Catastrophe while cleaning

[HankstankXXL750]

While I was cleaning my Fowler 160 gallon 40 gallon sump. I turned my ice cap in sump scrubber pump off but left the light on so I could see to vacuum the sump. I left it on for the entire time that I was doing my water changes and cleaning some algae off of the rocks. While refilling I noticed an odor. First thought was something hot or melting (have left a heater plugged in while in an empty trash barrel before. I think it was from the scrubber possibly overheating the algae I left in it to seed the next run. I also thought it smelled like skim mate when I drain my skimmer cup. Once I started my pumps back up my fish started going crazy. My marbles cat shark started sprinting from on side to the other and then lunged up and over the the edge of the tank. When I went to pick him up he was kind of frozen in an s curve. I immediately got all of the fish in a trash can of water I took out of my reef the night before.
My nitrates were 55 prior to water change, changed out about 100 gallons. Nitrate wouldn’t test right after first got 5, couple hours later 10.8 then following evening 23.5 which is about where I thought they should be. And today around 48 hours later my nitrites are at .5 (tank fully cycled and at least 8 months running and no new additions for months).
Wondering if anyone else has ever experienced something like this. Did the acrylic in the ice cap give off a toxin? Did the heated algae give off toxins, or release nitrites? Or could I have just released too much (stuff) from vacuuming sand, scrubbing some rocks (in the trash can with tank water) not in tank?

returned the clown grouper back in 24 hours after running a large media bag of carbon in sump under the inflow tubes. He seemed fine so 24 hours later I started putting the fish back in. 6 lined puffer, broomtail wrasse, and then the shark. Shark started being spastic again and when settled was breathing very hard so I took him back out. Didn’t put the lime green wrasse or the panther grouper back
In.
Any help or advise appreciated.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm not sure what the issue was.

How are the fish?

If you have an ammonia kit, I 'd use that .

I wouldn't bother testing nitrite.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

I'm not sure what the issue was.

How are the fish?

If you have an ammonia kit, I 'd use that .

I wouldn't bother testing nitrite.

Ammonia tested on Red Sea kit at 0-<.2.

why not test nitrite? I’ve read it isn’t considered as dangerous in saltwater than in fresh, and once the tanks cycled, I hardly ever test either ammonia or nitrite. Only tested this tank now as trying identify or eliminate anything. And what level

fish in tank sleeping so I’m not sure right now. The clown grouper seemed normal, when I put the puffer back in seemed normal, the broom tail wrasse was really active going up and down in the tank circling the power head but didn’t really seem to be swimming into the current.
The shark seemed super spastic and when he finally settled on bottom looked to be hyper ventilating. So I returned her to the trash can. The panther grouper and lime green wrasse are still in the trash can as the sharks reaction caused me to pause.

thanks for the reply,

 

[F i s h y]

Have you tested for possible voltage in the tank?

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Have you tested for possible voltage in the tank?

No and not really sure how to. I did have an issue where I could actually feel a tingling shock when doing something in the sump and unplugged my Finnex heaters as I had the same tingling issue in another system and eliminated it by unplugging Finnex heaters.

how can I measure this. Everything I have read says with voltage meter placing ground on a true ground, but not sure what to use for a true ground?

 

[homer1475]

The ground plug in a normal wall outlet would suffice(the third prong on the bottom).

 

[HankstankXXL750]

The ground plug in a normal wall outlet would suffice(the third prong on the bottom).

True that, I wasn’t thinking. I’m actually a contractor, and was thinking common, but the third hole is tied to the bare copper lead.

thanks

 

[homer1475]

Sometimes the easy answer, no one thinks of.

We tend to overthink things in this hobby sometimes.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

I'm not sure what the issue was.

How are the fish?

If you have an ammonia kit, I 'd use that .

I wouldn't bother testing nitrite.

Any idea what is causing the shark to seem so uncomfortable. I am concerned with keeping the three remaining fish in the barrel for too long, but also don’t want to get them back in too soon?

 

[Dburr1014]

Did you check the voltage?
Sharks use electrical fields...

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Any idea what is causing the shark to seem so uncomfortable. I am concerned with keeping the three remaining fish in the barrel for too long, but also don’t want to get them back in too soon?

My gut says leaking voltage and the shark is more sensitive to the current. I would test for a leak ASAP.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

My gut says leaking voltage and the shark is more sensitive to the current. I would test for a leak ASAP.

Thanks she isn’t in it at this time but will check when I get back home

 

[HankstankXXL750]

My gut says leaking voltage and the shark is more sensitive to the current. I would test for a leak ASAP.

Thanks

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Did you check the voltage?
Sharks use electrical fields...

Going to before I return her to the tank

 

[HankstankXXL750]

My gut says leaking voltage and the shark is more sensitive to the current. I would test for a leak ASAP.

So I tested with my ground probe in the third hole on the outlet and the red probe in the tank initially it jumped to 20 V then when I got my apex open it only read 15. I shut things off one at a time and it ended around 5 V. I think the biggest drop was the scrubber pump. When I started everything back up it was around 9V.
Is any acceptable and what should I do?

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Did you check the voltage?
Sharks use electrical fields...

So I tested with my ground probe in the third hole on the outlet and the red probe in the tank initially it jumped to 20 V then when I got my apex open it only read 15. I shut things off one at a time and it ended around 5 V. I think the biggest drop was the scrubber pump. When I started everything back up it was around 9V.
Is any acceptable and what should I do?

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Have you tested for possible voltage in the tank?

So I tested with my ground probe in the third hole on the outlet and the red probe in the tank initially it jumped to 20 V then when I got my apex open it only read 15. I shut things off one at a time and it ended around 5 V. I think the biggest drop was the scrubber pump. When I started everything back up it was around 9V.
Is any acceptable and what should I do?

 

[Dburr1014]

So I tested with my ground probe in the third hole on the outlet and the red probe in the tank initially it jumped to 20 V then when I got my apex open it only read 15. I shut things off one at a time and it ended around 5 V. I think the biggest drop was the scrubber pump. When I started everything back up it was around 9V.
Is any acceptable and what should I do?

What is this scrubber pump? Can you put that in a bucket of water, unplugged, and check voltage? Then plug it in and check again?

 

[HankstankXXL750]

What is this scrubber pump? Can you put that in a bucket of water, unplugged, and check voltage? Then plug it in and check again?

Yes I probably can. It is an ice cap in sump medium algae scrubber. I’ll let you know.

 

[Dburr1014]

The big voltage you normally see is a bad heater. But, pumps go bad and anything really. Salt water is corrosive.