911 - Emergency!! soap in the water

kuyales

Member
Sorry to post on this board guys....but i have a real problem....i need some help....i changed my water yesterday afternoon and was totally oblivious to the fact that right before i had washed my hands....i only have a 10 gallon nano....now there are soap bubbles floating at the top of my tank....what do i do?? What is going to happen??
 

fishymissy

Member
What I would do is another water change, and run some carbon in your filter (or replace it with fresh if you already have some in there).
When you do the water change, use a cup to skim the surface of the water....with any luck most of the soap has collected there.
Good luck!
 

kuyales

Member
ok i just did about a 25 percent change and added some fresh carbon....the water that i used to change it with has only been about 18hours old mixed....so i dont need to worry anymore??
 

fishymissy

Member
In such a small tank even little events can have huge repercussions. But I'm *hoping* that you have diverted disaster.
What do you have in this tank? Keep an eye on all the critters in there....if any of them act differently you might want to do another change....be careful though, not to do too many large changes, that can be stressful by itself. IF you feel you need to do another water change, then maybe 5% to 10% this time.
I believe that fish will be the first to be affected by soap as it clogs up their gills....so if any fish shows signs of gasping or twirling you know you have a problem. (I could be wrong on the fish being the first affected....if anyone knows for sure, please correct me!)
 

wamp

Active Member
I had bleach in mine before.....
Use carbon to help remove the soap.. It's to late to worry about it now.. Hope for the best, But I seriously doubt you hurt anything, just add some carbon.
good luck
 

fshhub

Active Member
yep yepm, the damage is done, if it will be(as wamp said, it is too late already) but unlike as mentioned up top, YOU DO NOT WANT ANY AMOUNT IN THE WATER not like you washed your hands in it, you want ZERO(NO EXCEPTIONS, NO TOLERATIONS AT ALL)
adn i too am hoping for the best here <img src="graemlins//angel.gif" border="0" alt="[angel]" />
 

kuyales

Member
Thanx for the help guys...its been about 4 days now...and everything looks ok so far...thanx for the help...ill post if anything changes....
 

frankl15207

Member
Clean hands are a good idea, but as you found out, soap isn't:
Soap $.99
Shoulder length rubber gloves $15.
Value to your tank inhabitants - priceless.
My hands don't go into a tank without them on. They are stored in the cabinet under the tank.
 
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