# Fish and spices.... do they mix?



## cwgrl42 (Feb 9, 2012)

Ok, so About 2 weeks ago one of the toddlers running around my house got their grubby little hands on fish food......and dumped the whole bottle in my 55 gallon tank. Needless to say, we are re cycling right now. So today, I get home from church and my niece (god bless her hard little heart) had put about 2 bottle of bayleaves and I have no idea what other spices into the tank. I netted out everything I could see and am contemplating vacuuming ( I have small gravel under a layer of natural looking 2" stone, so vacuuming is going to be fun) and doing a water change. My question is.... What the heck is going to happen to the tank now? I swear the last couple of months (since my sister and her pet have moved in) has been HELL on my tank. I have lost two Tiger barbs (now down to 4 barbs, 2 gouramis, and a psychotic chinese algae eater who I would like to banish to the watering trough but I can't catch him) from the first round..... Anybody else have these kind of issues? And what do you do about them? Its really hard to get the lid of my tank open (but miss houdini has managed it twice now) but I'm about to trash the whole project until I get the house back.

Parameters: ph: 7.4
ammonia: 4 (I use ammonia lock and am doing about 50% water changes every other day)
Nitrites: barely registering
Nitrates: 40
Filtration: 60 gallon Tetra and 20 gallon whisper
Planted with an assortment of live plants/ carpet


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## nicolaas (Jan 15, 2012)

I really don't now if they mix.

You could try to test it with a guppy or some thing,after the cycling is dun.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

I wouldn't worry too much. Just do some large water changes and vacuum the gravel. People something use teabags in their tanks to add tannins. I can't see bay leaves being much different.


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

I agree on vacuuming the gravel as much as you can, and you should be ok.


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## Misomie (Mar 12, 2012)

Well at least spices aren't poison. When my brother was young he poured this blue cleaning liquid into my mom's fish tank and killed the entire stock (he also killed one of my sister's bettas by adding random items and the main tank again with something else). D:<


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## Geomancer (Aug 23, 2010)

cwgrl42 said:


> I have lost two Tiger barbs (now down to 4 barbs, 2 gouramis, and a psychotic chinese algae eater who I would like to banish to the watering trough but I can't catch him) from the first round.....
> 
> Parameters: ph: 7.4
> ammonia: 4 (I use ammonia lock and am doing about 50% water changes every other day)
> ...


Looks like you've got your spice question added. I'll just agree that it probably isn't an issue, but a major water change would help clear out anything dissolved. The solution to pollution is dilution.

However, I wanted to mention a couple things on your fish stock and water parameters.

The Tiger Barb is a pretty aggressive fin nipping type fish, they really do best in a species only tank or in large schools in a larger tank with other active fish that do not have long fins. Read up on their profile to learn more. Them with Gourami are a bad idea, as Gourami are slow fish and their fins are very, very tempting to fin nippers like the Tiger Bard.

The Chinese Algae Eater is also a terrible fish to have in a community tank, and they are very, very bad at eating algae despite their name. You are right in wanting to get ride of him.

Now on your water parameters, 4 ppm Ammonia is extremely high and is likely what is killing your fish. A major water change is in order, daily, to keep that as low as possible since you have fish in the tank. The damage Ammonia causes to fish is permanent, they do not heal from it once it goes away. Very important to do everything you can to keep that at 0.25 - 0.50 ppm during the cycling process when you have fish in the tank. Sounds like you are using something to detoxify it which will help, but I'd do daily changes instead of every other day with Ammonia levels that high.

Stick with it if you can, put the food in a closet or cupboard that the kids can not reach. If they are your sisters kids, make her pay for the losses and suddenly she'll start to care more about what her kids are doing 

At least now you know why doing a fishless cycle is best, far less work not having to do so many water changes.


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## lorax84 (Nov 3, 2010)

As long as it isn't something like nutmeg you should be fine. If it is nutmeg you will wan t to vacuum quick as nutmeg is extremely toxic.


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## Sanguinefox (Nov 29, 2011)

I'm trying to understand how a toddler is able to get to the top of your tank and then dump something in. If it's that accessible to the kid, than that's a drowning hazard. That worries me a lot more than the over all health of your fish (though that's worrysome too).

You need to fix it so your toddlers can't access the top of your tank. That should be a big priority right now.
Also lock up all things like fish food, etc so the kids can't get into that too. These are things you shouldn't have happening. A toddler should not be able to get to the fish food. They should not be able to access the spices. They *should NOT be able to reach the top of a 55 gallon tank*.


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

cwgrl42 said:


> Ok, so About 2 weeks ago one of the toddlers running around my house got their grubby little hands on fish food......and dumped the whole bottle in my 55 gallon tank. Needless to say, we are re cycling right now. So today, I get home from church and my niece (god bless her hard little heart) had put about 2 bottle of bayleaves and I have no idea what other spices into the tank. I netted out everything I could see and am contemplating vacuuming ( I have small gravel under a layer of natural looking 2" stone, so vacuuming is going to be fun) and doing a water change. My question is.... What the heck is going to happen to the tank now? I swear the last couple of months (since my sister and her pet have moved in) has been HELL on my tank. I have lost two Tiger barbs (now down to 4 barbs, 2 gouramis, and a psychotic chinese algae eater who I would like to banish to the watering trough but I can't catch him) from the first round..... Anybody else have these kind of issues? And what do you do about them? Its really hard to get the lid of my tank open (but miss houdini has managed it twice now) but I'm about to trash the whole project until I get the house back.
> 
> Parameters: ph: 7.4
> ammonia: 4 (I use ammonia lock and am doing about 50% water changes every other day)
> ...


With water changes like everyone else suggested you should be fine.

You said your sister has pets? Have they been getting into the tank? What kind of lid d you have on this tank? Maybe consider reinforcing the lid so it is ever harder to open? Latched or key? 

I would highly recommend you close off the tank from access to the kids, that will benefit everything. Both fish and kids.

I am more than sure if you take a picture of your set up we might have more suggestions on how to keep your tank safe. Is this your only tank?


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## artega (Apr 16, 2012)

Your biggest concern should be the toddler first and foremost. Why does the toddler have access to your spices, fish food, and a 55g tank. If the toddler is able to dump food into the tank he/she is able to drown because he she might want to pick something up that is in the tank and can fall in. Get that taken care of first, then worry about the tank by doing 50% water changes daily and vacuum the gravel as best as you can and keep testing the water until the levels are safe again. 

Child proof your home please, for your sake and your families sake.


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## Norbert (Apr 16, 2012)

And if your todler can put hands into fish tank then remember that there's lots of debris and other bacterials which might harm humans. I always clean hands after putting them into fish tank.


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## cwgrl42 (Feb 9, 2012)

Ok nobody died in the tank. I fished out all of the spices and did a water change...... 5 days later my tank showed 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and 80 nitrates. As far as the access to my tank goes, I have never seen them do it but I am guessing they pull up a chair because the tank with a stand is over 4.5 feet tall. Fish food is kept in a supposed baby proof cabinet and the spices are in a pantry across the house. Yep this is my only tank. I have a 10 gallon but it isnt set up anymore. the lid to my tank is 7" wide made out of glass and its a pretty tight fit. As an RN who does home assessment on families with small children, my house is baby proof. Thanks for the concern though


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## Sanguinefox (Nov 29, 2011)

cwgrl42 said:


> Ok nobody died in the tank. I fished out all of the spices and did a water change...... 5 days later my tank showed 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and 80 nitrates. As far as the access to my tank goes, I have never seen them do it but I am guessing they pull up a chair because the tank with a stand is over 4.5 feet tall. Fish food is kept in a supposed baby proof cabinet and the spices are in a pantry across the house. Yep this is my only tank. I have a 10 gallon but it isnt set up anymore. the lid to my tank is 7" wide made out of glass and its a pretty tight fit. As an RN who does home assessment on families with small children, my house is baby proof. Thanks for the concern though


You should try tying the chairs to the table or something that way the kids cannot pull it away to try to get up to your tank.


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

Another option is to include the child in feeding or helping to clean the tank.

That way they know the benefits of it, learn something and wont become distracted as to get items which may or may not be harmful to both them and your fish.

If the child is involved then it gives them something to do, calmly explain to them that they cannot put things in the tank, only adults can put things in the tank...either that or get a plastic fish for the 10g fill it up and let them play with that, as long as they dont break it, then the tank can be replaced for next to nothing if needed.

Agree on doing daily water changes and a good vacuum should clear anything up that is in the gravel.


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## artega (Apr 16, 2012)

Taz makes a really good point to include the toddler and explain to them why it is important that only adults can feed and add things to fish tanks. I like the idea of having the 10g tank with a plastic fish, set it up next to your tank if there is room and the two of you take care of your tanks together. At the least the toddler may gain an appreciation for this hobby and one day becomes a marine biologist. Who knows think big right lol. Sorry about your tank though but yes change the water everyday and vacuum until your numbers get back to safe levels.


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

I tried baby proofing my home once.... they still got in.


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

That is why you have to have a fish room. Lock the room .


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## cwgrl42 (Feb 9, 2012)

ladayen: lol!!! I actually like the idea of setting up the ten gallon for them. I have a "play pond" in the back yard (1 gallon aluminum bucket with rocks in it, that we "test the water" every couple of day with my api test). 
Termato: wish I could have a fish room..... it could be right next to my tack and quilting!!! Just flat don't have the room. I have started moving the lighting bar over the front flaps so they have to move it to get the top open..... so far it is working.... I think!


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