i screwed up really bad today

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: kkreit01
..I like pet fish. I just hating cleaning the tanks. When we wanted fish, they always died. Now that we don't really want them, they live forever.

We don't even have a heater on our tank. The water temps range from ~68 in winter, to 80 in summer. Fish still swims on.

Sorry for your loss OP.


Yeah, proper fishkeeping is more work than many people think. I do 40-50% weekly water changes on 4 tanks ranging from 10-75g.

Even something as basic as a zebra danio can live 7+yrs. Bettas are typically a little less.

The science of keeping fish improved drastically with the internet age. I used to fail horribly at it in the 1970s and 80s when there was a pet store at every corner.

 

[gomes512]

Sorry about your fish.

Only have fancy goldfish at the moment but always thought about a plug in thermostat if I were to ever setup a tropical tank.

I've heard of thermostats failing open or getting bumped more than once at the local fish shop... That would really tick me off.

How about using a plug-in space heater thermostat to set a maximum temp limit and plug the tank heater into that?

You can find some units that have external sensors, perhaps, one could epoxy or silicone on the sensor directly to the side of the tank or encapsulate it in a small water tight pouch and submerge it. That way if the heater fails open the thermostat would keep it in check.

Was thinking of something like this:
http://www.lightinthebox.com/we77-progra...CFSVgMgodEToAQg

 

[Quest]

Sorry to hear that.

Q.

 

[JTK]

There's plug-n-play temperature controllers available for this exact application. They'll kill power to the aquarium heater if a setpoint is reached. Most have digital displays and some have audible alarms.

Like said earlier, with a heater sized appropriately for the tank, overheating to the point of death won't happen.

 

[Rick in PA]

I'm not a fish guy, but understand. Any animals in the house become a responsibility. When they were younger, one of my kids won one of those goldfish (that usually don't last too long) at a carnival. This little bugger was a hardy one. His bowl ended up on the kitchen counter and he got a name: "Sunshine". One evening I went to check on him. Uh, oh, empty bowl. Then I felt something underfoot. Nuts, he jumped out of the bowl. Yep, even a just a carnival goldfish, put me in an off mood that evening.

 

[Tdbo]

Sorry to hear about your tank.
I remember my days with fish tanks. They are easy to get attached to.
I remember the heater as being the biggest PITA to deal with.

 

[artificialist]

I had a fish tank many years ago. I took care of the fish and they did live a fair life.

Anyway, I had a friend who used to work as a mechanic for the county. When he was unable to do mechanic work, he volunteered to work at the sewage treatment plant. His reasoning was that everything he learned could help him maintain his saltwater fish tank.

 

[beanoil]

2 -3 watt per gallon as a rule of thumb depending on ambient temperature, and if at all possible, split the wattage between 2 heaters. For example, a 150 gallon would get 2 150 watt heaters. That way if one sticks on, or goes out, your tank temperature will not sway to the point of danger. I like Ebo-Jagers. Reliable, good temp control. Good on you for concern, however, your loss is small in comparison to most, and the fish mentioned are plentiful in the wild, and in the trade. I've had them all: tropical, South African Discus, and many ocean species. I had a beautiful 200 gallon reef. Halides, actinics, timers for sunrise and set, wave maker, Albert Thiel trickle and skimmer, O3 reactor, Redox controller, chem modules, auto water change, the whole shooting match. Came home one night to the police in my driveway. A neighbor complained about the strange light in my house, and they wanted to know if I was growing dope. I invited the officers in for a look. They told the neighbor what was up, then they wanted to see it... They didn't get in.. Figured if they were so anxious to call the police before talking to me, they could miss my reef.

 

[crinkles]

I killed a fish by accident the other day through sheer negligence too.

Feels like [censored].

Edited to add. I had just nursed him from the point of death before that too. That hurt extra bad, that he managed to get better, only to die because of my stupidity.