Are all my fish going to die?

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Yanu

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
12
So, today I was cleaning my tank.
I also wanted to rearrange my decor, and I was replacing some gravel (pink just wasn't working for me anymore) so I transferred all my fish to my 10G until I had the fresh gravel rinsed and ready to go. Got that all settled then I add the fish with the 10G of water I had saved. Then I treated 5G and added that. (I usually save 10G then I do 5G, then the last 10G towards the end, since it's a 25G).
I set about adding all my plants and decorations, nothing out of the usual.
All of a sudden I realized that the water was turning bright pink. Took me about 2 minutes to realize I had somehow given myself a really nasty gash on the back of my hand, and it was just blood, nothing wrong with my tapwater (I seriously shouted something like "Im gonna call the motherbleeping city right now and ask them what the bleeping **** is going on", which resulted in my husband becoming cranky. Whatever.)
So anyways, after I realise it's blood, I take out 10 more gallons of water, and replace that with the other 10G I already had treated. At this point it occurs to me, I have NO idea what cut my hand. So I investigate.
Turns out I broke my thermometer. Not a big deal, I have a ton of them.
However, because they contain mercury, I was immediately scared for my fish. I remove the fish from the tank(again >.<), put them back in the 10G.....
Take my whole tank down, clean it, rinse the gravel (thank god the filter was never exposed to the mercury, or I would have had to change the foam also, meaning I lose all my nasty little bacterias) clean the surface of the tank, clean the plants, the decor, and the gravel.
So anyways I put my fish back in the tank, with all fresh treated water, so far today a total of probably about 100G of water I've hauled around and treated.

Is there anything else I can do to make sure my fish won't die from the mercury? Or once exposed, is that that?
About a half hour after this all happened, I threw in some frozen brine shrimp. Not one fish made an attempt to eat. Probably not a good sign, however they had just eaten about an hour before I started this whole fiasco. And in my experience my fish are never full, always hungry.
And besides this whole experience ended up taking me several hours, so my fish were pretty much ready to be fed again. Maybe being taken from tank to tank so many times today with the water changed so many times, then changed completely is hurting them more than the mercury?
As a side note, I use a thermometer when I am treating my water, and it's always bang on, or within one degree.

Oh yeah, and sorry that I wrote a book. Haha
 
Are you sure it was mercury? A lot of thermometers these days are made with alcohol, not mercury. If you know what kind of thermometer, check with the manufacturer's website to see if it's mercury or alcohol.
 
It's mercury.

I remember reading all the warnings on the package when I got it.
Fat lot of good it did me too.
 
Removing fish from a tank is stressful, especially twice in quick succession like that. I don't know if your fish are safe, but their unwillingness to eat doesn't mean they'll die, necessarily.
 
I just watched one of my fish take a bright blue crap.
Pretty sure THAT is a bad sign :O
 
Take a pic. ive never seen bright blue fish poop.

what color is the new gravel by chance also, I dont think it would get thru their digestive system that quickly.
 
Actually, mercury in the thermometer is not that toxic. Most thermometer is alcohol filled, but if you have a mercury one, then the "line" you read is silver, and the bulb should contain a bit of liquid mercury (shinny silver metal.) Elemental mercury is not too toxic (it is mercuric ions that is toxic & that is not in any thermometer). As long as you remove it, it should be OK.

Alcohol, however, may be more problematic .... A little alcohol dissolved in a tankful of water is fine, but if a fish is right next to it when the alcohol leaks out, it might get a bit drunk. :) <Alcohol poisoning is possible, but you are more likely to kill your bio-filter first before you kill your fish!>

Anyway, I would think the fish are not eating from all the moves. Give them a day or 2 to settle down.
 
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