I killed my fish

[Brian Fein]

I apparently suck at this fish caring thing.

Their water was disgusting yellow and there was alot of uneaten food left in the gravel, so I thought it'd be nice to clean the tank.  I dumped the water but saved a little bit of it and cleaned the tank and the gravel out really well.

I went and refilled the tank with half-hot-half-cold drinking water.  I put the fish in their little baggies in the tank as if they were new and when I put them in the tank, they were floating around and looked like they were gasping for air at the surface.  So I removed them and put them back in the old water and viola - dead fish.

I don't know if I'll be getting any more any time soon.  I'm apparently not very good at taking care of them.

[Denver_Bronco]

Nice job buddy. Did you at least put your dead fish on ritz crackers and enjoy a snack ?

[Frimp]

You just cooked them. The water needs to be about 78 degrees. You can start over again, and not feed them as much.

[Denver_Bronco]

Sushi at Brian's tonight ! Everyone's invited !

[bsfins]

Well, I have to say,I'm glad you didn't spend big wad of cash on a BIG aquarium,then find out you suck at fish care....

Actually,I don't think it was the cooking...I think he poisoned them in a sense...is there a grate like thing that your gravel sits on? Then there is a clear lift tube where you put the airstone?

I think the tank is using an undergravel filter,and when you scrub the gravel,you kill all the nitrifying bacteria.(the good bacteria)

Don't worry about it...It just means you're learning..we ALL lose fish,even Jacque Cousteau probably had a fish  tank,and he lost fish.Welcome to the Club....

Ahhh,don't get too down..have some funeral wine...in the next few days try again...

[BeefStewert]

Well, I have to say,I'm glad you didn't spend big wad of cash on a BIG aquarium,then find out you suck at fish care....

Isn't a big aquarium easier to keep fish alive in since it stays in balance better?  Couldn't Brian be having trouble because his aquarium is so small?

[bsfins]

Yes,it is true....
But instead of changing like a gallon of water,in a small aquarium...he'll be lugging 5 gallon buckets...

The same principles will apply to the big tank,as in the small tank though...You have more lee way(sp?),room for error.Except instead of losing 2 -3 fish...you're losing 5-6 fish,that probably cost a little more....

Also,if it was a cooking,PH shock,conatmination,ETC...then tank size might not have mattered...

What I meant by the statement was....atleast he hasn't spent like $1000 on a big tank,that way if Brian feels it's not for him,it's a minor mistake....

[Brian Fein]

Yes, B, its an "undergravel filter"...

I don't think I cooked them, the water was basically room temperature when I stuck them in.   It wasn't hot at all.  I added some hot water to cold water to get it to be room temp, otherwise they would have frozen.

I should have changed the water little by little each day, rather than all at once.  I think that would have made a difference.

Either way, I don't think I'm going to be getting more fish any time soon.

[Sunstroke]

we ALL lose fish,even Jacque Cousteau probably had a fish tank,and he lost fish.Welcome to the Club....

Yeah, but when it happened to Jacques Cousteau, he immediately gave mouth to gill resuscitation on his fish to bring them back from the dead, then he tagged their little dorsal fins for tracking purposes and released them back into the ocean to track their migratory patterns.

Brian just flushed his... no tracking necessary. 

[Frimp]

Come on, Brian...Get a 55 gallon. The pros greatly outweigh the cons.

[Brian Fein]

I don't have room in my 8x8 cubicle for a 55 gallon tank.

Maybe when I move, I'll think about it.

[Lee]

Oh, they were at work?

Maybe they died of boredom from Motorolla?