# Disaster: This is What Happens...



## BJRuttenberg (Sep 25, 2005)

This is what happens when you ask your roommate for a favor...


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## Sunstar (Sep 17, 2008)

I am afraid to ask, but what sort of time frame are we looking at?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Oh wow. All that HC gone... What a pity. 

What happened? He didn't decide the fish needed a "drink" did he?


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## derekp (Nov 5, 2008)

How did that happen?


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Ouch! Looks like a CO2 shutoff or lights that were left off for a few days. Pity.

I'd guess there are still some HC roots and lower portions that will rebound if you restore good conditions. The Blyxa should bouce back too.

Good luck.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

So sorry! At least you have some HC left... What did he forget to do. I try to make it dummy proof. All systems on times. Ferts in little cups that just have to be dumped. At least it's dummy proof - but the people still have to show up to dump the ferts....


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## cah925 (Jun 23, 2007)

That sucks. I have timers on most everything for my tank. When I went on vacation my brother took care of the fish ONLY. I told him not to mess with ferts or lights, just feed the fish. Mine looked fine when I got back, sorry to see what happened to you. I hope everything rebounds back to its original luster.


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

Well, it looks like they cleaned the filter inflow for you at least!


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## Sunstar (Sep 17, 2008)

I must say this is heart breaking. very heart breaking.


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## black_lung (Dec 19, 2006)

what on earth happened there?!


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## wrkucera (Jan 6, 2008)

I'm asking for someones head on a silver platter...lol


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## Sunstar (Sep 17, 2008)

wrkucera said:


> I'm asking for someones head on a silver platter...lol


forget the platter, if it were my tank, I'd be wanting it on a pike.


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## Bunbuku (Feb 10, 2008)

No CO2, no lights....melted HC. Exactly the same thing happened to my iwagumi when I lost power from Hurricane Ike. Though the blyxa did OK initially after clean up, I had a major hair algae breakout a few weeks later. 

Sorry for your loss man!


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## algaehater (Jul 18, 2008)

What on Gods earth happen there?


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Totally "uncool" of your roomate. OUCH!

-Dave


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

Sorry to see the state of the tank. Like Drinda said, I'd make it idiot proof if you have to leave it to someone else to watch over it.

Remember, this too shall pass. It'll be back up with your touch again.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Man, that's awful! You definitely have to make it idiot proof when you go away for more than a few days if someone's going to care for it. What the heck happened???


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

Bert H said:


> Man, that's awful! You definitely have to make it idiot proof when you go away for more than a few days if someone's going to care for it. What the heck happened???


Idiot-proof is one thing. Getting someone to commit to doing things when they say they will is another. This is what I'm going to guess is what happened.

I just came back recently from a week trip out of the country. My in-laws (who speak NO english) fertilized my three tanks and feed the fish for me while I was gone. When I came back ALL was perfect. As if I never left, only bigger plants!

The way I did it was I bought 6 different daily pill dosers from the drug store for about $1/each. Using a sharpie marker I labeled each one with a Chinese character for big, little and medium (for the tank sizes) and added one character for food on the ones to be used for the fish food. Then in each of the SMTWTFS compartments I put in the food for one day in the food "doser" and either dry macro or micro ferts in the fert dosers (I use the EI method). The key was them coming in at least once a day and opening that day's compartment of the right doser and dumping it into the right tank. They commited to that, and they did that.

I'm guessing even with simple, easy instructions what we had here was likely someone who forgot some or even all days!


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## Pinto (Mar 22, 2008)

Ouch! Thats a pretty bad sight. Maybe you can use this time to change the theme to forget the memory and new theme at the same time?


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## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

OUCH!!! I would be hostile, very hostile!!!

Good Luck with the fix.

Oh, and it _was_ a very nice tank!!


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## bsmith (Dec 13, 2006)

Im going with Excel od...


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Well, hopefully the OP will come back someday to shed some additional light on this...................

op2:


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

...indeed. Still no news as to how this occured.

Maybe he (OP) is out hunting...the person responsible!


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## bsmith (Dec 13, 2006)

Or forgave his roomate because he realized that leaving a high tech planted tank in someones hands who doesnt understand the pain we go through or the years we have been at perfecting the craft (or even the Nitrogen cycle) is no ones fault but his own.


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## BJRuttenberg (Sep 25, 2005)

I don't really know what happened...I have my roommate a list of very simple instructions. Left him pre-treated water for water changes, ferts and fish food...Came home two weeks later and it looked like this. I was devastated. And I was the one who cleaned the filter inlet


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## BJRuttenberg (Sep 25, 2005)

I was in morning...sorry for the lack of response


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## GrandePippo (May 28, 2008)

It looks to me he left the lights on forever. 

My room mate did the same once and put the lights ON again after the timer switched them off. He told me the room did not look cool enough when the aquarium was dark. 

Sorry for your aquarium, Pal!


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

GrandePippo said:


> It looks to me he left the lights on forever.
> 
> My room mate did the same once and put the lights ON again after the timer switched them off. He told me the room did not look cool enough when the aquarium was dark.
> 
> Sorry for your aquarium, Pal!


In all fairness, he was right about the room not looking cool enough. You can't blame him for that.


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## Greenthums (Oct 27, 2008)

Hey BJ...is your roommate still breathing¿¿¿


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## rwong2k (Jan 13, 2005)

bsmith782 said:


> Or forgave his roomate because he realized that leaving a high tech planted tank in someones hands who doesnt understand the pain we go through or the years we have been at perfecting the craft (or even the Nitrogen cycle) is no ones fault but his own.


true true, that's how i'd look at this situation, i went on holidays for 4 weeks, i had a small stem of stargrass (HZ) and it took over my whole 25 gallon tank in 4 weeks, pretty crazy stuff


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## Tobias (Apr 8, 2007)

Unfortunately the after picture looks like my best attempt so far...

:crybaby:


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## BJRuttenberg (Sep 25, 2005)

Keep with it, you'll get it eventually.

Roommate is alive and well, never to be asked another favor again. Lesson learned, Game Over.

Still no idea how this happened, just moving on and trying to rebuild.


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## Supercoley1 (May 28, 2007)

When I go on hols (normally 15-18 days) I reduce lighting period to 6 hours with less WPG, turn off CO2 completely, no ferts for the holiday.

Then get my Dad to come around every 3-4 days and check the auto feeder isn't clogged 

When I get home I tidy up whatever the mess is and get it all back to full regime perkinesss  Part of the fun pulling it back together again

AC


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## NowMed (Feb 10, 2009)

man that sucks!!!

But this is your chance to make your tank better than it was before and fix those little things you want to fix.


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## dirrtybirdy (May 22, 2007)

that deserves a beat down


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## BJRuttenberg (Sep 25, 2005)

After much hard work I have revived the tank, and I must say it is even better than before (IMO). I will post pictures as soon as they become available.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I look forward to seeing the "new" version.


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

BJRuttenberg said:


> After much hard work I have revived the tank, and I must say it is even better than before (IMO). I will post pictures as soon as they become available.


Wow. That was fast.


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