Equipment and livestock maladies effect even the most expert of reefers. Kevin Kohen, Director of LiveAquaria, shared this image along with this note “Tip of the day–check you magnet holders occasionally to avoid mysterious problems in reef aquaria.”
We don’t know the entire backstory but we can assume one of Kevin’s tanks was experiencing some issues and through the troubleshooting process, discovered a crack around the housing of a magnet mount allowing metal contaminants to leach into the water.
When we start seeing something wrong in our system, we start looking for parasites, infections, water parameters off kilter, etc. If you don’t stop to think about something such as contamination from a cracked magnet housing allowing metals to pollute your water, you might spend hours, days or weeks trying to figure out what is wrong with your tank.
Kevin’s note is a great reminder to check out your equipment for possible trouble spots that could impact the water quality. Once the obvious (or not so obvious) possibilities are eliminated, you can move on to other factors. Also, make sure to take the time once a month to closely examine all your equipment for potential problems.
[via Kevin Kohen]
