Help with my goldfish plant! Is it going into a rest period?

Edit: I'm sorry for the lack of photos, I'll add some first thing in the morning when there's good light!

Some background: I bought this plant a few weeks ago. It had some weird waterspots (I'm wondering now if it may have been fungus, although regular water did the trick and they haven't returned) on the leaves that I spent some time cleaning off. While doing so I had it sitting on my turned off oven, then very stupidly turned my oven on and forgot to move it. Right away most of it turned brown and wilted. I pulled all of it out of the pot (it was still in the pot I purchased it in), threw away the damaged parts, and left the parts that appeared to be okay out overnight. The whole pot (plastic) was VERY warm and much of the roots were, too- I tried to save only the parts that hadn't warmed up.

At this time I had no clue what kind of plant it was and a sweet but misguided friend told me it's a succulent, so I repotted it into cactus mix. I let it dry out completely before watering again, then learned it's NOT a succulent, and repotted into a mix of regular soil and orchid mix (I went to three different places looking for African violet mix, then ran out of time and figured I'd use what I have). I've put it in a window where it receives bright light but no sun and have been misting a few times a day. Ever since THE INCIDENT, some ends have been turning black and falling off, green leaves have been dropping, and many leaves have lost their luster and look matte. I bought another one because I LOVE this plant, and want to make sure I'm doin' it right. SO, my question is, is my first plant a goner? I've read that they can go into rest periods and come back from them, but I'm afraid it's slowly dying. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

This message was edited Dec 7, 2014 10:07 PM

This message was edited Dec 7, 2014 10:13 PM

I am afraid the overheating has been too much for it, but hang in there. Keep it somewhere between moist and dry, hard to explain, but the roots need oxygen and moisture, but too much water forces the air out of the root area. Water thoroughly, then let it drain really well.
While it is very vulnerable, do all you can to prevent the root rot fungi from moving in.

Tropical evergreen plants (like the Goldfish Vine) do not lose their leaves when they 'go dormant'. They may pause in their growing for a while, and, in this case, stop growing and try to heal the damaged tissues. It is normal for a plant to shed the leaves or branches that are not productive any more, so you may still see some of the less damaged parts dropping off.

I hope there is still some part of the plant that can recover for you.

Thank you so much for your reply and the wonderful information, Diana_K! I'm afraid you're right. 😳 I've been reading all kinds of conflicting information and it's great to learn dropping leaves aren't normal... I guess I should have known that! The new one I bought looks to be in great health, you can bet I'll be treating this one like a baby! 😂

Here are some photos attached. I'm not sure why the uploaded crooked, or how to fix them!

Nicole, your well meaning friend was not completely off base. The plant is a succulent like in that it's thick leaves store water. So, if the soil were allowed to dry out completely, the plant will not wilt (as most plants will), as it will continue to draw moisture from its leaves like a succulent does. As Diane stated, keep the soil semi moist, moist but not wet. Do not allow water to sit in the saucer underneath the plant, because as she said, overly wet soil prevents oxygen and air from reaching the roots and they slowly die. If not checked, the roots will continue rotting until there is not enough roots to support the plant. Continue to monitor the roots for root rot and fungus.. I believe your 1st plant will recover well. BTW, goldfish cuttings root very easily. Happy Gardening.