Dealing with loss

KrisC

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 17, 2017
Messages
23
Reaction score
18
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just went downstairs to wake up my fish when I got the shock of my life. The tank water was so cloudy I could hardly see and then I saw my fish. They were all dead. I am devestated. I have had these babies for 7-10 years. I don't know what happened. When I went to bed the water was clear and they were fine. How do you deal with feeling guilty, it must be something I did, to wanting to quit, and the grief, they were my pets?
 

Crabs McJones

I'm so shi-nay
View Badges
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
27,297
Reaction score
138,268
Location
Wisconsin
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So sorry for your loss! Did something happen, a piece of equipment fail or something that could have caused it?
 

tdileo

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 6, 2017
Messages
2,048
Reaction score
1,690
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m thinking it must’ve been some kind of equipment failure... Heater cooked the tank, a ton of stray voltage leaked, but nothing that’s your fault. Hopefully you will be able to get back into it better than ever but it’s always a tough time dealing with all that loss. My condolences.
 

WVNed

The fish are staring at me with hungry eyes.
View Badges
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Messages
10,206
Reaction score
43,620
Location
Hurricane, WV
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sorry for your loss. It is hard when friends pass we have spent so much time with. Luckily time will heal this wound.

All you can do is find new friends.
 

Eva Rose

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
860
Reaction score
1,314
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So very sorry for your loss. I totally empathize. I recently loss most of my fish due to equipment failure. It hurts. Right now there is a mix of shock, despair and you feel overwhelmed. Do not blame yourself. To have your fish for 7 to 10 years shows you were responsible, caring & conscientious Hope all the support here on R2R helps.
 
OP
OP
KrisC

KrisC

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 17, 2017
Messages
23
Reaction score
18
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thank you for the kind words. I have had a series of events leading up to now. My fish were in a 20 gallon waiting for my new tank to get set up. My old 90 gallon had Dino's, identified by microscope, so bad that I lost my coral and all the rest of my inverts and decided to tear it down. I had been wanting a better tank and after doing some research decided on the Red Sea Reefer 450. Setting it up has not gone as quickly as I hoped and my guys were downstairs waiting. I have been having trouble with nitrates, over 25, and phosphates, between 2-5. I knew it must be over feeding so along with less food decided to try nopox. I added 1ml to the 22gallon last evening after a water change. At the same time my 2 spot bristletooth tang had what were small white parasites clinging to him so I had added 1 tsp of Prazi to the tank Sunday and a second dose last night because he still had quite a few on him. These parasites had been an on again off again issue for him for a long time. None of the others showed any on them. Could he have died during the night and the water fouled killing everyone?
 

tdileo

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 6, 2017
Messages
2,048
Reaction score
1,690
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m thinking oxygen depletion is what caused them to die. Prazi combined with NoPox (carbon dosing) could very well have lowered the oxygen levels to the point the fish couldn’t survive, especially in a small tank. Once again so sorry about your losses.
 

Greybeard

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
Messages
3,233
Reaction score
8,669
Location
Buffalo, MO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sux.

It won't help... but I always try and remember what life on a reef is like. We do our best to provide our pets with a clean, safe environment. Every day, on a natural reef, there are thousands of creature trying to make lunch out of them. Virtually nothing on a reef dies of old age.
 

HairyGary

Why do all your fish look like trout?
View Badges
Joined
Jan 24, 2017
Messages
1,759
Reaction score
3,652
Location
Minnesota
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I’m thinking oxygen depletion is what caused them to die. Prazi combined with NoPox (carbon dosing) could very well have lowered the oxygen levels to the point the fish couldn’t survive, especially in a small tank. Once again so sorry about your losses.
Sorry for the losses. I have to agree with @tdileo here. But losing fish sucks. I lost all of mine at the beginning of the year to velvet. Never a good feeling. If you had them that long, you were successful and I am sure you will be again. Good luck!
 

Halal Hotdog

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 5, 2017
Messages
1,493
Reaction score
1,881
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It seems you over carbon dosed. Prazipro is dissolved in an organic carbon source, that conbimed with Nopox and the cloudy water is most likely a bacterial bloom that depleted the available oxygen. I know exactly how you are feeling. One day I came home and almost all my livestock was dead. Never figured out what happened. Theorized that a powerhead was shooting current into the water, but never confirmed it. Was a miserable time, and I got out of the hobby for over a decade. Since starting back up I have been very reluctant to add fish. My current reef is almost 2 years old and only had a couple fish until recently. Nothing I say will make you really feel better, but just give it time. Also you could focus on just establishing corals for a while in your new tank.
 
OP
OP
KrisC

KrisC

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 17, 2017
Messages
23
Reaction score
18
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have to say that the R2R community is awesome. Thank-you all for your encouraging posts. What a painful lesson to learn. I think tdileo and Halal Hotdog are right about the cause.
 

vector824

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 3, 2017
Messages
334
Reaction score
421
Location
Orlando
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Man I’m so sorry to hear about your loss! It hurts me just thinking about it. Keep your head up and look at this as a time to restart from the lessons you’ve learned!
 

HB AL

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
4,040
Reaction score
6,198
Location
H.B, California
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m thinking oxygen depletion is what caused them to die. Prazi combined with NoPox (carbon dosing) could very well have lowered the oxygen levels to the point the fish couldn’t survive, especially in a small tank. Once again so sorry about your losses.
Sounds like the culprit, chalk it up to a lesson learned(I’ve had my share over the years) and carry on.
 

High pressure shells: Do you look for signs of stress in the invertebrates in your reef tank?

  • I regularly look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 33 31.1%
  • I occasionally look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 25 23.6%
  • I rarely look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 20 18.9%
  • I never look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 28 26.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top