Will this cause a sever ammonia spike?

[thatfishlover122]

I have a 15gal fully planted tank with mopani wood. It houses 6 female guppies, quite a few rabbit + nerite snails, and a male betta. One of my female guppies had become very shy and hid at the back of the tank alot, and because of this she grew thinner than the others. I fed alot of food that fell to the gravel, so she culd come out later and peck at it, because i was worried about her. 5 days ago, i noticed she was missing and i haven't seen her since. I've tried staying away from the tank, checking at night when they're 'asleep', and feeding to try and draw her out. But because of the length of time, i think she must've passed by now. However. i have a problem. I suspect she's under/beneath the mopani wood, and that area is a very desnly planted area, which means i cannot move the wood or plants. If i lift the wood, no matter how hard i try, fish and snail waste goes EVERYWHERE and i cannot risk such a spike. So my main question is, is it ok to leave it alone? And to leave the suspected dead guppy in there? Will it cause a large spike over time or? I'm really stuck on what to do

 

[jkkgron2]

Sorry to hear she died! I doubt there’s much left of her, the guppy’s will eat her and so will the betta. Try using a turkey baster to get the waste out if you want to try to get her out.

 

[mattgirl]

I don't think you have anything to worry about. If your tank is fully cycled there should not be a spike in ammonia even if you never find her. She may have already been eaten and you may never find any remains. A fish this small shouldn't cause a big spike in ammonia. Extra food sitting in the substrate might though so if there is extra food in there you might want to siphon it out of there.

 

[thatfishlover122]

Sorry to hear she died! I doubt there’s much left of her, the guppy’s will eat her and so will the betta. Try using a turkey baster to get the waste out if you want to try to get her out.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. If your tank is fully cycled there should not be a spike in ammonia even if you never find her. She may have already been eaten and you may never find any remains. A fish this small shouldn't cause a big spike in ammonia. Extra food sitting in the substrate might though so if there is extra food in there you might want to siphon it out of there.

Thank you both! I'm glad to hear it shouldn't upset the parameters! I haven't actually seen any of the fish go near the suspected area so who knows, but thank you both for the help!

 

[KribensisLover1]

I never thought of the fact that moving the huge ornaments could cause their own spikes. Thank You!

 

[mimo91088]

I don't think you have to worry about ammonia. But I'd be keeping a close eye on the surviving fish for signs of parasites, there's a chance that's what could have killed the fish. Especially if the guppies are newly acquired. It's a common problem with mass bred livebearers.

 

[thatfishlover122]

I never thought of the fact that moving the huge ornaments could cause their own spikes. Thank You!

you're welcome! For some reason, alot of waste ends up under them and when you even slightly lift them, it all comes spilling up which is so so annoying haha

 

[KribensisLover1]

you're welcome! For some reason, alot of waste ends up under them and when you even slightly lift them, it all comes spilling up which is so so annoying haha

Yes I’ve noticed that and never realized that it would cause a spike. What if you raise them during a water change and vacuum under rhem? I don’t bc it’s so messy just curious.

 

[3Fishnight]

you're welcome! For some reason, alot of waste ends up under them and when you even slightly lift them, it all comes spilling up which is so so annoying haha

You could try positioning your gravel vacc right where the gunk flies up. So get your vacc running lift up the wood and quickly catch it all with the vacuum.

 

[jkkgron2]

I use a turkey baster. It helps me get into tight areas without moving around a ton of stuff.

 

[thatfishlover122]

Yes I’ve noticed that and never realized that it would cause a spike. What if you raise them during a water change and vacuum under rhem? I don’t bc it’s so messy just curious.

that’s a a good idea! it’s not possible for me to do so but you could definitely give it a try