# My 4yo put glitter in the tank - how much should I be panicking?



## pocket_lemur (Oct 27, 2012)

Okay - I know it's bad, but I'm a new to the fish thing and don't know just how much I should be freaking out. As in - should I pull these guys out and into a bucket INSTANTLY (this happened 10 minutes ago) or can I get my kids to bed first and deal with it in an hour?

stats: 20L tank, 2 clown loaches and 1 very large plecostomus.

The internet is proving no help to me. I hate for my first real posts here to be this kind of thing (ugh) but I'd been meaning to find a forum where I could do some learning in any case. I adopted these from a friend leaving the country, she'd had them for 12 years. Me? I've had them for 1 week!

I've already tried just scooping it out - no real success. I feel like my only option is a complete drain and scrubbing everything (and am doubtful that'll really help). Any advice welcomed.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

It seems like you don't have much choice in cleaning the tank, try several water changes before completely tearing it down.

One suggestion though, need to get a bigger tank for them. Clown loaches should reach 12 inchs and if the pleco is a common it should reach 24 inches.


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## pocket_lemur (Oct 27, 2012)

Thank you! I should say I've just realized I'm suffering from my canadian-ness here. It's a 20 *gallon* tank...I just default to using metric words and wasn't thinking this one through. I gather 20L is about 5 gallons .... uh ... way too little!

I put the kids to bed and while I was doing that all but a few flakes seem to have settled out onto/into the gravel and a bit on the fake plants. I'm going to try some careful water changes (and filter changes) and see if that won't help. 

I'd say each of the loaches are ~8" and the Plecostomus is at least 18" (and I do mean inches this time...not accidentally using the wrong units for a change). I'm thinking the plecostomus would probably be happier with the next step up in size but the loaches are perhaps indifferent.

Assuming my children don't assasinate them first...


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

No the loaches actually can do better in a bigger tank, they need a minimum of 75 gal for right now, once they get bigger you will need a 6 ft tank just for them. I have an 18 inch pleco and he is in a 220 gallon tank and will end up needing a bigger tank. The loachs not only get 12 inchs but also get 8 to 10 inchs around in girth. Your best option if you can't get that big of a tank is to trade them for smaller fish or give/sell them.


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## pocket_lemur (Oct 27, 2012)

Seriously? wow. (okay - I imagine you are serious). I think they've been in this same tank for the last 12 years, poor things if it's really that much too small for them.

and maybe we should have started with a goldfish :/


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

You can siphon the glitter. I would try that. It may be abrasive, but most of it should siphon out over a week. 
The poor loaches have been poorly kept for a long time - a 20 gallon is small. I wouldn't keep any of your fish in there (but a goldfish would have been worse).
If they've made it for 12 years, then the tank was kept very clean. You can keep doing big water changes every week (a chore when you're busy with little kids) and they will survive, but if you can ever give them a big tank, I think you'll see them run wild. If they have space, they are delightfully hyper things.

The loaches, at 12 years old and 6" are stunted, but that won't really harm them at this stage. I would try to find a new home for the pleco, asap. That would be a good start. Wait til he stops pooping glitter though, or you'll scare a new owner!
I have the same metric problem as you - it gets me on temperature. I always have to google fahrenheit for these forum discussions. I have no idea with 78f is without translating to Celsius...


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