Fish Emergency

[zantetsuken]

Just cleaned filter out in tank and rinsed it in tap cuz I had nothing else so I decided to drop a drop of aqua plus into the filter to stop the clorine I had just put in there. I went to pour a drop and the dripper cap was not on the bottle. About 2 or 3 capfuls spilled out into the water!! Please tell me I didn't just hurt my fish!!!???

 

[smb]

I've never used that before but it's a conditioner and can't be all that bad for your water. You can do a small water change to be safe.

 

[zantetsuken]

I may have overreacted there. Now that I think about it 3 capfuls is about the amount for 30 Gallons which my tank is, but I almost had a heart attack when it just started pouring in. I just fed them and they are all eating well. Just scared myself I guess. I suppose if I see any wierd behavior in the next few hours I will quickly start a water change. Thanks though

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

"Just cleaned filter out in tank and rinsed it in tap"
Does this mean you rinsed the filter in tap water?

 

[KimmyFishy89]

Oooo big no no on cleaning the filter with tap. Alot of good bacteria builds up and helps break down amonia. You might have just made your tank cycle again

What kind of filter is it? If its a power filter, (Like aquaclear or whisper) you want to rinse off the sponge media every once in a while. You NEVER rinse out the whole thing

 

[Jo]

I'll second that....I had to clean my filter off yesterday due to it being VERY clogged...ALWAYS use a small amount of aquarium water to do this in (I normally use the water that is in the filter to get a little bit of the gunk off, that way the beneficial bacteria are still all there.) You should only very rarely need to clean your filter (my filter reccomends that you give it a quick rinse in aquarium water once every two to three months and that you replace half the filter once every six months)This will avoid the tank going into cycle, but prevent the filter from getting clogged up...It will depend on your individual brand of filter though...

 

[zantetsuken]

Oh my goodness I'll have to make sure to not do that again then. Thanks for the tip. Well I tested the levels today and everything seemed pretty good, although the PH was in the high 7's. Is that bad and if so what can I do about it?

 

[Lithril]

I wouldn't worry too much about the pH for the moment but if you've rinsed the whole filter out in chlorinated water you're going to need to check ammonia and nitrite levels daily for a while.

 

[worldboy79]

I don't think you harmed the fish because in a way you were just treating water (for chlorine) that didn't need treating (the water was already chlorine free in the tank.) I guess it might be different if, overall, you exceeded the recommended dose of drops per total gallons in the tank.

 

[Mamaschild]

I have to disagree with most of the responses to this post. I rinse/clean my filters about every 2 months. If I don't, the gunk builds up around the impellor, it slows down, the hard water deposits build up, and in general, it gets ICKY . Even the box stated that the filter should be cleaned once in a while.

Now, I'm not saying you should clean your biowheel or sponges, just the interior of the pump itself. Equipment just works better when it's kept clean. And I have never sent my tank into a mini cycle or anything by doing this over the past 2 years.

Just my opinion