Help! Soap in my Tank!

[rnanfito]

I have been setting up a marine aquarium for the first time (all new equipment), and I have a problem that I need advice on. I was cycling the tank, everything was going great, looking reall cool, then I made a rookie mistake. I grabbed an available pitcher and was adding some salt water to top off the tank, and was horrified to find out that there was some residual soap in the pitcher I used! The water bubbled slightly at the filter - and there were bubbles on the new bio-wheels. Thank goodness there were no fish involved (yet). If soap kills fish, as I have see in many forums, how drastically do I have to dismantle and clean my new setup before it is ready for fish? I'm not looking forward to the re-work, but maybe that'll teach me to check for soap contamination next time. Now that the soap is in the tank, is there any way to neutralize it, or skim it off the top of the water? Do I need to get a new bio-wheel and filters, or can I just wash off the soap? Do I need to replace all the water, clean out the gravel, etc.? How far do I have to strip down this tank to get back to "clean tank" status??? Help!

 

[jp0379]

Keep doing what you're doing, test the water, ect......I've accidentally used a just-washed cup a few times in the past, and I've had no losses because ot it.

 

[bdhough]

Hence the name Rye
As far as soap goes. It's not the end of the world. You have to cycle the tank anyways. I'm not exactly sure what soap does but i think it really adversly affects phosphate levels in the tank thus causeing algae blooms. Do a large water change to the tank. Stop the filtration and wash out the bioballs and filter pads thoroughly with hot water.
Don't quote me on the water problems. Always test before you add anything. Maybe someone else knows exactly what soap does to water. Try a search for it. Or make a post: Soap and The Tank....