I want to know your 'disaster stories'. Anything from things happening to what's in the tank, to something happening to the actual tank (smashing, falling, etc). Anything really bad that has happened where a fish tank was involved!
What Is Your Fish Tank Disaster Story?
- Thread starter Liv15
- Start date
The December FOTM Contest Poll is open!
🏆 Click to vote! 🏆
I was siphoning the water for a w/c and got called away while the siphon was still running. When I finally came back there was only a couple inches of water left in the tank. I refilled and luckily did it just in time.
I left a friend looking after my 6ft tank while I was on holiday. Of course he overfed them, I was left with a mass of stinking fish. The only survivors were a Jack dempsey and a large pleco. I was under pressure to get rid of the tank anyway so I gave it away shortly after that.
omg sawickib thats so sad to see those fish on a plate like that!
mine was when I moved, I have a massive slate rock which weighs a tonne, my tank is 5 ft high so I had to lift it up a distance whilst balancing on a chair, I must of got nervous because I dropped it and it smashed back into the tank! luckily the tank stayed intact, maybe due to the fact that there was still water and sand in there which would of taken some of the impact, im always going to have that in my mind if I should ever need to move the tank again!
mine was when I moved, I have a massive slate rock which weighs a tonne, my tank is 5 ft high so I had to lift it up a distance whilst balancing on a chair, I must of got nervous because I dropped it and it smashed back into the tank! luckily the tank stayed intact, maybe due to the fact that there was still water and sand in there which would of taken some of the impact, im always going to have that in my mind if I should ever need to move the tank again!
Very sad seeing those pictures. Mines more a long catalogue of hassle........this isn't a hard luck story, just an account.
Had a 250ltr corner tank, co2, fully planted with my discus all very content.
After much hard work I saved and took delivery of my sparkling new tank, Aqua one 350ltr tank and matching cabinet. Its set up as per signature, alot of equipment admittedly, cost £750 just for what's in the cabinet.
Invested in Aquagro nutra-soil, a nutrient rich plant specific substrate. Well, instructions said not to rinse. I had bought a lovely piece of bogwood 3 foot long that arched up to the surface, perfect for fixing annubias and fern to. Had it soaking for six weeks, but to my dismay it wouldn't sink. So the fun began......had to get a 10mm piece of glass, drill it, fix to wood as a weight and bury the glass out of sight. Well, the dust, particles or whatever it was in the substrate turn the water to clay coloured mud! 3 80% water changes later I had a degree of clarity. Now, this stuff leaches ammonia at first, so I used that to cycle the tank.
Then my plants arrived.....Very excitedly I got my planting plan out, 3 hours later my £180 worth of plants were in place. I stepped back to admire, then sadly realised my bogwood centrepiece was far too big, and would leave little space once my plants took hold. So off I went in search of another....found a lovely piece but the three figure price tag was day light robbery..but I had little choice. As you can imagine pulling out the plants and bogwood to get the new piece in left me with muddy water once again. 6 hours later I arrive at a point were I was content to sit back and watch my garden grow. Next morning all my plants and wood were covered in a pepper like dust, obviously from the substrate settling. I wafted it off, syphoned, cleaned, water changed for the next week before this was replaced by diatoms, a brown covering everywhere. I really was beginning to lose heart, my excitement replaced by despair. And so the cleaning went on for another 2 weeks. The tank cycled, u decided it was time to introduce my fish. All seemed well, they settled in ok...tank still not sparkling as I had expected with twin filters. And as if I hadn't had enough hassle BBA took hold with a vengeance!! That took 6 weeks to get rid of, and it came down to the bloody tubes supplied with the tank!! My mate who worked at the lfs sorted me the deal on it, and had meant to swap the tubes before delivery. It was only when discussing my bba woes over a pint, telling him I'd adjusted light, co2, stopped ferts, played with different flow, spot treated with liquid carbon, used eSHa algaecide etc that the penny dropped. "Oh, sorry mate, I never change those tubes, they're far too intense....you need plant tubes"!!. God, what a difference, pleco and shrimps suddenly appearing, and bba gone soon afterwards. So things looking up, for a month, until solenoid on co2 jammed and ph crashed. Replaced co2 valve with TMC. Things settled down, plants thriving, discus started spawning, fry eaten, no luck with artificially raising them but no bother. Then out of the blue blackened discus, white poop, fish skittish hiding all the time. Have treated with Kusuri wormer plus, then fluke solve, left it a fortnight before course of octozin....no improvement. Beginning to think this tank is cursed lol. So, no massive disasters but continuous setbacks that are killg the enjoyment of what is the nicest tank I've owned with the best equipment
Had a 250ltr corner tank, co2, fully planted with my discus all very content.
After much hard work I saved and took delivery of my sparkling new tank, Aqua one 350ltr tank and matching cabinet. Its set up as per signature, alot of equipment admittedly, cost £750 just for what's in the cabinet.
Invested in Aquagro nutra-soil, a nutrient rich plant specific substrate. Well, instructions said not to rinse. I had bought a lovely piece of bogwood 3 foot long that arched up to the surface, perfect for fixing annubias and fern to. Had it soaking for six weeks, but to my dismay it wouldn't sink. So the fun began......had to get a 10mm piece of glass, drill it, fix to wood as a weight and bury the glass out of sight. Well, the dust, particles or whatever it was in the substrate turn the water to clay coloured mud! 3 80% water changes later I had a degree of clarity. Now, this stuff leaches ammonia at first, so I used that to cycle the tank.
Then my plants arrived.....Very excitedly I got my planting plan out, 3 hours later my £180 worth of plants were in place. I stepped back to admire, then sadly realised my bogwood centrepiece was far too big, and would leave little space once my plants took hold. So off I went in search of another....found a lovely piece but the three figure price tag was day light robbery..but I had little choice. As you can imagine pulling out the plants and bogwood to get the new piece in left me with muddy water once again. 6 hours later I arrive at a point were I was content to sit back and watch my garden grow. Next morning all my plants and wood were covered in a pepper like dust, obviously from the substrate settling. I wafted it off, syphoned, cleaned, water changed for the next week before this was replaced by diatoms, a brown covering everywhere. I really was beginning to lose heart, my excitement replaced by despair. And so the cleaning went on for another 2 weeks. The tank cycled, u decided it was time to introduce my fish. All seemed well, they settled in ok...tank still not sparkling as I had expected with twin filters. And as if I hadn't had enough hassle BBA took hold with a vengeance!! That took 6 weeks to get rid of, and it came down to the bloody tubes supplied with the tank!! My mate who worked at the lfs sorted me the deal on it, and had meant to swap the tubes before delivery. It was only when discussing my bba woes over a pint, telling him I'd adjusted light, co2, stopped ferts, played with different flow, spot treated with liquid carbon, used eSHa algaecide etc that the penny dropped. "Oh, sorry mate, I never change those tubes, they're far too intense....you need plant tubes"!!. God, what a difference, pleco and shrimps suddenly appearing, and bba gone soon afterwards. So things looking up, for a month, until solenoid on co2 jammed and ph crashed. Replaced co2 valve with TMC. Things settled down, plants thriving, discus started spawning, fry eaten, no luck with artificially raising them but no bother. Then out of the blue blackened discus, white poop, fish skittish hiding all the time. Have treated with Kusuri wormer plus, then fluke solve, left it a fortnight before course of octozin....no improvement. Beginning to think this tank is cursed lol. So, no massive disasters but continuous setbacks that are killg the enjoyment of what is the nicest tank I've owned with the best equipment
Stick at it Damian, you'lll get it right and it will be worth it in the end.
Thanks, that's very kind of you. Yes, they get a small amount of peas daily in the beef heart mix I make them. Apart from beef heart it has Atlantic salmon, red lettuce, peas, egg yolk, banana, garlic, tetra prima, spirulina powder and multi vitamins. Apart from it bothering me that I know they're unwell and I don't know what it is, I've never seen them so erratic and skittish.
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
359 -
201 -
192
-
188 -
185 -
173 -
164 -
157
-
143 -
109 -
93 -
92 -
84 -
80 -
79