Absolutely gutted.

[Biokabe]

Don't overreact. Don't act hasty. Even when you think you have a good plan, always question how you can make it better.

Or else this is the result:

A bucket of dead fish, a stock tank full of dead corals, and a shiny new tank filled with stinky, muddy water.

I had a Red Sea Reefer that was developing seam issues. I gave in to the panic and moved to get a replacement in ASAP. Ignoring my better judgment, and my wife's natural caution, I pushed ahead.

Mistakes were made. Mishaps occurred. Things that should have been 10 minute jobs stretched into hours. A three-day project with a one-day tank swap turned into a 9-day project with a three-day tank swap.

Some of the issues were caused by external problems. Most of them were my own failures.

In the end, all but two of my fish are dead, and I'm not sure that those last two will make it. The fallen will receive honorable burials beneath my roses. We'll try to save the last two. Corals were an almost complete loss. Might be a complete loss.

Right now I'm not sure whether the last two will be given new tank mates or whether the tank is now just a very expensive retirement home for a mandarin goby and a melanarus wrasse.

I panicked about my seams, and the fish paid the price. I tried to save money, and the fish paid the price. I thought I knew what I was doing, and the fish paid the price.

It'll likely be a while before I post again. Might not restart until we find a new home where the tank doesn't dominate everything. Might not restart at all. Who knows.

 

[Fish Fan]

So sorry to see this Good luck moving forward!

 

[BryanM]

Sorry to hear this.

If/when you come back there's tons of helpful people here(as you know).

 

[dvgyfresh]

Maybe consider a nano , much easier to maintain and frees up your time

 

[TX_REEF]

sorry for your loss!

Take some time to mentally recover and regroup before you dive back into rebuilding. We're here for you if you need any sort of support!

 

[Biokabe]

Maybe consider a nano , much easier to maintain and frees up your time

I have one already (an IM20) and will be continuing with it, at least - my wife loves that tank, and without the big tank to distract me (especially as has happened over the last month) I can give it some real TLC.

 

[Segalplayer]

Sorry about the losses mate it’s never easy especially when you feel the burden of the situation. I’m sure these fish had a good life until the tank swap and can only imagine sometimes what the corals/ fish woulda been put thru if someone who didn’t care as much as us took them home and died in a week or so.

Glad to hear you are still reefing and don’t give up on the big one but taking time is sometimes needed. Hope to ser ya back on here soon

 

[Tahoe61]

I am so sorry.

 

[D.WhiteShark]

Been here. Sucks! So Sorry... Learn, Change, Succeed, Repeat.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I'm so sorry, man. Most of us have been where you are. Bounce back! Learn from mistakes and forgive yourself for them. Move forward.

 

[W31Olds]

What caused your losses and what are the lessons learned? I'm going to need to move my Tank soon and would welcome any input that might help me. I only have to move it 10 Ft. so not too terrible, however it is a 180 gallon total system. I know the sand needs to be removed and replaced. Sorry to hear you lost most of your livestock

 

[Jasonak]

Sorry man, that just really sucks.
Its happened to allot of us.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

So sorry to hear about your losses….

 

[Biokabe]

What caused your losses and what are the lessons learned? I'm going to need to move my Tank soon and would welcome any input that might help me. I only have to move it 10 Ft. so not too terrible, however it is a 180 gallon total system. I know the sand needs to be removed and replaced. Sorry to hear you lost most of your livestock

In your situation, you probably won't come across most of the problems I came across. There were many things that contributed to what happened, but the reason for the deaths was time and not being adequately prepared to support my livestock for the amount of time they ended up in the stock tanks. Some of the extra time was a result of me making mistakes on the replacement plumbing I was making (honestly, this was a lot of it), some of it was the result of me getting sidetracked on things I thought were important but that could have waited until later (like removing the excess bubbletip anemones from my rocks). It was supposed to have been a one-day project, but it ended up being a 3-day project.

If you're just doing a straightforward drain, slide, and refill, you shouldn't run into most of the problems I did. Just make sure you have circulation and heat for your holding tanks, and make sure you have enough tools/muscle to move your tank. If your tank is glass, a pair of moving suction cups makes a huge difference. And yes, discard the old sand and replace it with new sand. Rinse the new sand ahead of time, and expect to take a couple of hours rebuilding your rock work and laying in the sand around it. Always make sure that your foundational rocks don't rest on sand, as burrowing animals can disturb it and cause a collapse of the rockwork. Finally, don't underestimate how much time it will take to remove your rockwork and catch your fish.

If you have trusted helpers it can help a lot, especially for moving the tank. A 180 is plenty heavy, even empty.

 

[W31Olds]

Thanks for the info. I have suction cups, a lift cart, and long-term QT Tanks I can repurpose in my basement. I plan on getting new sand as well.

 

[DietDr.Kelp]

I understand the feeling. Lost many fish during a power outage last year. Contemplated shutting the tank down because it was too painful. Give yourself some time to heal and love the hobby again.

My biggest tip to anyone during a power outage or move: have battery powered air stones. Literally saved the lives of my remaining fish.

 

[tripdad]

....to forgive oneself is always harder than forgiving others but do it anyway. It is only because you care so much that this hits you so hard. It's hard to accept that these mistakes will make you grow as a reefer but they do. Be kind to you.

 

[Gtinnel]

I feel for you because I have been where you're at. I had a fully stocked tank that was doing well and I came home one evening to all of my fish dead. So I know the combination of sadness, defeat, and anger that you're probably feeling.
My advice is to give it time and dont make any decisions until you've had time to settle down.

 

[NCsalt]

I’m very sorry this happened to you and your fish. I know what its like. When you are up for it check out my build thread in regards to my recent total fish loss “incident”. Hurts bad.

That being said do not count your corals out! I lost a lot but things are hanging on and coming back from persistence and work.

Do not give up. Have hope.

Just keep swimming my friend.