Complete, total, heart breaking disaster.

[undbulsu]

Sorry for the length, but I have to emote.
I have a 75 gallon heavily planted aquarium with pressurized Co2, compact flourescent lighting, etc, etc. Running for around 2 years with no fish loss.
I repeat, no fish loss. I had the following in the tank 1 hour ago

1 breeding pair of keyhole cichlids ( eggs laid and fertilized)
1 male and 2 female german rams ( about ready to spawn)
6 corydoras sterbai
1 bushy nose pleco
1 ottoclinus
12 cardinal tetras
2 siamese algae eaters

I have been trying to get the keyholes and rams to breed and as such have been doing partial water changes with ro water and feeding california blackworms. This has been succesfull as my keyholes spawned, and my rams were about ready.

So today I decided to do a partial water change. Usually I get my RO water from a local grocery that has one of those Culligan RO filter. But my daughter had a soccer game across town and I went to the same chain store and got my water there, instead of my usual.

Came home, did a partial water change, and fed some california blackworms. Within about 15 minutes my 2 siamese algae eaters began thrashing around the aquarium and died within 30 seconds. I was devastated, but performed a necropsy and as they were full of blackworms, I felt they had eaten themselves to death. ( I just got these blackworms, had fed them before, and am dilligent about rinsing every day).

In another fifteen minutes, all my tetras (12), otoclinus, pleco, and 2 cory sterbai were dead.

I immediately poured a bunch of Prime into the aquarium, and did a 50% water change with tap water treated with prime.

The fish seemed to stabilize, and as of right now the rest of the fish seem OK.

I'm sure the eggs are dead and I may lose more as time goes on.

When I was filling my jugs at the grocery store I seemed to get a whif of chlorine, but I passed it off as imagingation.


Please, please checck your source for water.

I'll let you know how things turn out, but I am sure with ther combination of the chlorine and abrupt changes in ph and hardness due to the water change, my chances to save the rest of my fish is minimal

Can I cus now? ***&%* %**))))%%*

 

[sherry]

curse away. This is truly heartbreaking.

And it is horrible. I wonder what if anything you can do at the store end. at least take photographs to bring ot the manager.

If it is chlorine, and it sounds like it is, then the rest of the fish should probably recover, but this just sucks!!!

I had an overnight disaster (still undiagnosed) and lost some favorite fish. There is no really replacing them. I am so sorry.

 

[Zagz]

How terrible. I am so sorry for your loss! Somehow it seems criminal that things like this could happen.

 

[Florida8]

So so so sorry to hear about this... I hope everything is stable and under control for you now.

warmly,

 

[malkore]

I would test that tap water, and then go to the store manager, with a list of the livestock lost by their 'filtered' water.

maybe they'll reimburse you..but likely its a 3rd party vendor that maintains those water machines, adn the store won't be libel.

 

[Simpte]

Agreed. But I doubt you'll be able to take any action against the vendor either. The water wasn't labeled for "aquarium use" and probably meets the standards for human consumption. I am truly sorry about your disaster. I went away for the weekend and came home to a tank full of various algae. Lost half of my plants and the ones that made it through the "cleaning" process will be weeks recovering.

 

[cowman345]

I once lost an entire 55gal full of corals and fish when my heater cracked and electrocuted everything, so i sympathize... best of luck to the recovery of your remaining fish. I'd raise hell at the supermarket.

-dave-

 

[gfink]

I once lost an entire 55gal full of corals and fish when my heater cracked and electrocuted everything, so i sympathize... best of luck to the recovery of your remaining fish. I'd raise hell at the supermarket.

-dave-

Same happened to my little brother's 55 gal. REMEMBER TO UNPLUG THAT HEATER WHEN YOU WORK so you don't get electrocuted too!!

 

[LindaC]

Same happened to me too, lost a Lemon Tetra and 2 Platys when my heater cracked and electrocuted the fish in immediate path.

I'm so sorry about your fish loss, how heartbreaking. Are your Rams and Keyholes okay, did they make it?