Our weekend started the normal way most weekends start with the usual list of to do's. Our biggest was to clean all 3 fish tanks and do major water changes. Its been a long time since any of these tanks have been deep cleaned and frankly I was excited to get started and spend my "fish" time relaxing and enjoying the job at hand. * I know I'm weird*
So I got everything together, Saturday morning, to do the 125 gallon tank in our bedroom. This tank houses my "aggressive" guys. Now I need to say that for the last few weeks Bamboo, our shark, hasn't been eating. Nothing I tried seemed to work. So his decline has been painful to watch and I wrestle daily with whether or not I should euthanize him myself or wait for a possible reversal in behavior. So I started on the tank and keeping an ever watchful eye on its inhabitants I cleaned the tank. Tank completed I reached in and gently picked up Bamboo. Making no attempt to swim away he just laid in my hands and let me rub his underbelly. I know the end is nearing for him.
Next I moved on to the 120 gallon tank in the entry way that houses my African Cichlid population, 5 catfish and one enormous Plecostomus. This tank is always a happy tank with the discovery of new babies almost monthly. But it is over 3 years old now and most of the original fish have died and what remains are their offspring. This tank is so deep that I can't reach the bottom without quite literally leaning into the tank. So its easier for David to do the bottom of the tank and I do the top. So we removed all the rocks and discovered that we had a new batch of babies in the tank and quickly deposited a rock back in the tank for them to hide around and under. These babies are so small that the other fish look upon them as "fresh food"! This tank cleans up especially well and stays clean for a long time due to it not being a true meat eating tank. So with the tank clean and the pumps up and running again David started on his 150 gallon tank in the family room.
This tank has been hardest hit over the last few years with algae and is in need of a really good cleaning. Unfortunately this isn't done in a few hours. This will take weeks, perhaps months to remedy. But regular water changes, frequent cleanings and the addition of algae eating critters should work in the long run.
So our day finished as usual and off to bed I went. Next thing I knew David was standing next to the bed telling me that all my fish were dead. Dead! What? I jumped out of bed looking at the tank in the bedroom and noting the fish lazily drifting in the tank like they always do at night. So I rushed into the entry way with the light blazing and looked in shock at my Cichlid tank and all the dead fish. What happened? David had tried to fix the tank before waking me and realized that the pump wasn't working. For some reason the pump we both heard start up earlier in the day had at some point shut off and was no longer delivering oxygen fresh water to the tank. All of my Cichlids basically had suffocated. Unbelievably the Plecostomus, and 4 of the catfish were still alive. (The one catfish that I lost was a disabled baby that I had taken in a few years ago. For some reason He never grew.) So there we were at 12:30 a.m. scooping out all of my dead fish, listening to this damn pump NOW running.
I was up until almost 4 a.m. trying to understand what had happened and mourning all my fish. I know most people probably look upon fish as well "just a fish". But I'm just not that way. Anyway.....
Sunday morning came all to quickly. The best we can figure is that something must have blocked the tubing not allowing for the water to pass and the pump shut off instead of burning up. The pump is running very nicely now and we have learned a valuable lesson.
As for Bamboo, he passed away this morning.
3 comments:
Sorry you had to go through that Mom. I do know how you feel though. When Whitey was sick with God-knows-what, I was so heartbroken. You're right though, most people see them as "just fish." I still cried when she passed.
You know if it had just been one fish I wouldn't have been so upset. But with all of them going at once it was just to much. I just couldn't stop the tears. When I found Bamboo this a.m. it was just the same reaction all over again. Its amazing how a fish can interact with you and cause that kind of affection/reaction.
I know all to well what you are going through. When I had my tank of Guppies, I came in one morning to find them all dead and the tank water so hot I couldn't put my finger in it. The heater had busted and it basically cooked all of my fish.
I am so sorry you had to go through that.
Hugs!
Love you, Bonnie
Post a Comment