Soap in my tank =( - treatment

[kellieandjason]

Hi, my daughter just threw my "scrubber" - the kind that keeps the dishsoap in the handle- into my tank. I have 4 hermits and about 10 snails, 1 emerald crab, 1 conch, and 2 clownfish. I just sucked about 1/3 of the water out, but now I have to run into the pet shop to buy some more water. Is there anything else I can do? My skimmer is an airlift cheapo and isn't working well anyway, I just bought a new one that isn't here yet. I don't have a filter, just a bunch of live rock. I do have a filter that came with the tank in a kit that I could put carbon into.
Any help/ideas or am I doomed???

 

[TheMadNucleus]

I'm sure others will jump right on this but as a quick reply this would be my approach:

Definately add as much high-quality carbon as you can (use whatever large capicity canister you have access to as it will force the water through the Carbon). Placing a bag of carbon in the sump will not be a very effective approach so don't do this. In order for carbon to be effective the water has to be forced under some minor pressure through the granules.

Secondly and even more importantly do several 35-50% water changes - I would recommend them as frequently as 1 per day (though you will likely get differing opinions on this). If you make it past the 2nd or 3rd day you are likely safe. If you make it past the 4th or 5th then I would cut back on the changes to once a week for perhaps a month. Just make sure that during high-frequency changes, you have all of the water parameters adjusted so there is a very close match each time you do the change. By this I mean PH, Salinity, and Temperature.

Can't think of much else. Perhaps others will have some thoughts as well.

Tom

 

[kellieandjason]

Thanks, Tom for your help. I added carbon and did about 40% water change. I got enough water to do water changes for the next couple days. I'll be crossing my fingers tonight and hoping for the best. Thanks again!
Kellie

 

[reefrunner69]

Has there been any death?

Continue with the water changes, but the soap if it got in your tank...would have a fairly immediate effect.

 

[kellieandjason]

Hi Kevin, No death and all of the inverts and fish are still very active. So that's a good sign...Thanks for your help

 

[saltcreep1025]

i hope u punished the child

 

[TheMadNucleus]

Agreed that the soap, if in large enough quantities, would have quite an immediate effect, however, note that most dishwashing soaps contain potasium, sodium hydroxides, various forms of lye, sodium silicates, gelling angents, and perhaps even chlorine or other chlorimine compounds. The list can go on and on depending on the manufacturer.

So bottom line - even if your inhabitants made it through today it is likely that your tanks has some pretty ugly stuff in it that can't possibly be good for them (or you for that matter . So I would still do the high frequency changes for a while. And keep the carbon running as most of those substances are highly molecular and like to get trapped by the Carbon.

Ps One other suggestion - change the carbon in a few days.


Tom

 

[kellieandjason]

Thanks Tom I'll be doing another water change in a little while and will change the carbon in a day or two. I know that the soap was not a large quantity, it was what ever was on the sponge already. I was standing right there turning a snail over so I took it out immediately. *UGH* kids...
And yes she was immediatly sent to her room for a nap

 

[TheMadNucleus]

Hi Kellie,

This whole incident is actually a little close to my heart. When I first got started with aquariums (about 10) I left my younger brother (who was 8 at the time) to feed my fish which were in a 10 gallon tank (you know mollies, sowrdtails, etc., etc.).

I was out at a birthday party for the day. Upon my return I heard my brother's foot steps running down the stairs and he was yelling my name in delight. When he caught his breath he finally explained to me that he had given the fish some soap so they could take a bath. Yikes! I exclaimed, and immediately ran upstairs to pull a bar of Ivory (so Pure, but not that pure) out of the tank. The fish survived for about a day or two and then slowly started dropping off until by the end of a few days I had no more fish

Of course back then, I had no idea what a water change was and knew that this stuff called charcoal had some value somewhere in the scheme of things

Good intentions of the half informed. None the less I've raised three kids and ya gotta admit it - they way they think is great. So even in light of the disaster - she was likely trying to help out.

Tom