Share your water change fails

I know we've all had 'em. Water change FAILS, some epic even. Let's hear it! ;D

I'll start. I was working out in the fishroom yesterday (the water changes never end around here, lol) and I had one siphon draining a 29 while I was using a Python to fill some 10's and 20's. Of course I lost focus on the 29, and by the time I remembered to look across the room, my Peruvian red spot angels barely had enough water to swim upright! D'OH! I had done an accidental 80% water change! I sprinted across the room to stop the siphon, at least I got there while they could still swim.

A few minutes later, I was siphoning one tank while filling another. My mind wandered, and you can guess what happened... I start hearing splashing sounds, look over and there is a tank overflowing to the tanks below and to the floor. FAIL! I had to grab the siphon out of the tank I was draining and take a break to drain water off the other one. So glad the floors are concrete, needless to say.

 

Wow. I would classify those as EPIC fails, hehe, I'm sure mine are coming.

So far, my EPIC FAIL, I was changing water and vacuuming and moving stuff in the tank around without being very careful and somehow put an eye out on one of my tetras. Thanks to Lucy and NMfishman he's doing great now.

And other fail, waiting too long to pull the end out of the tank, forgetting that there's still water in the hose and overflowing my bucket. Several times

 

Refilling a tank. Water in bucket. Pick up bucket to fill tank. Pour water into tank. Miss tank. Water on floor. FAIL.

Also, when taking my siphon out of the tank,the end of the tube moved, came out of the bucket, and deposited the contents of the emptying siphon onto a box of files... Oops.

 

My husband was doing my water changes while I was injured a few months ago. He didn't gravel vac (my poor fish), he'd just use airline tubing to slowly drain most of the water in the tank, and then fill it back up. He'd left the tube in once... water got everywhere.

He couldn't figure out where it was coming from, assumed it was the canister filter leaking, and yelled me about my stupid fish tank. And then I figured out that the leak source was actually his fault.

 

Nice fails, guys. ;D

Just to clarify, the Peruvian angels are doing fine. They are used to large water changes, just not that large, lol.

 

Harpua this is funny, I just had a mishap last week. I was filling my 10 with the python, and not paying attention cause I was messing with my 15 I all of a sudden got wet feet. I look over and water is rolling out of the 10 across my wood floors. I had to hurry up get some towels, and then I put a fan down to save the floors. Wont do that again.

 

I forgot I was refilling the 90 one day....untill I heard water hitting the floor

 

not really a fail but my goldfish (rox, cause that's what's in his head!) just can't stay away from the vacuum! he keeps swimming right in and getting stuck to the end of my siphon!!

 

In addition to my wonderful "shocking experience", I've had TWO of my bettas join the "let's ride the siphon" game. Apparently, Armand is "spreading the word" about how much fun he had.

I've done the accidental huge water change on my betta tanks several times.

My wonderful guppies and endlers try to get as close to the siphon as they can without getting sucked up. Usually, I have at least one end up in the bucket a week.

 

I know we've all had 'em. Water change FAILS, some epic even. Let's hear it! ;D

I'll start. I was working out in the fishroom yesterday (the water changes never end around here, lol) and I had one siphon draining a 29 while I was using a Python to fill some 10's and 20's. Of course I lost focus on the 29, and by the time I remembered to look across the room, my Peruvian red spot angels barely had enough water to swim upright! D'OH! I had done an accidental 80% water change! I sprinted across the room to stop the siphon, at least I got there while they could still swim.

A few minutes later, I was siphoning one tank while filling another. My mind wandered, and you can guess what happened... I start hearing splashing sounds, look over and there is a tank overflowing to the tanks below and to the floor. FAIL! I had to grab the siphon out of the tank I was draining and take a break to drain water off the other one. So glad the floors are concrete, needless to say.

That's not a fail! I do that every day with my discus on purpose! They flop around on the bottom in about an inch of water for about 10secs while I switch back to filling mode!

My biggest fail was siphoning a tank back when I had africans, and not realizing how much sand I was getting. Its pouring out into the sink, clogged the drain, the sink overflows and it leaks through the floor into the ceiling of the first floor. That was an expensive water change. I've many times been multi-tasking while doing WCs, tried to hold the hose in the tank with just about everything, including light strips and glass tops. Glass tops are no good once wet, the house slips right out and sprays around like a fireman's hose...yeah i've done that a few times

 

I've lost a few fish to the python as well....I suppose that counts as a failure.

 

I was using the python by myself (my wife normally opperates the sink end of things) so I turned of to fill mode, onliest the hose, and ran to my 55. Well, I am standing at the 55 wondering what is taking the water so long. I go and look in the kitchen and one of the hoses had come off the thin joining them together. Water all over the kitchen.

Also one day I tried to use the python on my 2.5 gallon betta tank cause it sits right next to my 55 that I was changing the water in anyway. That whole experience was one night epic fail. I alomst sucked up the bettas, blasted it, the gravel, and decor all over the tank, and forgot to add prime before adding water. I'm using the regular siphon on that tank from now on.

 

When I had my 2.5s set up, I would do a quick vac, but would replace the water with a pitcher taken from another tank that I just changed the water in.

 

When I had my 2.5s set up, I would do a quick vac, but would replace the water with a pitcher taken from another tank that I just changed the water in.

Brilliant! This is why I love fishlore. Great ideas rising from our epic fails like a Phoenix from its ashes.

 

It was late the other night and hubby was climbing into bed. I needed help with the water change on the 40 gallon that is beside our bed because the refill hose just barely reaches it. Can't just stuff it down in there and run back and forth between bedroom and bathroom. I guess a longer hose needs to be added to the shopping list. Anyway, since hubby is sleepy, I get in a hurry. I don't do well in hurry mode!!!! Hubby sitting on side of bed waiting...... I finish vacuuming and take the siphon off the end of the hose. Stand there and say, Ok you can turn it on now. Hubby goes to bathroom and turns water on. I stand there with hose in hand waiting for the water................. ............ .............. then I holler STOP STOP he hollers back It CAN NOT be full yet!!!
STOP STOP I reply. Hubby comes back into bedroom aggravated, I am still hollering STOP STOP!! Then I had to explain that I was holding the wrong hose end. The one with the incoming water was under our bed, water going everywhere on the wood floor. Plop, Plop!!! GROWL!! The hose end that I had been holding to fill the tank back up was the one I had used to siphon the water out the window that is right next to the tank. DUH!!!!!!! You know, I never got any water out of THAT hose!! DUH!!!!!! At least it was clean water all over the floor and not fishy smelling water. GOSH!!

 

ROFL... at least it's not just me!

I just remembered one of my SERIOUSLY epic fails....
I was working at a LFS that a friend owned a few years ago. I was using a Python to drain and fill a bunch of 55's in the shop. We used to switch around parts from different Pythons and gravel vacs all the time, and I didn't check the end of my Python to see that my boss had swapped out the gravel vac part with the kind of gravel vac that has a valve in it (the one that you shake up and down to start). I closed the refill valve on the Python, and I was waiting for the water to come out... waiting... waiting... all of a sudden, BOOM! The pressure had built up behind the gravel vac part since the air couldn't pass through, and the end of it shot off into the tank! I nearly had a heart attack and I would have felt even more stupid if there had been any customers in the shop at the time!

 

Filled the tank once and turned on the filter.

THEN, realized I hadn't primed yet.

 

I hook my python to a water transfer pump,and had a tiger barb get sucked in,and stuck. I thought I would get to it in time to save it,but no suck luck. I turned the valve right as his guts got sucked through his....um.....backside.

I have also completley lost a couple guppies in the same fashion. They are just smaller,so they don't get stuck. They go straight into the pump.

I also overflowed a 75 gallon within a week of haveing it set up for the first time in our new house,in a finished basement. Not sure how long it was going before I caught it.But I dumped a 16 gallon shop vac 2 times.

 

Harp this is going to be great. Well when I was setting up my DIY stand breeding station and filling it up to set up the valves I had one tank that I couldn't drill cuz it was tempered glass and noticed I had problems and kinda fixed the issue and look over to the other room and all the sudden I hear water coming down. They were 2 tanks overflowing because some how the tank with the diy overflow took all the pipe to drain and the other 3 tanks didn't have enough draining room and took a hose started draining and closed the supply valves to the tanks. Right there I started getting towels and cleaning the floor. ops:

 

I hope I am not the only one that has busted a few heaters during water changes?

 

I ALWAYS forget to unplug my heaters. Now I put all mine horizontal at the bottom instead of vertical, that way I don't have to remember to unplug it.

 

I ALWAYS forget to unplug my heaters. Now I put all mine horizontal at the bottom instead of vertical, that way I don't have to remember to unplug it.

Thanks monmouth!!! That tip could save me a lot of money!!!

 

Thanks monmouth!!! That tip could save me a lot of money!!!

Glad to help! I keep mine an inch or so above the substrate, sometimes even closer.

 

Idiot me today was adding some crushed coral to my filter and I had to take out one of the spray bars to get things in and out. I remembered to put the spray bar back in place but paid absolutely no attention to which way it was pointing. Plug the filter back in and BAM water spraying up and everywhere. Awesome.

 

Hey harpua I have had those kinda days that you posted helping my buddy in vegas at his fish store. You get to busy and you loose thought of what to do next. I feel ya for sure!!! Its really not fun when that happens in a salt tank!!! Lol

 

Hey Stang, I haven't seen you in a while!

I've got another one. Before I post it, bear in mind that hubby and I are statistically more likely to fail than most of you all since we have like 60 tanks.

Anyway, we are working on getting our reef tanks back up to par. They have suffered due to the effort being mostly expended on the fishroom. So, a couple weeks ago, hubby tells me, I'm starting RO now so we can mix some saltwater for water changes. I said ok, that's cool. The next morning, I went out to the fishroom and found many gallons of water all over the floor. FAIL! Hubby started the RO unit, but did not shut it off at bedtime. EPIC FAIL- there was wasted RO/DI water all over the floor. RO/DI replacement cartridges are not cheap!

 

I have a huge fear of sucking up fish so I tend to keep my eyes on the tank completely forgetting to watch the bucket too.
The result? Many over flowed buckets onto the rug. Thank goodness for the steam vac!

Also water displacement, when sticking your arm in a full tank, never forget water displacement.

I've got another one. Before I post it, bear in mind that hubby and I are statistically more likely to fail than most of you all since we have like 60 tanks.

It's your story, tell it anyway you want!

 

Hey Stang, I haven't seen you in a while!

I've got another one. Before I post it, bear in mind that hubby and I are statistically more likely to fail than most of you all since we have like 60 tanks.

Anyway, we are working on getting our reef tanks back up to par. They have suffered due to the effort being mostly expended on the fishroom. So, a couple weeks ago, hubby tells me, I'm starting RO now so we can mix some saltwater for water changes. I said ok, that's cool. The next morning, I went out to the fishroom and found many gallons of water all over the floor. FAIL! Hubby started the RO unit, but did not shut it off at bedtime. EPIC FAIL- there was wasted RO/DI water all over the floor. RO/DI replacement cartridges are not cheap!

Ahh hope it all drained out good/ Lol And I feel ya on those cartridges they are more than it's worth!!!! But it is what it is. Keep up the good work!!! Tell Hubs I said Hey!!!!! Ohh and I'm ready for my shipment!!! Lol

 

ROFL Stang, at least the fishroom has concrete floors! ;D

 

While I was vacuuming out my 20 gallon my mind wandered to the TV for some reason and within a few seconds the bucket was overflowing with water. I didn't bother to clean it up first but instead I went to get the refill. When I tried to pour the new water inside the 20 I slipped and totally missed the tank. EPIC FAIL on my part.

And... water displacement water displacement water displacement.

 

Also water displacement, when sticking your arm in a full tank, never forget water displacement.

You must have been watching me with my 5 gallon this past week. I cannot tell you how many times I have over flowed it by sticking my arm in too fast in the past few days.

 

I was siphoning out my 55 gallon with a python. The sink stopper fell from the counter and plugged up the hole. Before I know it the wife on the couch says, "Greg, the sink is overflowing," and watches as the sink continues to overflow. I freak out and end up sucking too much sand when I was looking at the over-flowing sink. The sand ends up jamming the on/off lever, and I haven't been able to fix it since. When I finally get the siphon out of the water I turn to walk towards the sink and step on both glass tops on the ground.

I end up with two cracked glass tops, a broken python lever, a pool on the floor, and a wife on the couch. She sat there the whole time completely indifferent to my plight.

 

I ask myself after every WC, "did I add de-chlorinator?" Luckily it's always been yes, because I'm a 50% WC type guy.


I did have my Aqueon water changer break. The part that attaches to the faucet broke because I shut the water off on the aquarium end while filling...I have a ton of water pressure. I think water hit every wall in the kitchen.




BTW, I sent Aqueon an email with a pic of the broken part and I had a free replacement in my mailbox 3 days later.

 

I have to bring this one up.... Meenu and boiled fish.
Sorry Meenu!

My first try filling up the 180G with a hose connected to a DIY'd showerhead. I used flexI black poly pipe because it was about $3 from the local hardware store.

Went into the bathroom after wedging the hose into the 180G. Hubby on the couch. Turned tap on, hubby yelling and cursing about getting suddenly wet. My poor suede couches!! ops:

 

I was siphoning out my 55 gallon with a python. The sink stopper fell from the counter and plugged up the hole. Before I know it the wife on the couch says, "Greg, the sink is overflowing," and watches as the sink continues to overflow. I freak out and end up sucking too much sand when I was looking at the over-flowing sink. The sand ends up jamming the on/off lever, and I haven't been able to fix it since. When I finally get the siphon out of the water I turn to walk towards the sink and step on both glass tops on the ground.

I end up with two cracked glass tops, a broken python lever, a pool on the floor, and a wife on the couch. She sat there the whole time completely indifferent to my plight.

Think of it this way......... At least you made the world smile x

Harp, loooooovvvvvveee this thread!!