I’m so mad!! I came home from the gym and found this 😭😭 This is a cycling tank of mine that’s ALMOST DONE!! It’s been set up for over a month now!!
My son took basically a whole basket of toys and decided they wanted to go for a swim 😭 And yes, his dad was watching him 😭😭
Do I need to start it over??? Is this unsafe for a fish to live in after I take the toys out???? What do I do 😭😭
Posted by rip-sierra-mist
29 Comments
Get a lid, there like 20 bucks at petsmart or cheaper on amazon
The dad watching him do that makes me so mad lmao.. men🙄
I feel like it’s honestly fine, especially if you let it run for a few extra days. Im sorry that happened but im sure it’s alright.
Good luck to you and your future betta:)
You also should talk to your husband and tell him to fix this or he’s paying for a nanny
Personally, unless there were corroding batteries or something I’d just replace all the water and keep going
this shouldn’t affect the bacteria that’s been building up in the filter/tank. i would just do a water change and continue as planned.
if you are planning on a betta, you do need to look into getting some live plants. you can use silk, but live plants are much easier to care for than you’d think and provide help towards reducing nitrates. bettas like to have lots of foliage around the tank to rest on.
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This totally happened to me with a lid. Toddler thought he was feeding the betta. Child locks solved our problems. I had Josh Allan and Walkie Talkies in mine 🫣
*No fish were injured
You need to lose the husband. It sounds like he’s a second child and is making more work for you.
As far as the tank. Take out toys, do a big water change, keep cycling. Do another water change before you get the betta. I saw you have a lid on the way, is there a higher place the tank can go?
another reminder to take my birth control, thanks girl!
Give your husband a goooood long talking. He should not be just standing by and allowing this to happen.
Just do a 100% water change, it will be fine. And make sure a lid goes on before fish go in.
Also, like, who lets a kid put electronic toys in the water, even if it’s just a bucket of water? It stands a good chance of frying the toys!
I also strongly recommend hiding the fishfood once you get a fish. “Kid dumped all the fish food in the tank” is an all too common story. And set some clear rules about “nothing goes in the water without my say so”
I’m sure more experienced aquarists will tell me if I’m wrong, but the beneficial bacteria grows on your surfaces, i.e. substrate, hardscape, plants, filter, filter media, etc. So, if you just remove the toys and do a water change, you shouldn’t lose THAT much progress on cycling your tank. It might just take a little longer, so keep doing water tests.
Ohhh I was so confused before I read your whole post
Crazy that your child’s dad isn’t capable of watching your child.
Umm fortunately for you the beneficial bacteria lives in the filter and substrate mostly, not the water, so it should be fine with a proper water change? Do you have no plants in there ? (It’s hard to see behind the toys😭) so sorry your husband is a jackass tho
Tank should be fine with a water change. My concern is how is toddler going to learn from this? How is husband going to learn from this?
Lol kids 🤣
I’m so sorry. My son did this to me too….twice. Yes, my husband was home and I’m like…”Why didn’t you stop him?🤦🏾♀️” I have never struggled so much with cycling a tank in my entire life until my kid became a toddler.
I put child proof locks on my tank. It looks terrible, but it works.
Peep my chunky girl in the corner. She just got her hopes up thinking it was time for food :’)
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I would do a water change and keep trucking. It will be fine
Start over if there’s a chance there’s any soap or anything else in there. Do a large water change, which shouldn’t affect your cycle too much. Have you been testing for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates? You need a lid/canopy for your fish and maybe a taller stand so it’s not so easy for little ones to get at it. Take a deep breath. They’re only little for a short time. You can always keep fish. ❤️
Oh no! Not mr pencil!!!
Your husband really didn’t say anything? Even if he knew it would hurt you. I’d sit down and have a serious talk because this could’ve been easily prevented.
I’d do a huge water change but these toys won’t have hurt the cycle. I really don’t think you’ve lost any progress, just the time wasted doing the water change itself.
I did two 90% water changes on a cycling tank this year and it didn’t slow anything down, the bacteria live in the substrate and the filter, not the water.
I love metal reptile tank lids. I have kids and cats, so reptile lids with metal clips are great for when you’re not directly looking at the tank to prevent shenanigans. I paint them with enamel after cutting a spot for filter and tubes with a dremel to prevent rust.
I would just change 2/3s of the water with RO, lots of cycle gained beneficial bacteria in the substrate and on the decorations. Do a water test in 24 hours to see where your at…
Dad didn’t even remove the toys? Girl, you have much bigger problems than your tank.
Sounds like your husband might need some parenting classes. It may seem obvious to you but it’s likely that he’s parenting what he learned. You only know what you know. There’s still time to recover – the alternative is frankly dire. Kids allowed to run wild more often than not the up in the system.. a system I wouldn’t want my worst enemy in. Well, maybe…
Hubby needs to empty it and refill, just dont let filter media dry out aka do it fast all and don’t get distracted. He could also spring for some seachem stability to help boost the cycle. Makes a nice gift when you fuck up.
Next time tell the kid to throw hubby’s PS5, watch, phone, pokemon cards, whatever is important to hubby in for a swim and see how he likes it.
I think this was more damaging for those toys than for your tank.
Dad needs to be more careful. That could have been dangerous.
When you buy a lid, get a door alarm, too. You can put the alarm on your lid
Man that would be so crappy to come home to, I’m sorry