A cautionary tale about matching water temperature.

[ryanoh]

I rearranged today, so I stirred up a bit of sand-dust in my tank. Tomorrow was my weekly water change anyways, so I said what the hell and decided to do one today, larger than I usually do. I try to do about 25-30% once a week, but to maybe get out some of the smaller particles of sand I did a 50+% change today, and was cleaning out my filter impeller whilst filling up my tank with my python. I thought I'd matched the temperature perfectly, and its never gone wrong with my method before, but I topped it off and noticed a few danios floating, dead.

I looked at the thermometer and the temperature had climbed to about 92 degrees. I don't know why since the faucet hadn't moved, but it must have something to do with the water system at my house. I have no idea.

I lost all but 8 of my fish.

You can look in my signature and see what I did have, but the only ones I was able to pull out of my tank and put into my hospital tank before they were belly up was 3 platies (which, on a lighter kind of cute note, were the original 2 and their one surviving fry that were the very first fish I bought), my 4 corydoras, and my whip tail.
I lost my entire shoal of danioes, both my neon tetras, my last glowfish, and over half my platies.

This sucks so bad I don't really know what to say about it.
I'll keep this updated on if my other fish are able to recover from the temperature shock, but they seem pretty well right now...

 

[Thyra]

I don't have a python, but I check the water coming out of the faucet with an instant read thermometer the whole time I am filling the jugs. I found that I can not keep the temp steady if either the washer or the dishwasher is running. So sorry. Your loss is really tragic.

 

[ryanoh]

I do the same thing with the water going into the python, and I'm usually aware of what else is going on in the house like the washing machine or dish washer or someone in the shower. Like I said, this has never happened before and I'm really at a loss as to what caused it. The only things I can think of is that my downstairs neighbors I share this house-apartment with had something on, but since we don't share a hot water heater I really doubt it was that. They're also doing some construction across the street and a water main broke a week or so ago, but I doubt that too. Other than that I'm clueless.
I guess I need to be even more careful from now on incase another freak thing like this happens.

 

[riseabovethesun]

Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. That's a good heads up though for fish keepers, I use RO water so the temperature is always at room temp, thankfully.

I definitely have no idea how that could have happened either since you eliminated most all the possibilities, that really is a freak accident. You could always fill up some jugs of water and let them sit overnight in the future to use at room temperature unless you have a freezing house or super warm house. But I guess that can get cluttered :/

Like some people say on here though, although it is a tragic accident at least you can maybe find some other nice fish maybe a new species or one you've been wanting super bad. Just maybe..

 

[OrangeCones]

Sorry for your loss I've never used a python but can see how the temperature change could happen.

I use a lot of RO water mixed with tap, depending on the tank, and let the water drip in to simulate rain, so it goes in slow. It takes an hour to add the water in a 5 gallon bucket.

Guess I'm old-school (or is it shoal? lol). I started out with reefkeeping back when I lived in Florida and did a lot of SCUBA diving. I'd always mix salt into water before you add it to the tank to get the temperature and salinity just right, so I've always done the bucket brigade.

 

[riseabovethesun]

LOL old-shoal.

I like the drip method idea, I do that when introducing the new fish and shrimp it takes like...hours. Bucket brigades for the win!

 

[OrangeCones]

Yea...I have 8 tanks, and 8 5-gallon buckets (plus two filled with gravel that I just use to make the water buckets tall enough to gravity feed.

For acclimating new fish, yea, it takes hours. I have a petcock valves for that. One drip ever 10 seconds...takes forever! But I've not lost a fish to just bringing it home.

 

[ryanoh]

Its weird. The last few times I've done my water changes with buckets, but this time I decided to go back to using my python since it was so much. Bad choice I guess.

 

[Newman]

did chlorine have something to do with it too?
unfortunate

 

[ryanoh]

I suppose chlorine may have, but I was adding water conditioner as it as filling up, I just wasn't watching the temperature...

 

[Newman]

yes 20+F of a change right away could have done it...

 

[ryanoh]

It's pretty terrible and I feel really bad for not paying as much attention as I should, but I'm trying to stay positive and look at all the new options I have. I'm going to rehaul my whole tank now that I can empty it and then look at some new stocking options I didn't have before.
What happened sucks, but its not the end of the world.

 

[Newman]

rehaul it so that you wont have to cycle it again...in other words be careful.

 

[ryanoh]

I'm running my filter on my other tank so I won't have to re-cycle my my filter. I'll probably take that filter off the small tank and put it back on the large tank when I'm done redo my 40 gallon so it can cycle and grow some bacteria on the other tank surfaces.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

Sorry for your loss Ry...I have used my Python for years and have never had a temp issue that killed any fish. At least you know happened and can prevent it from happening again.