Jestersix

All my fish just died. Return pump failure.

Vincerama2

Vincerama2

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Just now, my daughter ran up and told me all the fish are laying on the bottom of the tank. I run up and ... they're all dead. I've seen this before when a GFI outlet tripped and shut off my return pump... the fish were strugging to breathe and one fish was dead. Adding a maxijet with air venturi had the rest of them swimming in a few minutes. I checked the return pump...all the blades on the impeller were sheared off. It was running and doing nothing. The sump water was quite hot from the lone heater I keep in there. That pump has run 24/7 for coming up on 20 years. It was old reliable, and I guess it still kept running even with the impeller blades gone.

I lost a Royal Tang, a yellow tang, a purple with yellow-tail tang, a candy hog, an ocellaris, a beautiful black and white ocellaris, two large blue damsels. I have a clam that might be OK, and some RBTA seem limp but will likely live, and aiptasia.

To combat the power outage issue, I had two BT-11 (??) air pumps set to bubble into the tank if the power goes out, but ... this was different. I don't know why I thought that pump could run forever.

What really bugs me is that I've been MEANING TO add an HOB filter or HOB refugium in case the return pump failed, so it's overflowing water would still provide a break at the surface for oxygen ... but I never did and now this is what happens.

So angry that this happened. Now my tank is just anemones and aiptasias (and hopefully one clam) and algae. Well, maybe no-feeding of the tank will tame the algae.

I have two clowns in another small tank ... they may inherit the big tank.

Grrr!! SO UPSET RIGHT NOW!

V
 
Newjack said:
20 year strong pump! i put my money on it is a eheim. I know lots of eheim still going longer than 20 years. 24/7
Click to expand...

Believe it or not ... it's a "Via Aqua 2600". Surprise me that it lasted this long as well. I swapped in another Via Aqua 3600 I had which is stronger now.
The pump actually still works, but something got in there and busted all the fins off the impeller.

V
 
Coral reefer said:
Pretty sure it was a rio. And not to be a dick but pretty sure I told him to replace it about a year ago...
Click to expand...

Maybe, but I had had replaced it briefly with a DC pump that just flat out died, maybe that was the one? Or maybe the skimmer pump? I don't remember discussing the return pump much.

V

PS. No worries, you're not being a dick.
 
That’s pretty devastating. Unfortunately experience like will serve lesson learned to most of us. I wonder if you’re running some type of wave maker pump. Sorry for the loss.
 
Dongta408 said:
So sorry for your loss... why the fish died if the return pumps not working properly?
Click to expand...
a return pump is basically the “heart beat” of your system. No return pump = zero water circulation
that equals NO bueno !
Brs has been pushing for running duel return pumps nowadays just for this reason. If one pump fails, you’ll still have one circulating water.
 
Newjack said:
a return pump is basically the “heart beat” of your system. No return pump = zero water circulation
that equals NO bueno !
Brs has been pushing for running duel return pumps nowadays just for this reason. If one pump fails, you’ll still have one circulating water.
Click to expand...
How the temperature when it happened? Must be been awhile before fine out?
 
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