my dad is cleaning a part of the filter with 409

[steppy104]

ok, theres a black sponge-like part to the filter....not the cottony part, that can be replaced.....some other part. i tried to discourage him to do this, but he insists on cleaning it with 409. the second he mentioned it, i'm like "DO YOU WANNA KILL THEM THINGS?!"....i just really don't think it's safe. i think he rinsed it out pretty well, but i'm still iffy.....any info on this?

 

[Yano]

Rinse very well under a heavy current, maybe soak it in fresh water for awhile. I think it might be ok, but I would not use it anymore.

 

[steppy104]

**********....i knew it......well, i'm not someone he pays attention to. he already put the thing in there....i guess i gotta hope he rinsed it good.

my dad is not a fish person....all he really cares about is that the tank is clean....

 

[Becca]

OMG. Sorry, shouldn't say this - but I actually laughed.

As for the sponge, uhm, I'd be looking at a new one. If that thing is really clean, it *may* upset your eco-system a bit. I'm always told that if I rinse mine in tap water, not tank water, that the beneficial bacteria will be killed off by the chlorine. And, well, 409 is much better at killing things than tap water.

In the meantime, I'll pray for your fishies.

Good luck, keep us posted!!

 

[steppy104]

i'll try...i tend to forget about some posts.....but i'll try to keep track of this one. lol.

i think the only weak fish i have in there might be the tin foil barbs....and i just got them a couple weeks ago, so i dunno what they can handle. the other fish, i'm pretty sure might be able to handle a little bit of a tip in the system....i mean, they did survive in the very begining when everyone was all like "oh you can't do that! they'll die! blah blah!" i'll get the link on here to that little convo....

 

[steppy104]

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...34831&hl=bucket

there we go.....just to let everyone know, all of the fish are doing absolutely great! all of them are nice and frisky....except for the algae eater of course....but ya'll know how that is

 

[SnowyzMom]

Well my filter has the charcoal filter and the black sponge part too on it. Last thing I heard was that the black sponge part was where the beneficial bacteria all live and grow. If that's really so and not just some line fed us by the company who made them, your dad for sure wiped them out, so.....can you keep a close eye on your water, in case of spiking of nitrites, ammonia etc? 409 would definitely kill anything on that sponge....YIKES. I shall hope for the best for your little feeshies.

SnowyZMom B)

 

[steppy104]

if only i knew about that kind of stuff......no one here knows anything about nitrites, nitrates, or anything.....just ph. (which we don't check). we don't feel that we have anything to worry about, as long as everyone is swimming around happily and wut not.....i think petsmart checks that kind of stuff for free....so maybe i check that out on tuesday.

 

[steppy104]

how long would it take to notice a difference caused by cleaning that thing? right now, they are all acting like themselves.

 

[Becca]

I'd say pretty quickly, maybe within a couple of hours. Personally, other than your cycle needing to be restarted, as long as all the chemicals are rinsed off THROUGHLY, you'll probably be good.

What kind of filter do you have? I know you're close to me, and I have a spare Whisper 40 (filters up to 40 Gallons) that I can either give you, or give you my sponge from. (I bought a BioWheel for my 30-Gallon and have the Whisper sitting in my cabinet, you're welcome to it, if you like.)

 

[kittybug]

you should buy your own test kit. dont just rely on petsmart. although you can use them as a back up if you think your test is off. Tell your dad not to do that again.

 

[steppy104]

thats the same kind i have. thanks for the offer, but if it only takes a couple hours for a change to occur, then i'm guessing that my dad rinsed it out well enough to not hurt anything.....cuz it's been 4 hours now.

thats very generous of you to offer.....but i don't think i'll be needing anything

except for some new cartridges which i'm goin out to buy either tomorrow or tuesday. i think if i get anything for the fish, it's probably gonna be on tuesday since tomorrow is busy. well, not for me....but i can't go anywhere if my bf ain't the one takin me. lol. our schedule is

1st-clean out his back seat (you can't even sit back there....he even has a spare tire in there!)
2nd-he's cuttin his grandpa's grass
3rd-we're goin to the blood drive at mjr theatres in southgate (oh how i wish i was 17 )
4th-stop home for dinner
5th-around 6:30 we gotta be in uniform, and ready to leave for karate

i think we MIGHT have time somewhere between 3 and 4....but who knows

 

[Becca]

Well, keep us posted. Don't quote me on the "couple of hours" though. Give it a day or so, and have your water tested (getting a kit of your own, might be a good idea too...) Hopefully everyone will pull through fine.

Oh, and if your dad goes near your tank with 409 again, get a rolled up newspaper and swat him on the head. "Bad Daddy...NO!"

 

[Teelie]

So, are the fish alive still? Something like that is almost surely going to kill the fish, and why the hell did he use 409 to clean the filter? That's the dumbest thing I've heard of.

 

[amazingbioloboydp]

petsmart isnt always the best place to get ur water tested.ince they told me it was horrible and made me buy a buncha stuff and it wasnt bad when i tested when i got home.