A Night to forget!!!!

[taichimaster]

Wow! how to start it...I was getting ready to go to sleep when I hear a pop sound. Next thing I new, my floor has flooded. The stupid acrylic refugium snapped at the seams. I found at least 20 gallons on the carpet. Well, started to vacuum it and then I realize that the tunze clamp also broke....Now I have to buy another clamp..then my wife tells me she wants to clean underneath the tank because she is afraid of getting mold. I can't even imagine that I might have to move the tank and clean underneath just to move it back..

Anyhow, anyone have any ideas on how to clean up this mess?

Rug Doctor?

 

[Saltyfish]

Rug Doctor, shopvac's and fans

get it dried as fast as possible

 

[tcblightning]

This is a shot off the hip...I have never seen mold result from SALTwater...I'm NOT saying it's not possible but I haven't seen it...I have had many spills! I will say this...and this is good-great advise: mold mainly grows where it is damp constantly or gets moisture frequently. So if this is just a one time thing and you can dry it out fast I wouldn't worry about mold...especially in consideration of my saltwater theory. Good luck telling the wife that though. With that said I'm guessing your aquarium in on carpet...you might have problems directly under the stand... General advice: DRY, DRY, DRY. everything... the faster you can get everything dry the better you are.

 

[Holygral]

I had a 75 gal on a standard wooden stand. I had many spills around the tank, but when I moved it it was still completely dry under the stand. The weight of the tank seems to keep water fron seeping under it.

 

[Scooterman]

I had similar issues, if it is on a wood floor I'd clean underneath it. I had water get under the stand, ruin the flooring. So possibly you could have long term damage if you leave water under the tank, all depends on what you have. Didn't have mold but trying to dry water that gets under the stand won't happen, it'll stay wet a long time, IF it gets under it!

JMO sorry to sound negative but depending on what you have I'd consider that possibility.

 

[Chichas01]

Wow Peter, that sux! +1 on the fans. point them so they blow at the base of the stand. This worked for me when when I had about 5 gallons spill on my hardwoods. When I moved the tank months later, there was no obvious damage. You have carpet downstais though don't you?

 

[taichimaster]

Thanks guys,
I do have carpets. I am blowing fans as we speak. Then a rug doctor. I am just worried that the wife will complain that water got under the stand and it will be damp, hence the mold concern.

 

[roscoe]

Peter I had many of spills around my 40b and a few times before I started mixing my kalk in the garage. I would siphon out the saturated kalk water out of the 5g bucket I was mixing in and into a 1g jug. Well I forgot about it a few times and got 4-5g of water on my carpet around the tank. I don't have a shop vac so I just used towels to soak up as much as I can and used a few fans and a heater pointed directly at the wet areas and it dried up within a day. When I moved my 40b it was all dry and no mold in the area what so ever.

 

[cross]

sorry to hear that, hope you can convince the wife it will be ok. i dont think you will have a problem with mold, just throw a few fans on it and you should be good. i had a 40gl split a side on me and lost about five gal. on the carpet, fans and towels worked for me. good luck.

 

[Bosco83]

Maybe if you have a crawl space you could go under there and see if it looks like any water has seeped through where the stand is.

Brian

 

[taichimaster]

It is in the basement. Cement underneath the carpet.

 

[Bosco83]

Oh if it isn't wood I wouldn't worry about it.