I Need Immediate Help!

[griddlebone]

To make a long story short,While I was at work, my sister decided she wanted to feed my fish and apparently didnt know that it didnt have a pour spout and dumped a whole can of fish food in the water and didnt tell anyone. The tank is a 10 gallon, and when i got home i instantly saw the BROWN water and my fish are alive, but either floating on there side at the top, or on the bottom on there side. Is there anything i can do, I already in the process of doing a water change and getting all the food if the sand, but are my fish going to die? some are jsut floating, some gasp and float, others are jsut lying at the bottom... I really need to know what to do guys...

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

In this case it might be better for you to move the fish to a large container of clean de-chlorinated water so you can have an easier time draining the tank. Not really sure what would be more stressful: being netted/handled or be left in the tank while you clean it. Don't forget to clean as much of the fish food out of the filters as you can. You really don't want that stuff breaking down in there, creating a potential ammonia bomb. XD

 

[Jade107]

Yeah I wouyld do a water change and then test the water. Are your fish bloated? If their lying on their side...they probably won't make it. But the ones at the top might. The only advice I can give you is don't feed them again today. =/ sorry if I'm not much help.

 

[griddlebone]

Bad news, ... i don't really have many fish left now. I had such a bad day already yesterday, and to come home to dying fish sucks. All 6 of my baby angels died, 2 lampeye tetras died, and my zebra pleco died. the pleco dying is most sad to me, because i bought him from a friend at a petstore who didn't think he was going to live, so i got a really good deal on him. Thanks for all the help and thoughts , but it was probably too late to save them anyway.

 

[WILDER]

Bless them R.I.P.

Your tank sounded overstocked.

 

[griddlebone]

Bless them R.I.P.

Your tank sounded overstocked.

It was a heavily planted sand bottom 10 gallon tank running a 50 gallon filter ( which I ran on a 40 gallon for 4 months before putting in on the 10 gallon, which I tore down because i had other uses for the tank itself, I gave most of my fish my neighbor only keeping the zebra and the lampeyes). I had 6 baby angels, 5 lampeye tetras,and a zebra pleco. As for over stocked, I don't think so, maybe slightly, but my angels were tiny little guys. They were given to my when i friend was converting his tank to saltwater. i had planned on moving to a bigger tank later, but i didnt think I would need to jsut yet, especially since I didnt want to just throw fish in a new tank. I had them for... about two months.

I don't think i am going to keep fish anymore. I am going to have to recycle a tank becuase the food completely killed my filter. I had to buy a new one. Plus the filter media was dry for hours. i can SMELL the fish tank, and I have done countless water changes since... I only have 3 lampeyes alive from all the fish, but they are not doing well, I'm not sure they are going to make it.If the live, I will put them in a spare 5 gallon and be done with fish after that.

 

[WILDER]

Ok.
Fish keeping can be a nightmare at times.
Good luck.

 

[fishnovice]

Ok.
Fish keeping can be a nightmare at times.
Good luck.

Sorry to hear about your loss but don't give up on fishkeeping, it wasn't YOUR fault. Yes put remaining live fish in 5 gallon tank with clean water dechlorinated water till they recover and maybe keep them there until their old tank had been properly cleaned out and water stats checked.
Had the same problem myself when I came back after 3 days to find a tank smelling of sewage with tank botttom covered with layer of rotting uneaten fish food -flatmate seriously overfed them. Managed to save them by catching and putting them in bucket of clean treated tapwater but mollies are hardier. Had to drain the tank completely and rinse out tank and gravel several times to get rid of the smell and oily film on everything. You may need to do the same, and possibly recycle the tank OR do a fish-in cycle with frequent water changes.
Good luck!