Half A Can Of Flake Food Got Dumped Into My Tank.

[Destany]

I do hope there's a way to salvage this situation!

My tank is 55g, established for about two years, the fish are all 9mo to 2 years old. This has always been a very stable tank;

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 25

I bought a brand new filter for it today since the old one went out, I did take a little bio film from the last filter to put in the new one, but there was very little.

The tank is somewhat understocked (by most starndards);

1 moonlight gourami
2 pearl gourami's
2 three spot gouramis
1 opaline gourami
1 redfin shark
3 platy's
4 zebra/leopard danios

Being all excited about the new filter, I scrubbed the tank up real nice and got it looking pretty. My kid, feeding off my excitement, decided to do me a favor and feed my fish while I was in the other room. He did, about half a can of flake food! It's everywhere!

I don't have a vaccum or a siphon, my substrate is sand so whenever I tried to fish it out with a net, it just got mixed up in the sand.

I'm worried that once the food begins to break down the ammonia is going to hit the roof and all of my fish are going to die! I'm extremely attatched to these fish, it'll break my heart to loose them, they're all fully grown but no where near old!

Because most of them are gouramis I can't put them in the spare tanks, they'll be dead in a few hours because in such close quarters they'd kill eachother.

Is there anything at all that I can do to save them? My whole system is about to crash

 

[Tolak]

Pick up or make a syphon fast. You are right about the ammo taking off, some daily water changes are in order.

Tolak

 

[Destany]

Pick up or make a syphon fast. You are right about the ammo taking off, some daily water changes are in order.

Tolak

Thanks! I took a piece of old hose (I'll buy a new one next spring ) and sucked out some of the food. I got a lot, but there's still a good amount in there. I'll change the water daily like you suggested as well, and monitor the ammonia. I just hate having to use ammonia remover as I'm trying to establish a filter, it makes the proccess so much more tedious and unstable.

Thankyou for the help

It's a good thing Gourami's are hardy fish!

 

[j.c]

I would take them out and put them if another tank (if you have one).I know what its like i had a whole tin poured into my tank but my fish survived (but i scooped a bit out).
good luck hope everything goes well!

 

[Raven_24]

with the hose you could also use a net if you have one just keep scooping the stuff out, do water changes and keep an eye on them. Hope they're gonna be ok...kids eh lol.

 

[Torrean]

if this happens again you could take a syphon and suck out water into a bucket. run the water through a sive (spelling) with a papertowel or a rag in it. The rag will catch the food and you can put the foodless water back in your tank. That way you can remove the food without affecting PH or Temp. to any real worrisome degree. Just a thought

 

[BLASK]

if I were you I'd make the kid do all the cleaning. The task would surely teach him a lesson.

Im just evil

 

[gouramimama]

I am a super-newbie to fish-husbandry, but not to being a mommy.

I went to Walgreen's on my way home from the pet store (drive-thru window) and asked if I could buy a large, unused pill bottle. One with a child-proof cap. They gave me a huge one for free. That way I can keep my food near the tank without fear of my 4 and 3 year olds "helping" me feed the fish. They've already tried, but can't get the cap off.

Just an idea!

 

[love_fish]

Funny thing about my net and sand. Whenever I pick up sand and something with it (like plant debris or something) the sand filters itself out, and all I get is the plant debris. Isn't your net like this?

Well, mine is, and I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Native American]

Sounds like we should have a forum called "This Happened to Me" (like police officers have in their professional journals).

One 3-yr-old girl + 1 container of Tetra Min Betta Food (red flakes) + One 10-gallon tank = pink water and a total tank teardown for Daddy.

Thankful for a spare tank.

Destany, I'm impressed that you've gotten the three-spot Gouramis to do nicely in a community...all the ones I've ever had just became really spiteful as adults.

v/r, N-A

 

[PlecMama]

Sounds like we should have a forum called "This Happened to Me" (like police officers have in their professional journals).

One 3-yr-old girl + 1 container of Tetra Min Betta Food (red flakes) + One 10-gallon tank = pink water and a total tank teardown for Daddy.

Thankful for a spare tank.

Destany, I'm impressed that you've gotten the three-spot Gouramis to do nicely in a community...all the ones I've ever had just became really spiteful as adults.

v/r, N-A

Count us in too.

3 y/o + fish food = cleaning duty for a week.

 

[pinky37]

Ha ha Count me in too.

Although mine was a three year old, whole tub of flake, box of 36 cocktail sausages and some crisps....But the fish were hungry mummy!!!!!

 

[Native American]

36 cocktail sausages? Holy moly.

And now we have part 2 of this disaster for Pinky37's aquarium: the fish won't eat anymore unless their fish flakes are either "extra spicy" or have that special "smokehouse flavor."

SusieQ, I take it that is your young one in the signature pic who decided that the fish simply weren't getting enough? That's the line of thinking my daughter used! There was a pink mountain of flakes on the java moss (amazing how those red flakes soak up water, triple in size, and turn everything pink).

v/r, N-A

 

[PlecMama]

Yeah that's him little bug he is.

 

[Native American]

Bugs or angels, children are the joy of our lives, that is for certain (mine are 7, 5, 3 and 1)!

Oh, have to run from the computer...my youngest is eyeballing a plastic bag, and mom's at work. Never do appreciate how busy she is until I play Mr. Mom.

v/r, N-A