Down the Drain They Go!!!!

For those who have been to our house in the last 6-7 years would know we have a 72 gallon saltwater tank. Okay so it wasn't looking its best the past few months, we were a little busy, but nevertheless the fish were healthy. We started this tank years ago and took our time adding fish into it because they are so expensive to purchase and they get stressed out so easily. Well in August, right before our family vacation, our pump of 6 years started making a funny noise. So, we decided we should replace it to prevent it from dieing while we were gone. Well it sucks we were the ones to pick that particular pump off the shelf, because on Monday morning at 5:30, while i was feeding the baby, i smelled this awful smell. When Jason got up he discovered the pump which stays under water had fried up. At that point the fish were okay and Jason was going to buy a new pump, no problems. So we thought...when i came downstairs hours later all the fish were dead except one little clown fish who was swimming slowly at the top. The pump either shocked them when it burnt up or it produced a chemical throughout the water that did them in. We were able to save the little clown fish after a trip to the fish store to buy more salt water and a stop at walmart for a smaller tank to put him in. Pump was under warranty, but as far as the hundreds of dollars in fish, which we can't afford to replace right now, well they are history. According to the man at the fish store, if we use the right chemicals we could have it up and running again in a few weeks. So we are now on our way to starting over. What a horrible way to start a Monday morning.