A tragedy

[LadySundew]

A tragedy has occurred in my tank... Yesterday I noticed some half eaten shrimp bodies on the aquarium floor and freaked out. I did all water quality tests but found nothing. However I didn't have to look for the cause too long: the water temperature had dropped from 26 °C to 22 and the heater wasn't plugged in. I must have forgotten to plug it after my last water change. Shrimp really are sensitive creatures. My cories and snail were almost unaffected, just a bit less active than usual. I adjusted the heaters thermostat to 23-24 to avoid further shock when replugging it. When I checked the tank today there was at least one more casualty and some of the leftover shrimp don't look so good. The temperature has risen to 24 and I'll keep it there for a while until bringing it up slowly. Luckily (*knock on wood) all of the shrimp didn't die. I'm pretty mad at myself but at least I won't be doing that mistake again anytime soon.

 

[MacZ]

Nearly had the same/a similar thing when I did the water change on sunday. I forgot to plug OUT the heater during water change, risking it to overheat, because the temperature sensor would sense the air temperature of only 20°C and try to compensate, which would have been futile. And that could have led to the heater completely failing ending in the scneario you faced yesterday.

Glad you noticed in time.

 

[ProudPapa]

I've seen heaters placed horizontally near the bottom of the tank. By doing that it stays completely below the water during water changes so there's no need to unplug it.

 

[CarolinaFishbone]

Sorry for your loss.

Knowing that things can go wrong, or they break...I started using one of these. Accurate to about 1 degree.
Decently loud alarm
Set my minimum to 70° and maximum at 84°
Edit: it does show/switch to centigrade
Amazon.com : General Tools AQ150 In and Out Aquarium Thermometer with Waterproof Probe : Pet Supplies

 

[A201]

If that's the worst thing that happens to you in this hobby, you're doing good.
Wait until you see the tail of your new prized $35 fish hanging out of the mouth of the $5 fish you've been trying to rehome. Been there.
Sounds like you need to take a trip to the fish store. Lol.

 

[richiep]

Half eaten bodies isn't s result in a drop in temperature, the volume of water you've got in the tank when reduced slowly will have no effect on your shrimp, they can also take temperatures down to 19c, my tanks have risen to 34c in the summer and down to
19c ish in a power cut without deaths, you don't by any chance have a dragonfly nymph os similar in the tank

 

[jkkgron2]

A tragedy has occurred in my tank... Yesterday I noticed some half eaten shrimp bodies on the aquarium floor and freaked out. I did all water quality tests but found nothing. However I didn't have to look for the cause too long: the water temperature had dropped from 26 °C to 22 and the heater wasn't plugged in. I must have forgotten to plug it after my last water change. Shrimp really are sensitive creatures. My cories and snail were almost unaffected, just a bit less active than usual. I adjusted the heaters thermostat to 23-24 to avoid further shock when replugging it. When I checked the tank today there was at least one more casualty and some of the leftover shrimp don't look so good. The temperature has risen to 24 and I'll keep it there for a while until bringing it up slowly. Luckily (*knock on wood) all of the shrimp didn't die. I'm pretty mad at myself but at least I won't be doing that mistake again anytime soon.

Same thing happened to me a week or so ago, I forgot to turn the heater back on so the temp dropped to 70 and before I figured out what happened I saw a dead shrimp and freaked out, so then I turned the heater back on and.....more dead shrimp! Glad that you caught it in time before u lost all ur shrimp and fish

 

[MD_Plants]

I've seen heaters placed horizontally near the bottom of the tank. By doing that it stays completely below the water during water changes so there's no need to unplug it.

yup yhis is what I do

 

[MissPanda]

I bought a new heater and its smaller and rounder. Has 2 of those quarts things on either side instead of 1 long one, so it stays low enough I don't need to unplug during water change. It's also small enough to hide very well. Second, I have a temperature controller. An alarm goes off if it goes below or beyond the set degrees. Its wifI so will alert me on my phone even if I'm at work. I can monitor the heat from my phone in real time. I tend to like aquarium gadgets like that. I don't see it as necessary, but if you have the extra cash or really value peace of mind it's a good device to own. My sister once had a heater malfunction that obliterated her whole tank which inspired me to look for something to prevent that.

 

[richiep]

I bought a new heater and its smaller and rounder. Has 2 of those quarts things on either side instead of 1 long one, so it stays low enough I don't need to unplug during water change. It's also small enough to hide very well. Second, I have a temperature controller. An alarm goes off if it goes below or beyond the set degrees. Its wifI so will alert me on my phone even if I'm at work. I can monitor the heat from my phone in real time. I tend to like aquarium gadgets like that. I don't see it as necessary, but if you have the extra cash or really value peace of mind it's a good device to own. My sister once had a heater malfunction that obliterated her whole tank which inspired me to look for something to prevent that.

Can you give us some more details on that heater and maybe a photo, its sounds like I could use that to its full potential

 

[MissPanda]

Can you give us some more details on that heater and maybe a photo, its sounds like I could use that to its full potential

MQ Submersible MinI Aquarium Heater 200W with Digital LED Display and External Thermostat Controller, Aquatic Turtle Heater for Fish Tank 25-60 Gallon: Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies

It has a sensor that automatically shuts it off when the water level is too low aswell.

 

[richiep]

Looks like they are 110volt only which is a shame but I'll go on the hunt, thanks for that

 

[86 ssinit]

Ok I’m interested in the temperature controller. Sound like a great device.

 

[MissPanda]

Looks like they are 110volt only which is a shame but I'll go on the hunt, thanks for that

Why does that matter? I literally don't even know what 110 or 120 volts means or why it matters. Sorry if it's a dumb question. I just buy stuff and pay no attention to all that technojibber. Haha

 

[MissPanda]

Ok I’m interested in the temperature controller. Sound like a great device.

Amazon.com : Inkbird C929A Smart Digital WiFI Temperature Controller for Aquarium Fish Tank Wireless Thermostat for Reptiles Terrarium : Pet Supplies

 

[richiep]

Why does that matter? I literally don't even know what 110 or 120 volts means or why it matters. Sorry if it's a dumb question. I just buy stuff and pay no attention to all that technojibber. Haha

In the UK we run on 240v and if I were to attach 110 it would just blow it