[Austin]

Sooo not really a disease, but I just did something stupid. Sooo until recently I never got the memo to pre-dissolve flourish comprehensive in maybe a quart of water and then put it in. I came up with that genius idea a couple weeks ago and its still not a habit -- I swear my brain doesn't work half the time too. Anyways... I used to just try to pour it away from the fish, ideally by the filter so it evenly disperses it quickly. This time, to make things worse I thought I had a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon but it was a whole tsp. So I initially poured in half, which was double what I thought. I swear normally it dissolves and disperses quickly, but this time it was like a thick cloud of it and of course my favorite angelfish (the most beautiful blue color for a juvenile) swims right through it. D: He seems fine about 20 minutes later when I'm writing this, but I just hope he doesn't die from it or end up with health problems/infertility or something. I'm super paranoid, maybe I'm over-reacting. I just needed to get this out kind of. -.- I feel kinda sick thinking I may have harmed my lovely fishies.

 

[djembekah]

My fish haven't died swimming through fertilizer
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Austin]

That's good to know.

It's just that the cloud must have been fairly concentrated which is what worries me. In general, I feel fertilizers must not be great for the fish (sort of like pesticides in our foods are "generally recognized as safe"...), but that the benefits of the plants probably cancel that out enough.

 

[djembekah]

I don't think anyone would sell fertilizer for fish tanks that wasn't safe for fish
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Austin]

Well it may be considered "generally safe," like my analogy of pesticides in our foods. But I'm getting off point!

 

[djembekah]

I understand your worry but really, i think you're fine
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[spreadtoothinly]

Er, wait. So you SHOULD or SHOULD NOT dissolve the fert? I haven't heard that you should, but...

 

[Austin]

Er, wait. So you SHOULD or SHOULD NOT dissolve the fert? I haven't heard that you should, but...

Well its dissolved either way. What I mean is dilute it. For example, scoop up a cup of water, put the liquid fertilizer in, then pour it into the tank. This way if the fish swim through it, it's already much less concentrated.

 

[spreadtoothinly]

Well its dissolved either way. What I mean is dilute it. For example, scoop up a cup of water, put the liquid fertilizer in, then pour it into the tank. This way if the fish swim through it, it's already much less concentrated.

right... *face palm* I guess that does make sense...
How's your fish doing now?

 

[djembekah]

the ingredients are all nutrients anyways, i'm 98% positive not gonna hurt them

 

[Austin]

Well, idk if it's necessary. I've never directly exposed a fish to fertilizer except for now (sort of), so I can't definitively say it's necessary to dilute it first, but I like to be safe rather than sorry. A quick bath of concentrated fertilizers might not be too unhealthy but I can't imagine it's something desirable for fish.

I googled it and mostly got links to discus forums of users who accidentally had their discus swim through a stream of fertilizer (excel mostly, not comprehensive), and they died. Might be coincidence though. Maybe they just dosed too much in general.

I'm guessing he will be fine. He seems okay so far. I've seen him try to eat some random debris floating around, so he still has an appetite and I don't really notice anything abnormal.

 

[djembekah]

Discus are very very very sensitive fish, and need perfect water anyways. I think even the slightest spikes can cause problems with them.

 

[jentralala]

Excel is completely different from Flourish, and contains stuff that isn't natural in the environment. I can completely see why that would kill/harm a fish, as it's pure chemicals.

I dump Flourish on my fish all the time. I just kind of pour it in a stream along the top of the tank and all the fish come to investigate, thinking it's food I suppose. No one has ever had any adverse reactions to this.

I may be wrong here, but it is my understanding that Flourish just contains a concentrated amount of nutrients that are found in nature (ie, what naturally occurs in lakes/streams/rivers from the soil, fish, rocks, the whole ecosystem.) So it can't really hurt them unless you dump a whole bottle in a small tank, and even then I think you'd just have a lot of algae. This is me just speculating though.

But I've never diluted it, and never had a problem. I honestly wouldn't worry about it

 

[Austin]

You guys are probably right. Glad to know that. He's doing fine and eating so I'm sure you're right. I didn't know excel was so different I thought it just contained dissolved CO2 in addition.

 

[Tolak]

OMG people make bombs out of fertilizer! Don't let that fish bump into anything for a few days! Kaboom!!

 

[fishkid]

I usually dose into the compartment of my HOB anyways

 

[Francesca]

new female swordtail is getting nipped?

sorry no idea

 

[Agent13]

OMG people make bombs out of fertilizer! Don't let that fish bump into anything for a few days! Kaboom!!

That will explain the soon to be silence of Austin. :lol:


I'm the same as Jentralala. Dump it on my fish in the 75 all the time. I never dilute it and it's always my Angels who come up to investigate first. I don't see anything wrong with these fish..and it must not be too nasty ..because I swear they swim in it every time I do it.

 

[Austin]

0.0 odd. I didn't know it was so fish safe. Haha. Still here ;P