Are they gonna make it?

[iameeeyore]

I was feeding my fish today, for once, (my husband usually does it), and I fed them their flake stuff, and we usually throw a few pellets in the corner for the peppermint shrimp (the fish usually get the pellets before they fall to his level). ANYhow, the pellet thing has a shaker top, so I usually give it a good hard shake and that's sufficient. Today however, the shaker top was not on the bottle, so instead of shaking about 5 pellets into the water, I shook about...well the entire bottle of food :scared: . Well the fish just thought this was wonderful as I stood there in shock not quite sure what to do (at least the shrimp got some food...lol he was buried in it). After the shock wore off I grabbed the net and fished out as many pellets as I could get with that, then we began a water change. We got most of the food out, and that's really not my main concern. So we're doing our water change and cleaning the stuff and we're almost done when my husband yells an expletive and stands there looking at the tank in shock

(much like I had after dumping a bottle of food into it). When he snapped out of his stupor, he told me that he didn't add the stuff to treat the tap water. SO, we take some of the water out and add the stuff to it and put it back in.
My question is....will being exposed to the untreated water harm them even after the water is treated?

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by iameeeyore
I was feeding my fish today, for once, (my husband usually does it), and I fed them their flake stuff, and we usually throw a few pellets in the corner for the peppermint shrimp (the fish usually get the pellets before they fall to his level). ANYhow, the pellet thing has a shaker top, so I usually give it a good hard shake and that's sufficient. Today however, the shaker top was not on the bottle, so instead of shaking about 5 pellets into the water, I shook about...well the entire bottle of food :scared: . Well the fish just thought this was wonderful as I stood there in shock not quite sure what to do (at least the shrimp got some food...lol he was buried in it). After the shock wore off I grabbed the net and fished out as many pellets as I could get with that, then we began a water change. We got most of the food out, and that's really not my main concern. So we're doing our water change and cleaning the stuff and we're almost done when my husband yells an expletive and stands there looking at the tank in shock

(much like I had after dumping a bottle of food into it). When he snapped out of his stupor, he told me that he didn't add the stuff to treat the tap water. SO, we take some of the water out and add the stuff to it and put it back in.
My question is....will being exposed to the untreated water harm them even after the water is treated?
That's why you don't use tap water. Should of used RO water. Treat the water ASAP. Hopefully you did mix the salt in with the water at least? They may make it as long as it's not a large amount of water. Run your filter and powerheads, get some flow in there going. Test your water and see how everything is....Good Luck, let us know how it's going.... :happyfish

 

[puffer32]

I would be more worried about an algae bloom from tap water rather then harming the fish. Do more water changes then usual with RO water, and keep checking for high nitrates in case alot of food is still in the rock work, good luck!

 

[pfitz44]

id be more worry about the clorine thats in tap water!!! i hope you treated the tank... for the sake of your fish

 

[criketnest]

Do you premix your water? I was told that I should let my salt water cure for at least 24 hours before using it for a water change. Went and bought a 32 gal garbage can so I will have a ready supply of water. I did do the first fill with tap water and treated it. As I refill will be adding RO water.
Hope all turns out well.
A long time ago my BF had a Freshwater Tank. He became sick and was in ICU for a month. my 16 year old neice was watching my son one day when I came home from visiting my BF in the hospital and when I walk into the house I Hear them all talking from the bathroom. I walk into the bathroom and my Neice is just about horrifed and crying. She said that cody (my Son) had taken a chair up to the fish tank and wanted to feed the fish so he dumped the whole container of food into the tank. She said the water turned black. She didnt know what to do she she got out all my bowls and filled them with water and started trying to catch the fish. After that she Started taking water out of the tank and when it was low enough she carried the tank into the bathroom and was trying to clean it out and clean everything that was in the tank. She was in tears and thought I was going to be really mad at her. How could I be mad Here she is sitting in the bathroom surrounded by bowls of fish. I think in the end we only lost a couple fish, not that I really minded anyway. I thought Compared to almost losing my BF the fish were small in comaparison.
This is my best memory of my neice as she was taken from us the next year due to an asthma attack. I miss her alot because she was like my best friend but its memories like these I can share and smaile about.
Hope that your tank will be ok. I just suggest testing it and maybe having water premixed and treated on hand.
Chris

 

[iameeeyore]

What exactly IS RO water?
I see it referenced all the time in here...I've been using tap water (usually treated, and yes, we did add salt at least). I woiuldn't say algae has been a huge problem. We do get a nice little carpet of red stuff growing (which I haven't been able to distinguish between cyanobacteria and red coralline algae...there seems to be a few differences in opinion on here). But our tests always come out ideal, and it takes about a week for it to start gradually growing back after we do our water change.

 

[pfitz44]

RO and RO/DI is a pure type of water. It stand for Reverse Osmosis/DeIonized. It basicly takes out all of the crap in the water, and gives you pure H2O!
Thats it... i used tap for a while... but had a diotom bloom, then went to RO water

 

[tizzo]

How long had your tap water sat before you put it in your tank?? The chlorine usually disappears after around 24 hours on it's own. If the shrimp is still alive then you need not worry about copper. Since you usually use tap, you will not see more algae than normal. You should be OK. The food you didn't get out may cause an ammonia spike so be prepared to do small water changes daily until you know all of it is gone.

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by Tizzo
How long had your tap water sat before you put it in your tank?? The chlorine usually disappears after around 24 hours on it's own. If the shrimp is still alive then you need not worry about copper. Since you usually use tap, you will not see more algae than normal. You should be OK. The food you didn't get out may cause an ammonia spike so be prepared to do small water changes daily until you know all of it is gone.
Chlorine actually don't dissipate until 48 hours later...Just thought I add that in.... :happyfish

 

[iameeeyore]

Do they sell RO water or do you have to buy the unit that makes it?
Also, can I just use distilled water until I can get one of those units?
And one more thing...if I use distilled water, do I just need to add salt? (unless it's a top off of course)

 

[fedukeford]

Originally Posted by iameeeyore
Do they sell RO water or do you have to buy the unit that makes it?
Also, can I just use distilled water until I can get one of those units?
And one more thing...if I use distilled water, do I just need to add salt? (unless it's a top off of course)
they sell it buy the gallon usually, no you dont have to buy the unit, it would be easier if you did though, and yes you just add salt to the RO water, and let sit for at least 24 hours, with a power head stirring the water

 

[mudplayerx]

Originally Posted by iameeeyore
Well the fish just thought this was wonderful
LOL!
Anyways... I think the fish will be ok, although your tank may have a massive dieoff of beneficial bacteria, and start a new cycle...which could be deadly for the fish. You shouldn't use the tap water at all though, even when treated. You need to use distiled or reverse osmosis water to avoid diatom blooms and algae growth.
I wish you well with your fish. If you only did a small water change I'm sure all is well. If you did a really large water change, go buy a bottle of bacterial additive, dose it, and pray :help:

 

[pbienkiewi]

The red stuff you are seeing is cyanobacteria. It is a red carpet i bet. The Cyno will die off as the tank matures and that there are no dead spots. Dead spots are were there is little to no water movement. You can just suck up the Cynobac when you do a water change.
Red coralline algae will be hard. You will have to scrape it off.
Walmart sells RO or DI water for .63 a gallon. RO water is like 99.0 percent pure and DI water is like 99.8 percent pure. It doesn't matter which one you use. I bought a Pinnicle + Ro unit. It cost $250 something. but it produces 200+ gallons of water a day. I don't like to wait.
For any evaporated water just add the RO or DI water with NO salt.