Help!

[kevinthecow]

Well, an hour or so ago i fed my fish. Dropped in a cube of broken up ocean plankton. (Hoping they will eat) and a few tablets. (My swordtails are the only one interested in it, the rest ignore it..)

Well I felt the glass to determine its temperature.

usually, its pretty warm at 80F. The temperature dropped a few. (Just 2)

Noticed someone cranked around with the temperature knob thing.) So yeah, I turn it to a 81F and I didnt see the spider that was crawling on my heater. I like, tipped it over and at the same time my fish were eating. Well yes, my bst ate the spider.(Black skirt tetra)

What should I do? it was a small spider and I was freaked out afterwards. (scared of spiders.) Any consequences? I checked the ammonia levels. It was around 0.25-0.50, (is that a threat? I never have dealed with ammonia before.)


Soz, I cant get nitri/ate levels. Stupid kit was a ripoff, only gave me ammonia tests. I got the ph, though. (its around acidic - neutral)

What should I do? ): Much help needed.

(Also, my fish became less active this past week, Swordtails stay low, THREE loaches hide in one tiny cave when there are like other caves around. Frogs snuggled into little cracks to hide and.. well yes. .__. Do you guys know why?)

 

[Corleone]

I doubt the spider getting eaten will be a problem. North America doesn't have too many dangerous spiders as far north as you are - most species that like to live in your house will likely feed on nothing bigger than a fly or mosquito. If it is a problem, there's probably not much you can do about it anyway unless you have a little tiny stomach pump or something.

Any ammonia is a problem - anything over .25 is of immediate concern, .5 is bad. This is likely linked to the change in behavior. What test kit did you buy?

 

[Athena]

I'm sure in the wild fish eat all sorts of creepy crawlies LOL - I know, it's just a horrible thought that your fish ate a spider but it was probably quite nutritious for it ! It wouldn't have increased your ammonia levels in the tank.

But it's good you tested the water because, yes, you do need to get that ammonia level down asap. I'd do a 50% water change, wait a couple of hours and test it again and keep doing water changes like that until it reads 0.

One reason your ammonia level could be high is the amount of food you are feeding. How big is your tank and how many fish are in it? Just wondering because you say you dropped a whole "cube of plankton in" plus "a few tablets". Excessive food in the tank increases ammonia levels, especially bits that don't get eaten for hours (e.g. if particles get trapped amongst plants & gravel etc).

Regards - Athena

 

[tenohfive]

From the results your describing it sounds like you may be using a strip testing kit - they're notoriously innaccurate. API freshwater master test kit is a good reliable liquid drop based kit (and nutrafin do an equivilant with a similar reputation) and they're the ones to look out for.

You want pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. As stated above though, if you're showing ammonia do a big water change - 40% ish which should help out.

 

[shelaghfishface]

i wouldnt worry too much, mine have eaten a few daddy longs legs,and it wont harm them, not unless it was your pet tarantula of course

 

[drobbyb]

Just think of it as revenge. Usually it's the spider that does the eating!

 

[PRW1988]

There's nothing that will happen unless the spider was a poisionus one, in which case you BST may die. Hopfully not, but you never know. Chance's are it was some type of household spider so you shouldn't be too worried.

 

[paulypaul182]

Its natural food, fish dont eat flake in the wild

 

[Nick16]

i used to catch mossies and other flies and put them in the tank, my barbs gobbled them up, its a souce of protein and can be nutritios. almost the same as live food, such as BBS or daphnia! its the same thing really! id rather the fish ate the mossie than it bite me!

 

[minxfishy]

Do they have poisonous spiders in Canada? I always liked the thought of living in Canada, no nasty spiders, might change my mind if they do

Wont hurt the fish, dont worry about it, if you find anymore chuck em in, or if like me, scream, grab the nearest heavy thing and squish em

 

[OldMan47]

Actually the daddy long legs that none of us worry about has a very potent poison. The spider just can't get its mouth open far enough to bite us so we ignore it and treat it like it's not poisonous.
I watch too much learning channel.

 

[WILDER]

Thats reminded me haven't had hundreds of daddy long legs flying in the house this year lol.

 

[kevinthecow]

Okay, thanks guys.

I'll do a water change. 30-40% good? I've never done small water changes often, Conditioner first, then water? :3

Sorrys.

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Actually the daddy long legs that none of us worry about has a very potent poison. The spider just can't get its mouth open far enough to bite us so we ignore it and treat it like it's not poisonous.
I watch too much learning channel.

This isn't true at all.

 

[OldMan47]

I stand corrected. There I go believing what I read again. The article you cite, which has no references either, would say I should have called them venomous rather than poisonous. I concede that is true. It does not say they are not venomous but that a brown recluse are more venomous.