Had A Really Bad Day

Two of my Neon Tetras died a few weeks ago without me realizing and decomposed, which made the ammonia levels in my tank skyrocket and kill my pleco. Without the pleco keeping algae in check, it only took about a week for my tank get really disgusting. I came home from work today to find one of my four remaining Neons dead. I removed all of the fish and changed most of the water in the tank.

I kept five of the fish in a large pitcher which has a poor design for emptying back into a tank. So, I transferred them into the pitcher I use for emptying and filling the tank. I did this over the sink, which was full of water. One of my Glofish Tetras jumped out during the transfer, and landed in the sink. I exclaimed "Oh !" because I was startled, but didn't panic for long because after all the tank was mostly full of old tank water that these fish had been living in for weeks. My Glofish are generally really docile and easy to catch, but this guy was flapping all over the place. I attempted to scoop him up with a plastic cup and realized with absolutely horror that the water was HOT! It was not boiling water, obviously. It was probably about the temperature I take a shower in, but to a tropical fish barely larger than a quarter, it was almost instantaneous death. The reason the poor little guy was swimming around so frantically is because he was being scalded inside and out!

By the time I scooped the fish out, he had already passed on, and he got a one-way trip on the porcelain express.

I planned on transferring all four Glofish to my 30-gallon once I get it set up and cycled, and I am absolutely devastated that I essentially boiled one of my pets alive. It was a total accident, but love all my pets like members of the family, whether they bark or swim.

 

Hi, I am so sorry about your day. It happens to the best of us, however that is insane. I once had a glo fish get caught in a net and by the time I found him he was long gone. I promise that you will get back on your feet. Let me know how it goes

 

Sorry about your day, but two dead Neons couldn't have caused a huge ammonia jump and kill your pleco as well as an additional Neon. Well, at least not that quick. Something else was going on here, I suspect. Maybe the tank was too small, or uncycled. Don't know.