Finding motivation after a setback

[darnasuspect]

I've been running my tank for nearly two years now, and it's been a breeze. Had hardly any losses since the initial cycle, most of the originals are still swimming around. Lost a couple over time, but nothing out of the ordinary. My fish of choice are Tetras and live bearers - nothing too exotic.

Water change a few days ago, everything seemed fine. Turned on the light today and was met with a wall of cloudy water, half my fish lying dead on the bottom. No idea what went wrong, especially in a well-established, planted tank like mine.

It's a hobby I've loved, but seeing all those dead fish has really taken the wind out of me. I'll do what I can to save the rest, but it's got me wondering if I'm still up for this.

[powerin]

I'm wondering if something went wrong with the water change, did you take the time to declorinate the new water you added to the tank? Also, when you cleaned the filter media, was it with tap water or did you use something else? And just out of curiosity, how often do you do water changes and roughly how much water do you replace each time?

[Clack]

Sorry to hear about the sudden loss of your fish, really hope you can figure out what happened. Testing your parameters might help identify something obvious, doing big daily water changes could also help. Was there anything different you did during the last water change, or any recent changes to the tank like new fish or equipment?

[darnasuspect]

Sorry to hear about the sudden loss of your fish, really hope you can figure out what happened. Testing your parameters might help identify something obvious, doing big daily water changes could also help. Was there anything different you did during the last water change, or any recent changes to the tank like new fish or equipment?

I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened. I've been doing this for nearly two years and never had a disaster like this. I've had the same routine and it's always worked out fine. I did a 50% water change a few days ago, and like I mentioned, I cleaned the filter with some old tap water, but I've done that before without any issues.

I've been using the same water treatment as usual, and I haven't introduced any new fish to the tank in months. I'm not overstocked, so I don't think that's the problem. I'm just really frustrated and demoralized by all the dead fish. I thought maybe the filter had broken or something, but it's still running fine.

I'll test the water and do daily water changes like you suggested, but it's just really disheartening. I was really proud of how well my tank was doing and how many of my original fish were still alive.

[Clack]

I've been running my tank for nearly two years now, and it's been a breeze. Had hardly any losses since the initial cycle, most of the originals are still swimming around. Lost a couple over time, but nothing out of the ordinary. My fish of choice are Tetras and live bearers - nothing too exotic.

Water change a few days ago, everything seemed fine. Turned on the light today and was met with a wall of cloudy water, half my fish lying dead on the bottom. No idea what went wrong, especially in a well-established, planted tank like mine.

It's a hobby I've loved, but seeing all those dead fish has really taken the wind out of me. I'll do what I can to save the rest, but it's got me wondering if I'm still up for this.

It's absolutely devastating, I can only begin to imagine how you're feeling after such a long period of stability in your tank. It's really baffling that something like this could happen without any apparent warning signs or changes. Hopefully someone can offer some insight into what might have caused this disaster, it's just so heartbreaking to see all those fish you've cared for over the years suddenly gone.

[sSjey]

It's possible that some kind of contaminant got into the tank, like if someone sprayed an aerosol in the room or if there were paint fumes or something. Maybe someone lit a scented candle or used an air freshener nearby and it somehow affected the water. I'm also wondering if maybe a visitor fed the fish without me noticing and overfed them, or if a kid tried to feed them something they shouldn't have, like a biscuit or something.

[darnasuspect]

I've just removed all the dead fish. It's great that a couple of my oldest live bearers are still swimming around, but I did lose a few. Unfortunately, all my Tetras are gone - both species.

What's really strange is that I can still see live bearer fry darting about. I'd have thought they'd be the first to go if the water was bad, but apparently not. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong. I did wonder if the filter might not have been working properly after I cleaned it, but I'm not sure that would cause cloudy water a couple of days later.

I'll keep testing the water and doing changes, hopefully I can turn things around. It's just really disheartening. I remember when I went on my honeymoon earlier this year, I didn't do any water changes for three and a half weeks, but the tank was so established that I didn't lose a single fish. So, to come back to all these dead fish was just devastating. I've never been too emotional about losing a fish or two, but this was different - I've never had to net so many at once. To be honest, I'm not even sure I want to rebuild the tank right now.

[angelica]

I'm wondering if the temperature in the tank might have fluctuated somehow, did you happen to check it after the water change and the sudden deaths?

[willie32]

It's heartbreaking to see your tank go through this, especially after having it stable for so long. I can imagine how frustrating it must be to lose so many fish at once.

I've been thinking, cloudy water can sometimes indicate a bacterial bloom, which might be caused by a filter bacteria die-off. Have you considered the possibility of external factors affecting your tank's water quality? I've heard that rural areas can be prone to issues like waterways being flushed with chemicals from farms or water companies, which could potentially impact your tank.

[willie32]

I'd suggest giving it some time before making any rash decisions. Second-hand aquarium gear isn't worth a lot, and if you sell up only to regret it later, you might end up out of pocket trying to get back to where you are now. I've had my fair share of tank crashes and disease outbreaks, but I've always managed to bounce back. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to try something new or hunt down that bucket list fish you've always wanted.