Fire

[shorty590]

thanks everybody. i will keep you posted on any updates

[JustPhish]

Sorry to hear about what happened brother. I wouldn't wish a fire on anyone. What was the cause of the fire and was it limited to room and contents? Doesn't sound like you suffered a total loss.

As far as the equipment is concerned, why bother? If you have insurance you might as well claim it and get all new stuff that comes with peace of mind. You need to claim the rest of your stuff anyway. Insurance won't cover any of the livestock but all the hardware should be no problem.

Originally Posted by geekdafied

...snip
I had more water damage from the firemen then fire damage.

Ugh how frustrating those guys are! Causing more damage than the fire! Really, they should be armed with super soakers and nothing more.

[inwall75]

That stinks!!!!

I'm glad you and your family are OK.

Originally Posted by JustPhish

Ugh how frustrating those guys are! Causing more damage than the fire! Really, they should be armed with super soakers and nothing more.

LOL!!!

The next time my house catches on fire, I'm going to tell them not to bring any hoses with them. I want them to blow on it and put it out with CO2.

BTW....when I was done putting out my own fire (which is NOT something I recommend), I was shocked at the mess I made. I only broke two things though....an Icecap ballast and an el-cheapo hydrometer.

[shorty590]

they think it was an electrical fire that started outside of the house. I guess I should claim everything. will the 20L tank with a flurescent light, powerhead, and heater be ok for 6 months? should i do anything else to the tank? somebody earlier told me that I dont need the light but I do have a decent amount of coralline built up that i really dont wanna lose, or is it already lost from the smoke and heat??

[inwall75]

I would consider adding a cheap actinic PC light for your coralline.

I didn't lose any coralline in my tanks due to my fire. I had a lot of granular activated carbon on hand and used it freely. Whether this was necessary or not, I'll never know.

[geekdafied]

Originally Posted by shorty590

I do have a decent amount of coralline built up that i really dont wanna lose, or is it already lost from the smoke and heat??

Depends on how hot the tanks got, how close was the fire to the tanks? Coraline is an early form of corals, they are temp. sensitive like everything else. The only way to tell if they made it, is only by using patience and playing the waiting game. I have taken things out of my tank (equiptment etc) that had good growth on it, even months later were still colored by the coraline, but the coraline was dead for sure. When placed back in the tank, it bleached out right away. So yours may still appear to have good growth, but it may be all dead and you're just seeing the residual pigmentation of its carcus(sp). Only one way to find out though, lol.

[shorty590]

my live rock is still at the LFS i was wondering which would be the better path to take: Set up a 20L with a single strip flurescent light, heater, and powerhead. OR a rubbermaid container with a heater and a powerhead? I am not sure how to go about this. I want to try to keep the bacteria alive for the next 6 months maybe longer. also do i need a substrate or is Bare bottom ok??

[inwall75]

As far as the tank vs rubbermaid, I don't have a preference.

You do not need a substrate....in fact I would recommend against it. Periodically, you can siphon out detrital mulm that will come off of the rock. You'll want to periodically add a SMALL pinch of fish food to keep the bacteria alive just like people do with their quarantine tanks.

[shorty590]

Do i need a light? Should I keep a lid on the rubbermaid container? If i need a light then i will go with a 20L. Thanks for the help everybody.

[inwall75]

If you do it in a rubbermaid container without light, that is called "cooking" the rock. If you do it for 6 months, you will lose most of your coralline but you'll have some really clean rock. (i.e. phosphorum compounds will be de-adsorbed from the CaCO3).

If your coralline is important to you, you'll need light.