Another to add to oops's

[Patr1ck]

Well lately Ive read a couple threads about some unfortunate experiences that some of my fellow SDers endured. Sorry about you losses Eddie and Robyn. So I thought I would share my recent one to keep others from making the same mistake.

While I was out doing some Christmas shopping a week ago, I found myself at Jo-Ann crafts looking at some furniture foam. I thought "hey, that would make a good filter for my QT, lets buy it". Its a 1"x15"x17", individually wrapped foam pad for diy furniture crafting. So I brought it home and matched it up to the existing filter and cut it to fit. I rinsed it off, wrung it out and put it in the tank. Immediately the tank went cloudy. Soon after that I noticed my 2 discus breathing really heavy, my cory breathing really heavy and my rummynose shaking and swimming in circles I thought "S**T! lets do a water change I must have not rinsed it out well enough". So I rinsed the filter out even better this time, put it back in the tank and did the wc and the water was clear now. I observed my fish, still no change getting worse actually, rummy was swimming upside down, discus were hiding under the driftwood, cory was starting to shake. So, out came the new foam filter and in came alot of water changes. I was doing wc after wc till 5 am, I must have done 10 80% wc's. In between wc'c I got on line and frantically checked SD. I found a couple of threads about these furniture "chair pads" and people rinsing them and using them for filters and someone talking about some kind of "flame retardent" on these pads. So, I checked the manufacturer and sure enough there is a flame retardent chemical in these foam pads that fish really dont like. By this time the fish were all starting to act better, except for rummy, still upside down. The next morning I fed everybody to see if they would accept, they did, not as ravenous, but they did. Rummy however, I felt so bad, was trying as hard as he could to get to the food but he just couldnt manage, because he was swimming in circles upside down. Later that day he died, but now the others have recovered. The funny thing about it all is that the Gourami in there didnt show any signs of trouble. Must have to do with the fact that he breathes with his labirynth organ, dunno.

Moral of the story is, never use foam that says "This article meets flamability requirements..." it is toxic foam and fish really dont like it.
Im thankful that my experience didnt go as bad as some of the others had lately, again sorry guys for your losses.

Now Im gonna stick to things that I find in the pet store for filter material.

P

[Eddie]

Sorry about you losses Eddie and Robyn

Thanks P,

I am sorry to hear about you losing your little guy. I'll definitely not using any furniture foam for my filters. Thanks for the tip.

Have a good one.
Eddie

[TankWatcher]

So glad you were at home Pat. Just imagine the different ending if you had popped the foam in & gone straight to bed, or gone out.

Thanks for sharing.

[DiscusOnly]

I've been searching around for foam to use and have checked various stores. The bottom line was that I can't trust what's put in any of them. Hans recommends Poret and that's what I am going to go with. They are expensive but so are Discus.

BTW.. glad that you didn't lose any.

[Patr1ck]

So glad you were at home Pat. Just imagine the different ending if you had popped the foam in & gone straight to bed, or gone out.

Thanks for sharing.

I know! How lucky am I that I didnt do that? That would have been horrible.

BTW.. glad that you didn't lose any.

Me too.

Thanks everybody,
P

[Roxanne]

..cue the twilight zone theme song....Can't believe you said this..I was using the "clean" part of an old foam block to try to create prefilters for my intakes the other day.....couldn't get it right so didn't bother with it THANK NEPTUNE!!!!....ended up using it to bleach bath my stuff, so glad I didn't bother with it now.

Thanks Dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Roxanne

[Patr1ck]

..cue the twilight zone theme song....Can't believe you said this..I was using the "clean" part of an old foam block to try to create prefilters for my intakes the other day.....couldn't get it right so didn't bother with it THANK NEPTUNE!!!!....ended up using it to bleach bath my stuff, so glad I didn't bother with it now.

Thanks Dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Roxanne

You're welcome.

P