Overfeeding Deaths

[Botia4Life]

Recently, about 10x the amount I would normally feed my fish was spilled into the tank, I tried to get some out by sucking it out with a water hose, but there is still quite a bit. If I pat the gravel some crud comes up, so I'm asking if this much will kill my fish or what will happen? Also, what can I do to fix it ( water change doesn't do to much).

thank you

 

[rich311k]

Did you vacuum the gravel?

 

[Botia4Life]

Yes, and a bit came out but not nearly the amount that went in. My fish ate some but... again not enough

 

[rich311k]

Test your levels tomorrow. If the nitrates come back too high then do a water change. It should be okay.

 

[Bhunsucker]

Keep us posted on your outcome please

 

[Botia4Life]

Well the incident happened yesturday, and my nitrate is 20ppm, nitrite 0ppm. That looks about good so I'm not to worried now, but I will keep you guys posted.

Thanks

 

[Devilishturtles]

That food will cause you problems when it starts to decay in your tank. I would keep trying to vaccum it out as much as you can. Keep an eye on your water parameters as well.

 

[Elmware]

Try this:

So that you aren't constantly changing your water, try a gravel vac, but when you fill a pail up, let it settle and carefully pour some of the water back in the tank, trying not to pour the settlement back, or siphon if you can. Vaccume the gravel again and keep repeating.

Then do an actual water change.

If you have a spare hose kicking around, you could put a hole about 4" inwards from the end and plug the end. Put this end in the pail to ciphon the water back. A simular method is used for siphoning homemade sodas or beer and wines to prevent ciphoning the settlements.

 

[Elmware]

One other thing. It might help to measure out some food in the cap of your food container instead of pouring it straight in the tank, assuming that was how you got in this predicament.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd be more concerned about the ammonia reading at this point. The food is going to decay and cause an ammonia spike. Do you have an ammonia reading? Deep gravel vacs is a good way to go. This happened to my 10 gal tank (let my niece feed the fish, BIG mistake) and I took the fish out of the tank, took the filter off the tank (didn't clean any part of it), and then rinsed everything in the tank very well, emptying the entire thing. I filled the tank back up, put everything back in it and acclimated the fish back into the tank. The bacteria in the filter is most likely sufficient for a non-cycle.

 

[rich311k]

You may want to rinse out your filter media in old tank water as well, to get rid of the food that has accumulated in it.

 

[Botia4Life]

Well, my stupid test strips don't do ammonia, which is a stupid thing for the makers not to put on. Anyway, I will have to wait 'till the weekend to get something, but no fish have died quite yet, but my cardinals are getting stressted out. One has fin and tail rot( treating), and all the cardinals did have ick, but I've been treating and it's pretty much gone. And to fish fanatic, I don't have a hospital tank just yet i'm trying to work on it, so can't do that.

 

[rich311k]

If your fish are showing stress I would do another water change as soon as you can.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You don't have to have another tank. I used a 5 gal bucket that is used only for fish tanks.

 

[rich311k]

Good idea Fishy. I would put an airstone in it if you can.

 

[kimberly]

If you are using test strips rather than the "mad scientist" test kits, they make an ammonia one as well. You just have to buy it separately. The strips are about the same cost as the "5 in 1" test strips.

 

[Botia4Life]

Thats exactly what I've got, and I forgot to look if ammonia was on ther and I got mad when I saw it wasn't.

 

[BlazerFRS]

I forgot to look if ammonia was on ther and I got mad when I saw it wasn't.

Heh exactly the same thing happened to me today; bought the strips in a rush last night and didn's realize they didn't do ammonia... :?

 

[iains]

You don't have to have another tank. I used a 5 gal bucket that is used only for fish tanks.

i do the same thing and it works great i can even have my filter on mine. this idea is great for hospital tanks and cleaning your main tank.