tank" that I use for observation of new fish/corals.
All that to say this: After seriously internally struggling with this, I may be taking an extended break from the hobby. I just can't decide if repairing the tank is beneficial over buying a new tank. The current tank is built seamlessly into my living room, but I would worry about a repair failing. A new tank won't fit as aesthetically unless I have an exact dimensional duplicate custom-built which can't be cheap. A new pre-manufactured tank that will fit "pretty good" into the same area is likely going to be around 3k+ in addition to starting over which wouldn't be terrible if I planned to stay in this house forever......but I don't. Since we only plan to put in another 5-7 years before retirement and retirement will include moving to a better state, I am thinking about cutting my losses on this setup and selling everything off. Once we settle into our forever home I will likely start over with all fresh equipment. It has been my life passion for the last 30ish years, and I have really enjoyed the experiences (some more than others). I don't know if I can really ever completely quit but for now, I need a break.
I'm going to be doing some deep cleaning of equipment and clearing out of some storage cabinets over the next few months. If anyone needs anything specific, feel free to HMU. I know most people look for pumps and other equipment, but I'll likely have something that covers every single aspect of the hobby that I will no longer need. If mentioning this is not allowed, please let me know and I will promptly edit my post. My intention is not to go around selling rules or policies as I intend to sell or pass most things on through the appropriate forum. I am only entertaining requests so I don't throw something away that can benefit someone else in the interest of the hobby.
I came home last week after being on vacation for a little over two weeks and was happy to see my tank looking possibly the best it's been for a long time. A minor algae issue I've been keeping an eye on was slowly clearing up, fish were looking good and healthy, Ritteri Anemone settled in a near perfect spot and I'm pretty sure my female clown was about to lay another clutch of eggs (which won't survive but it's always fun to watch). Considering I haven't done a water change in months, I'm thinking maybe this hands-off approach is worth thinking about! I always worry a little when I leave for extended periods but since I have a house sitter that stays there to take care of my 3 Mangey Mutts, I worry a little less about any major tank issues popping up without me knowing. Long story short, after a few days of being home I was in the garage (where my sump, refugium, ATO and water mixing tanks are) and noticed some water on the floor. It wasn't an instant panic because I thought maybe the house sitter over filled the ATO and this was just some residual water that hadn't dried. I can't count how many times I forgot to turn off the water while I was filling the ATO tank....But that would have been a few days ago and this is California in June, no way it would still be wet. OH Crap, maybe my sump or refugium is leaking! Looking around, I determined they both needed some serious love but were not leaking. There is some water near the wall.....Maybe one of the RODI lines?..... Nope! Well, the garage slopes downhill so....... $h!t! IT'S COMING UNDER THE WALL FROM THE HOUSE!!! (and there's the panic) I grabbed a flashlight and my screw gun, pulled off the access cover to my plumbing that runs through the wall into the garage, and it looked like a Barbie swimming pool....but no leaks. The only other place it can be coming from is the tank itself. I opened the door to the stand and there is a steady drip (like all of the life pouring from my heart). Everything under the stand was in standing water. Luckily, I'm super OCD about electrical and wire management so nothing electrical is wet except for the two sealed 12v back-up batteries. I was hoping it was just a bulkhead gasket or one of the valves, but I couldn't be so lucky. From what I can determine at this time, it looks like the seam split on the back of the tank, right where the overflow box is. Once I turned off the return pumps and drained the overflow, the leak stopped. Currently the tank is drained, and all the livestock has been split between my 40-gal refugium that can run independently from the DT and a 20-gal "holding tank" that I use for observation of new fish/corals.
All that to say this: After seriously internally struggling with this, I may be taking an extended break from the hobby. I just can't decide if repairing the tank is beneficial over buying a new tank. The current tank is built seamlessly into my living room, but I would worry about a repair failing. A new tank won't fit as aesthetically unless I have an exact dimensional duplicate custom-built which can't be cheap. A new pre-manufactured tank that will fit "pretty good" into the same area is likely going to be around 3k+ in addition to starting over which wouldn't be terrible if I planned to stay in this house forever......but I don't. Since we only plan to put in another 5-7 years before retirement and retirement will include moving to a better state, I am thinking about cutting my losses on this setup and selling everything off. Once we settle into our forever home I will likely start over with all fresh equipment. It has been my life passion for the last 30ish years, and I have really enjoyed the experiences (some more than others). I don't know if I can really ever completely quit but for now, I need a break.
I'm going to be doing some deep cleaning of equipment and clearing out of some storage cabinets over the next few months. If anyone needs anything specific, feel free to HMU. I know most people look for pumps and other equipment, but I'll likely have something that covers every single aspect of the hobby that I will no longer need. If mentioning this is not allowed, please let me know and I will promptly edit my post. My intention is not to go around selling rules or policies as I intend to sell or pass most things on through the appropriate forum. I am only entertaining requests so I don't throw something away that can benefit someone else in the interest of the hobby.
