Such a sad day...

[Betty1964]

I am so sorry for your loss. I had a very similar one about five years ago. Here is the good news: you will want to walk away from it for a little while...but then you will start to think about it, a little at a time. Then, take your kids to a really good reef store or better yet, an aquarium, and see how they react. My three year old grand-daughter "helps" me feed the fishies and my two year old grandson thinks the crabs are the coolest thing ever. Seeing the curiosity in their eyes and the wonder in their faces will remind you of why you got into this hobby. The joy of sharing it with them will kick start your interest all over again. I promise this heartbreak will pass.

 

[4FordFamily]

It is very inspirational how you are handling this. How are the systems doing besides the loss of the fish.

There weren't many coral left, but they're doing OK. I'm down to some shrooms, leathers, and RBTA. Not sure what will not make it.

Other than that OK I think. Thanks for asking

 

[FishGuyBri]

Sorry to hear... you've been quite supportive and helpful to me, if there's something we can do to help... just say it.

 

[Cleo642]

Sorry to hear about this. I know how much time and effort you put into those fish and tanks.

 

[MadMax]

Every seasoned aquarist has been where you are now at one time or another (only the details change)
Our attempts to mimic mother nature within the confines of a glass box full of saltwater...powered by electricity.... in our living room....seems ludicrous at best to anyone but fellow aquarists.
Console your mind in realizing that your electrical system did NOT fail, but rather, did exactly what it was engineered to do: save your home.
The lives lost in this incident seem hardly worth a tear when you contemplate the many other possible terrible outcomes.
Now give your little ones an extra long hug tonight....and tell them all about their neat new play room (that used to be a fish room) that you are building them.
God Speed

 

[Clarksski]

I'm so so sorry to hear about your loss.. I tagged you a few days ago to help me save my sick clown... only to find out tonite of you catastrophe... hope you can recover.. your gracious reef squad friends like mely and humble and jsker have helped save mama clown so far... ill say a special prayer tonite for all your dearly departed fishes...

 

[domination2580]

Sorry to hear my friend. Good vibes heading your way.

 

[hybridazn]

Oh wow man, I'm so very sorry to see this.

I really don't know what else to say right now, this def stinks.

 

[4FordFamily]

I'm so so sorry to hear about your loss.. I tagged you a few days ago to help me save my sick clown... only to find out tonite of you catastrophe... hope you can recover.. your gracious reef squad friends like mely and humble and jsker have helped save mama clown so far... ill say a special prayer tonite for all your dearly departed fishes...

Did I miss your thread? I'm so sorry if I did!

Thank you and thanks everyone for the kind words! It is still pretty tough walking downstairs to feed my fish to find a single fish were over 20 were a few days ago.

 

[4FordFamily]

FYI Survivor the annularis angel is thriving. Feeding well, no obvious ailments, and lonely.

 

[jenreefer]

Well, my nightmare became reality.

I was in the Bahamas from Friday last week until Tuesday (yesterday as I wrote this). My fish were under the care of my father.

Yep you all know where this is going. The longest running curse. The vacation curse.

I arrived home last night about 11:00 am with unpacking to do, children to reunite with, and I had to put them to bed. I was too exhausted from traveling that I didn't check on the fish.

I came downstairs to my feed my fish to see my 125 wrasse tank, 55 gal quarantine tank full of fish, and 180 gal angelfish tank completely quiet. Lights off, pumps off, fish all lying on the sand dead. My heart completely sank. Frantic I turned the breaker back on. It was too late.

1) Queen angel
2) Emperor angel
3) Moorish idol
4) Passer Angel
5) Magnificent foxface
6) Clown tang
7) Yellow belly hippo tang
8) Blonde naso tan
9) Banana wrasse
10) Large powder blue tang
11) Blue star leopard wrasse female
12) Blue star leopard male
13) Ornate leopard male
14) Potters leopard
15) Radiant wrasse male
16) Pinkface wrasse
17) Red coris wrasse
18) Flame hawk
19) Matted filefish (ate aiptasia)
20) Bicolor blenny

There was one survivor---a transitional annularis angel who is doing well I barely caught her in time. She was barely breathing upon discovery.

All gone. I am pretty beat up about it. I figured out after work what tripped it, a power strip went bad. I wish I had gone down last night it looks like a few fish were freshly dead, others had been gone at least 24-48 hours by the looks of them.

I don't really know if I can keep up those tanks, at this stage I cannot afford to replace them. I don't have the time to quarantine them all with work and family demands (two kids under 3) being what they are. Add to that I plan to move in a year. I guess that task just got a lot easier. I'm going to break them all down I guess, and await the move before deciding what to do.

My tang tank is still intact, but some of those inhabitants were in my quarantine tank. 3 other tanks, leveled. I have some coral still alive in one of them but not enough to keep it running and I worry some of it won't make it. My lack of time has had them dwindling anyway.

I'm heartbroken and pretty distraught. I feel so guilty. I've had several of these fish for several years, some I grew since juveniles to beautiful large specimens. Others were three days from going in to their main system upstairs (from quarantine).

Sorry to whine on here. I know we have all been through this at some point. It seems like I've had particularly bad luck.

RIP fishy friends. Sorry.

Thanks for listening.

very sad day indeed. I have been there. It will take awhile to get over.

 

[harley3]

So sorry to hear this. I would be crushed too.

 

[LetItReef]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[40B Knasty]

Sorry to hear 4FordFamily. It happens. Simplest thing and now you will kick your own butt for a while about it, but hey. It's the past now. You gave those guys a great home and a much better one than a lot of people could have. If you didn't take them in. Those big angels might have been stuck in a 40g tank somewhere else and not have lasted a month. Think about what you did for them. You did your best. It was an accident. Never meant to happen on purpose. Just remember when you start back up. You will continue to do your best. Some little fishy out there needs you! Best of luck to you in your future endeavors. Once again so very sorry for your losses. I can't even imagine..

 

[4FordFamily]

Thank you all. I still cannot believe the overwhelming support. We are such a great family here.

 

[dsh92056]

Well this sucks. I can only imagine how you feel. I know how I Feel going away for 2-3 days only to comeback to one dead fish let alone an entire stock. Take a deep breath and a little break, re-energize and then comeback to the most rewarding (albeit sometimes frustrating) hobby.

 

[40B Knasty]

Thank you all. I still cannot believe the overwhelming support. We are such a great family here.

It's heart breaking. I made a rookie mistake last year when I first started. Bought a Randall Prawn Goby. Was excited about him coming out after a week and started perching. After 2 or 3 days of coming out on the side I could view him all day. Being a model citizen. I wake up to go see him. I look down after 15m looking all over my tank. My heart dropped. I did not know they where jumpers. It wasn't about the money lost. It was a new family member lost to me. Plus my mistake for allowing that to happen. Still to this day it bothers me a little. Plus when I got a new one. He was kind of a jerk. So that didn't help either. Almost like a Carma shoved back in my face. Only thing to do is dust yourself off man and get back on that horse.

 

[Wonf]

So sorry for your loss...

Not to take anything away from your sorrow, but as a newbie to this hobby/forum, it's heart warming to see the responses of this community....

Hope your lone surviving fish thrives, makes a full recovery and becomes Fish #1 of your new tank!!!

 

[Julian Bastidas]

It does good to share... Sorry

 

[jlanger]

So, so sorry for your losses.

Thank you all. I still cannot believe the overwhelming support. We are such a great family here.

Places like this forum is where you can come for support from those that really understand the pain, grief and guilt we personally feel when catastrophes like this occur.
We know we have the support from our immediate family members and friends. And it may be unfair to say this, but most of those people don't know the true extent that we as hobbyists care for, and even love, these animals as our pets. The members of this community and the hobby have a deeper understanding of the feelings that you're going through right now.
So if you need to talk[whine], please continue to do so.

Best of luck in which ever direction you decide to continue.
But we all know (and so do you), that you'll never leave.