DOH! Check the label on the bottle before adding to tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
J

JakeH

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Mar 17, 2009
1,961
1
66
Houston, TX
Well. I feel like an idiot. I was using a fish-less ammonia cycle to get my new 20g tank ready & I looked all over town for a bottle of ammonia that was unscented & uncolored. I didn't even think about it containing a surfactant! Now I have a tank full of bubbly, toxic ammonia soup! The surfactant has caused massive amounts of bubbles on the surface, which I have been skimming off regularly, and I dont think any bacteria can grow in that stuff. It would be great if I knew how to neutralize the sudsy stuff without starting all over, but I'm not extremely confident that is possible. I'm not sure how this will turn out yet, but I sure learned my lesson!:nilly:
 
maybe you should just strip the tank and start over again? hope it all goes well for you :) good thing there was no fish in the tank!
 
Well, the bubbles are gone today. I skimmed constantly yesterday & the tank looks much better. I'm still not sure if the surfactant will process out in the carbon filter, but I'm gonna wait a week. If my ammonia level starts dropping, then the sudsy stuff should be gone, but if not, I'll have to scrub it down & start again. Grrrrr.
 
xiahaolong168;2940841; said:
i think you should start all over again. this time, use bacteria boost by weiss organics.
Click to expand...

Neervana;2938483; said:
maybe you should just strip the tank and start over again? hope it all goes well for you :) good thing there was no fish in the tank!
Click to expand...
Agreed, just cycle, no need to rush things with no fish
 
Raw shrimp in a old panty hose or knee high work great for an ammonia source- put in tank, leave in until ammonia level gets to about 0.5 ppm- then remove- let bacteria colonize. If you have the filter media from another tank - cycling is quick then.
 
I didnt mean to give you guys the impression that I was in a hurry. I'm really not. I will be moving some small cats & a Gourami or 2 from my tank at home, so I have to wait until its equal. I run 2 HOB filters at home, so I snaked the bio-pad thingy out of one of them this morning. I'm basically trying to find out if the sponge will live. My tank at home has a huge bioload (hence the new tank..), so this sponge should be heavy with bacteria & if the surfactant is gone/neutralized, these boys should have my ammonia levels down by the end of the week, right?. If so, I want to move the sponge back home & add a little more ammonia before I throw the fish in. Thanks for the help.

Either way, LESSON LEARNED! I will always get my ammonia from a paint store now, since every grocery store sells the sudsy stuff. If it has a surfactant in the ingredients, dont use it in the tank!
 
sorry for bringing old thread up but did you ever get the surfactant neutralized without starting the cycle over?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom