I'm at a loss for words and absolutely devastated. I needed to rescape my community 60 gallon. I needed to remove the remaining bristlenose plecos and snails from my tank because my kh of 3 was constantly decimated. I had a 10 gallon tank to place everyone in with dechlorinated water. I removed everyone and got them in and quickly got to work on the tank, adding nutrients to the sand substrate. Just a complete overhaul but kept the filters running in a separate bucket with all plants and hardscape so we maintain the maximum amount of beneficial bacteria. Everything is set and I go to start putting back in my fish/shrimp and I wanted to cry. All my 18 rummynose tetra…dead. 18 of my 20 neon tetra…dead. 3 of my 8 pygmy corydoras…dead. shrimp…100s dead. Thank God all 3 of my pearl gouramis were good. And 8 of my schwartz corydoras. Idk wtf happened. I've done a rescape before and not lose anyone at all with all the same items and same livestock. Oh the bristlenose all survived too… but I'm just. I wanna quit. I had so many beautiful shrimp… I was in love with my rummynose. They recognized me every time I walked by. I'm amazed that the two neon tetra were even alive because they looked dead but I saw breathing and added them anyway. They're great now… idk what went wrong. I hadn't even left them there for more than 2 hours. The tank had a sponge filter and heater going to so that they were in the same temp and had oxygen. I lost well over 100 shrimp…
I had intended to take all my blue shrimp and my pygmy corydoras to live in their own 29 gallon…but now I gotta wait and see….
Posted by WiseUnderstanding8
12 Comments
The 10 gallon wasn’t used for something with chemicals or something since your last rescape was it? Maybe by someone else?
What a nightmare. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
I’m so sorry 🙁
This can be a brutal hobby sometimes. I lost a beta that was like my pet dog in a similar situation. He got sick quickly but wasn’t dying. I had him in a hospital tank. I ended up having to euthanize him and it was awful. I almost gave up the hobby.
Wait so the holding tank had totally new water?
You might have shocked them by putting them in totally new water tbh. 🙁 maybe PH wasn’t the same or something along those lines?
Im so sorry for your loss I’d be devastated too.
ive accidentally shocked my livestock of seahorses and lost them all it was absolutely devastating.
sorry for your loss. My guess was lack of oxygen. Gourami are air breathes which is kind of the sign imo that it wasn’t water quality. Just too many fish in a small tank fighting for oxygen adding stress on top. Tetras stress a lot just on the move alone, kinda makes sense why they were wiped out.
I usually leave my fish in the tank during rescapes even during pretty crazy changes… they are just way too fast to catch all of them. im so sorry this happened man. This hobby can break you sometimes
Honestly, the cramped space probably stressed them to the point that several either murdered a bunch or many just died from stress.
It could also be toxins from fish lile corys. Though that would be more rare.
Was there any cover in the tank or were they just all forced to be right in each others faces?
When i rescape, i tend to place them in tanks and buckets with their own kind. Fish that can tolerate lower temps get buckets with no heater. If i have sponge filters, i put them with the higher waste producing fish. Air stone in all places though.
I also always do zero light in the buckets and tanks. Even just draping a towel or sheet over them is better than nothing. Light is already stressful. But all that cramped space and new environment and light is just the worst.
Lastly, if you dont have enough buckets and tanks, take some inspiration from finding nemo and bag them seperately. Rinse out some gallon zip lock bags and place a few fish in each. Roll the top then twist and tie or clip. That way there is air. Place your bags in a box or bin that you can cover. Fish travel for days in similar conditions through the main. And no, they do nit always use oxygen in the bags.
I feel the same way. I’ve somehow let this hobby grow into an obsession at my grandson’s daycare, and I’m currently taking care of about five tanks. It feels like there’s always an emergency.
Right now I have a hospital tank that might as well be a torture tank because I cannot get the ammonia down. I’ve got two sick goldfish in there, and at this point I’m afraid they’re staying sick because the hospital tank itself is toxic. I keep trying to fix things, and I just can’t seem to win.
I recently lost a big discus too, and that was awful. You put so much time and effort into trying to keep these fish healthy, and when something goes wrong, it’s really hard not to blame yourself.
So I hear you, man. I’m really sorry. I don’t know why we do this sometimes, and I don’t know why it has to be so damn hard.
I feel your pain. I lost an entire saltwater reef system, including all the corals, about 12 years ago due to some negligence on my part during a vacation. Heartbroken. I still haven’t gotten over it I think. I never restarted a second tank after that. I’m so sorry for your loss.
You had the filters running in the buckets with your hardacape but not on the 10 gallon temp tank? That’s a lot of fish for a 10 gallon with no air stone. Unfortunately they may have simply run out of oxygen.
That the Gouramis survived makes me 90% sure that this was oxygen-related