Omg Baby Fish On My Draining Board!

[PlecMama]

I was cleaning my external filters, and I tipped the yuck water into the sink and put the pads on the draining board. Then I washed the plastic baskets and put it all back together and filled them with a little warm tap water to get them primed when I put them back on the tank (it's ok, they're going on the 6ft, a few litres of tap water won't make much difference.)

Then I drained the sink and picked all the baby snails out of the drain-guard and dropped them in a pot of water I'd put to one side (for that purpose) but it was luke warm, not trop warm, just a bit more then cold cos they were only going to be in there a minute or so.

We took the filters back and hooked them back up and I went to clean the sink and there was a darn baby fish just lieing there on the draining board! it was in water, one side covered at least, but I don't know how long it had laid there. I scooped it up on a bit of card (to small to handle really) and dropped it in with the snails.

This sounds so calm now but I assure you there was a lot of girly "oh my god oh my god a baby fish! Dan there's a baby fish! quick give me something, anything, a bit of paper, omg it'll die, please don't die, oh it's so tiny" and on and and on....you know how that goes

So then I realise the baby is now in almost cold water and I rush it to the tank and chuck it and the snails in.

Now....you think it'll live? It was swimming in the plastic pot (in the cold) and it swam away in the tank, so I am hopeful. How long can they be in cold water though? did I do any damage to it by plopping it in the cold? I spose it was better then NO water Oh I do hope it's alright.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

It's possible it could get hit by the temperature changes and suffer shock. But the fact that it swam away seems to indicate it'll probably be ok. They can be suprisingly hardy.
More concerning is you adding tap water to the filter! I'm sure this will kill most of your beneficial bacteria off in the filter and will cause a cycle in your tank.
Was the water you used to put the snails in tank water or tap water? This could have a detrimental effect on both that baby fish and the snails.
Hugs,
P.

 

[PlecMama]

Tank water in the pot but it had been sitting there a while since I was cleaning the filters.

The filters themselves were cleaned in tank water but all the plastic cases and holders are just washed, then I fill them with a bit of tap water and hook them up. They run through and refill in a minute so that's no biggie. I was more concerned about the little fishy but I just saw it and it looked ok, that whole drama happened an hour ago so if it's still alive I think it'll be ok

 

[fish mad]

Tank water in the pot but it had been sitting there a while since I was cleaning the filters.

The filters themselves were cleaned in tank water but all the plastic cases and holders are just washed, then I fill them with a bit of tap water and hook them up. They run through and refill in a minute so that's no biggie. I was more concerned about the little fishy but I just saw it and it looked ok, that whole drama happened an hour ago so if it's still alive I think it'll be ok

Do you know what type of fish it was Suzie?

 

[PlecMama]

No, I've no idea, they always look like they are going to be guppies (long thin and see-through) and always end up being platties, so I can safely say I am rubbish at identifying baby fish.

At this stage, I am going to say it's a platty because they almost always are.