I didn’t get much details but all 17k gallons were emptied? Where are the drains? I would expect water stopped draining to a certain point of the “overflow”? I’m not sure if there is such a thing in this massive system?
https://www.bareefers.org/forum/threads/polo-reef-by-andrew-sandlers-nightmare.40108/post-572068
What I still don’t get - forget about the failed pumps & valves, the aquarium lost 50% of the water- no big deal. Outside of some corals being above water, all fish would have been ok right? Why 40’ish fish didn’t make it? They didn’t learn to swim / follow the current and just hung out in mid air and died? The rest of the fish (thousands) were smarter?
Methinks there is more to this story not being shared..
I guess this assumes there was sufficient oxygenation in the tank for the fish and corals, which there may not have been if the return and protein skimmer were taken out of the loop. The corals could have started melting/sliming/expelling their zooxanthellae, polluting the water and causing ammonia poisoning.
They have Abyzz AFCs lower in the water line. They will still circulate water for oxygenation. Suspect we don’t have all the information and speculating but I’m very perplexed as to why they lost fish. Corals — some can survive in nature exposed to the air for half a day right?
The theory for the fish loss he mentioned in the vid is that the zooxanthellae bailing poisoned the water
The teaser at the end looks like the failure is going to get tagged to ozone breaking down the valves.
Pretty sure he mostly buys large aquaculture colonies, or wild.
When I look at what died it was clearly grown in place. Maybe not from a frag but there long enough to have a dedicated spot.
Sure. That can happen in a few months. I’m not trying to take anything away from the loss, but it’s not the same as losing something they got at an inch
I must be doing something wrong bc that looks like growth i haven’t seen after years. I understand tho- I’ve watched one vid and he sits on the couch in front of a tv and brainstorms with hired hands; if it was me I’d have a wetsuit on and my hands on a hose explaining to others as they arrive. He comes off (to me) as arrogant; a classic money having man. That said, his aquarium has been viewed by more than mine ever will and if that translates to a handful of marine biologists then that’s a big “W” for coral and worth enduring the rest of it.
Big corals grow faster. Many more mouths and surface are to take in needs. But yes. He served a net good purpose for the hobby.
