Surprise And Success Stories

[soybean]

So we've had the post about horror stories - tanks exploding, fish eating other fish, etc.

Anybody got any success stories where it all looked a bit against the odds for a fish?

I have a couple.

When I set up my new tank 6 months ago I moved most of the filter media over and gradually moved the fish. I even wrote a checklist and ticked them off to make sure I got them all, down to the last shrimp. The old tank was sitting on my bedroom floor full of water, unlit, unheated, unfiltered, no plants, just really filthy gravel. I left it there about 10 days as I had had surgery and just couldn't face emptying it. When I finally got around to it I saw movement and presumed I'd missed a fry. Found an oto! I don't know how it lasted that long. I'd also been chucking the water test results on my new tank into there so it must've been swimming in all sorts of really toxic stuff. I netted it and put it in a fish bag with new tank water in jut to give it a look over, left it floating in the new tank for a little while, then figured it had been through a lot and it couldn't get much worse so just let it go into the new tank. Six month later, still going strong.

Years ago when starting out I had guppies as my first fish and must've brought home a parasite in one because the whole tank was infested with these things that just kept bursting out the side of them like something in Alien. I didn't know it could even be treated til I saw some parasite meds in a pet shop. I only had a one guppy left by then and nearly didnt bother. I could see it was starting to get the red mark on its side and decided to treat it separately from the tank (I don't know why now!) and put it in a plastic drawer from a storage tower thing. I calculated carefully how much water to treat and did so. No filter, just a heater. Well this parasite did it's Alien thing and sank to the bottom, which is when the fish would die, but this guppy didn't, it healed up and left a shiny white scar but he too lasted another 6 months. I felt like Wonder Vet. I don't think I'd bother now

 

[fidjet2]

O.O you choose some strong fish

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I have two. The first one started out as a horror story, but I succeeded in saving my fish from myself lol. I was refilling the tank from the tap when I did my water change a few days ago. I misjudged the temp and ended up putting a lot fo cold water into the tank. Normally I alternate between warm and cold. Dropped the temp of the tank to 60F. I look and freak, then noticed my male swordtail is on his back!! So I turned the warm water on, and I picked up up with my hand and hold him near the warm water coming out of the hose. After about 45 seconds, he swims out of my hand. A little shaky, but alright! He is still doing good, only he gives me the stinkeye now.

My other success story, well semi success, is the oscars that I have almost have a fully cycled tank. In 2 weeks, I have managed to go from absolutely no cycle, to almost completely cycled. (amm 0.25, nitrite 0.5) Media from 5 different tank to keep up with it this much. Did you know that 2 half grown oscars produce about 4ppm of waste in a 12 hour period?

 

[snake007]

When I thought my molly was going to die of dropsy and I saved its life.
Great success.

 

[soybean]

I have two. The first one started out as a horror story, but I succeeded in saving my fish from myself lol. I was refilling the tank from the tap when I did my water change a few days ago. I misjudged the temp and ended up putting a lot fo cold water into the tank. Normally I alternate between warm and cold. Dropped the temp of the tank to 60F. I look and freak, then noticed my male swordtail is on his back!! So I turned the warm water on, and I picked up up with my hand and hold him near the warm water coming out of the hose. After about 45 seconds, he swims out of my hand. A little shaky, but alright! He is still doing good, only he gives me the stinkeye now.

My other success story, well semi success, is the oscars that I have almost have a fully cycled tank. In 2 weeks, I have managed to go from absolutely no cycle, to almost completely cycled. (amm 0.25, nitrite 0.5) Media from 5 different tank to keep up with it this much. Did you know that 2 half grown oscars produce about 4ppm of waste in a 12 hour period?

Lucky swordtail! I've stunned my fish with cold water by mistake once but just told them to man up.

 

[Akasha72]

Great thread, good to hear happy stories.

Unfortunately I'm still new-ish to all this so I've nothing really to share other than how proud I am of my platy fry and the little cory fry that's hiding somewhere in my tank

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I have two. The first one started out as a horror story, but I succeeded in saving my fish from myself lol. I was refilling the tank from the tap when I did my water change a few days ago. I misjudged the temp and ended up putting a lot fo cold water into the tank. Normally I alternate between warm and cold. Dropped the temp of the tank to 60F. I look and freak, then noticed my male swordtail is on his back!! So I turned the warm water on, and I picked up up with my hand and hold him near the warm water coming out of the hose. After about 45 seconds, he swims out of my hand. A little shaky, but alright! He is still doing good, only he gives me the stinkeye now.

My other success story, well semi success, is the oscars that I have almost have a fully cycled tank. In 2 weeks, I have managed to go from absolutely no cycle, to almost completely cycled. (amm 0.25, nitrite 0.5) Media from 5 different tank to keep up with it this much. Did you know that 2 half grown oscars produce about 4ppm of waste in a 12 hour period?

Lucky swordtail! I've stunned my fish with cold water by mistake once but just told them to man up.

I wonder if there might be somethign wrong with im as he was the only affected like that by the cold blast. I know he isnt that old as he just developed him sword. Eh...at least he is okay now

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Well, I have one myself.
The summer of 2011 I got back from Switzerland. I was away for a month.
On my way home I stopped at my parents house, and searched around in my old room to get some stuff, and found an older internal fitler- In a really good condition. It was never used.

When arriving back to London, I immediately did a 100% water change, washed out the gravel, and yes, exchanged the filter.
So my tank became uncycled. I didn't know anything about cycling, and overall fish keeping. (Yes I know, I was a terrible fishowner )

But as a miracle, all my fish survived.

 

[Zyden]

Back in the day as a kiddy, we used to keep goldfish and an ornamental tench (simply because it snuck in the LFS net when he was picking out our fish) - three of them in a 60 litre tank. No filter, not much gravel, rather sparse ornaments, no plants. Just a light and the standard dechlorinator! Once a month we'd do a full tank scrub down and even tip in tap water before dechlorinating it. No weekly water changes. There was no internet back in those days, you did what the LFS told you (which wasn't much) and thought they were gods!

The fish never seemed to get ill, and they went on and on and on... and here we are 14 years later, we still have 1 of the goldfish, and the tench. Both are huge bruisers now! Of course we are no longer monster fish keepers anymore!

 

[Binge]

I have a few fun one ones

when I had just started keeping fish I Unknowingly grabbed a bottle of stress zyme instead of stress coat and for 3 weeks did wtare changes with it. Amazingly I lost no fish in the chlorinated water (nor did i looose either of my blue lobsters)

Back when I kept my lobsters in my community tank one of them took the entire black section of tail off of one of my male platys. At that point I had tried saving sick fish a couple of times in little half gallon hospital tanks and failed horribly. My wife suggested just leaving him in the tank. So i did more frequent water changes to keep it clean and in about 3 weeks he had a new clear tail that had grown back. He is still alive now almost a year later. Oddly enough some of his fry have been born with clear tails I dunno if its a survival thing or what but they look funny.

About 4 weeks ago I had a filter go down and when I emptied it there was a 1/4 inch baby albino cory cat in the resevoir! he is happy in with the others now.

Last weekend just two days after asking a friend about breeding my cichlids I found a baby yellow lab in my tank I dunno if he is the only one or what but at least there is one !

 

[RamboFish]

Hey soybean, you replied to my thread about ram behavior my suprise story would ne how those two rams spawned last night!!! Super in need of advice thought soo please anyone read this: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/386024-ahhh-my-gbrs-have-just-spawned/
Lol thanks

 

[dbanner]

When i had my 1st tank i had no idea about cycling or what it even was so i just put the fish in when the water was at the right temp and never lost any... Ended up taking them back to my lfs when they were getting too big and got different ones

 

[soybean]

Hey soybean, you replied to my thread about ram behavior my suprise story would ne how those two rams spawned last night!!! Super in need of advice thought soo please anyone read this: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/386024-ahhh-my-gbrs-have-just-spawned/
Lol thanks

I told you he was male he was blatantly up for it as well!

 

[RamboFish]

Hey soybean, you replied to my thread about ram behavior my suprise story would ne how those two rams spawned last night!!! Super in need of advice thought soo please anyone read this: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/386024-ahhh-my-gbrs-have-just-spawned/
Lol thanks

I told you he was male he was blatantly up for it as well!

LOL Yh he got to work quick!