Anyone have problems with poly-fil pads from Wal-mart?

[Boogie]

So, added some snails to my tanks downstairs, added a slice of 2" thick poly-fil to my sump, moved a power head because an nem was getting to close to it. Did all that yesterday.

Today, 5 fish gone. Torch coral melted in half, one nem recessed back to nothing. Temps good. water flowing. everything else is out of whack.

What do I blame?

 

[Off The Deep End]

Wow Mark, which one did you get? Is there a chance that you had anything on your hands and it got in your water? I have been using it for 5 years with no ill effects.

 

[Cake_Boss]

It's all the powdery white stuff you had on your hands...

 

[Boogie]

not sure. rinsed it real good and put it back in there as I'm real convinced its not the problem but something happened and I hope its done doing damage. BSJ gone, Flame hawk gone, lawnmower blenny gone, diamond goby gone, hmm..thought there was five...maybe four. did a 25% wc. We'll see what survies the night...

 

[Off The Deep End]

Sorry to hear that..... anything else get close to the tank? Are those the snails from reefcleaners?

 

[Cake_Boss]

Could the powerhead have had some stray voltage?

 

[MattL]

I used the product once, never again due to the same thing happened to me. I put it in my tank and lost almost everything. I think it is fir some and not for others. I never used it again and my tank went back to normal (with all new live stock) after a few weeks.

 

[Aku]

Wow. That sucks. I wonder if they treat it or something. You are talking standard polyfill for pillows and whatnot right? Or was it an aquarium product?

 

[Wicked Color]

Suck balls!

 

[gh0st]

Many fabrics, cloth, and other similar materials are often exposed to some pretty bizarre chemicals during manufacture, packaging, and shipping.

Many fabrics are washed with fermaldehyde at some point in manufacture.

 

[Wicked Color]

+1^ and a lot of the pads sold as filters for other uses (furnace, AC, air purifier, water) are treated with an antimicrobial solution that cannot be washed off.

 

[Off The Deep End]

I think we solved the issue, you cannot use polyfil foam(polyurathene) but polyfil pad(polyester) is fine.

 

[Boogie]

25% Water change on day one, added carbon. 50% water change yesterday and switched out my phosban stuff in my reactor and added carbon. Will do another 50% today and replace the carbon daily for a week and probably switch to 25% wc every 3 days for the next couple weeks.

body count:
1. Blue spot jawfish died this morning
2. flame hawk died yesterday.
3. Torch coral melted to skeleton
4. frogsapwn apx half inflated
5. rbta no inflation, hanging upside down but still attached.
6. Chaeto thrown away in case of absorbtion (did not see any pods in chaeto so assume all pods dead)
7. numerous snails
8. leather coral torn in half (did show signs of tentacles coming out, possibly split in progress)
9. Lawnmower blenny still mia
10. Cleaner shrimp mia

Remaining fish/corals have resumed "normal" behavior.

 

[Cake_Boss]

Sorry to hear. Did you get the polyurethane?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[Boogie]

I did. Won't make that mistake again.

 

[Off The Deep End]

It was my fault i was explaining to Mark what i used (polyfil polyester) as a filter pad and it never crossed my mind that they made a foam (polyurethane) pad to.

 

[Boogie]

Not Dillon's fault. My own...didn't even think to read the "benefits" of the foam pad. Ingrediants showed polyeurethane only. Didn't factor in the Fire resistant, hypo allergenic thing would mean added chemicals. No ones fault but my own. Dillon does get the credit for thinking it though and making us realize it was the filter though. After the first water change I actually put another slice of it in there...He figured out the difference and saved the tank from even more casualties. I owe him thanks, not blame.