ncjharris
Fish Addict
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2004
- Messages
- 733
- Reaction score
- 1
So, it was a Bank Holiday weekend (here in the UK), the weather was due to be ok, so me and the girlf deicided we could do with a break and booked a few nights away to the (self titled) English Rivera.
Prior to going away, did the usual, water change, fasted the fish for a day or two prior and then chucked in a pinch of food before we left. Seeing as we were only away for three days, they would be ok, wouldn't they?!
When we came back, they were ok, but the tank was not!
First thing we noticed was a bit of an odour in the house. Nothing much we thought, forgot to empty the bin before we left. Then we noticed that the water level in the tank was only about two thirds full (can you see where this is going?), again, I thought that maybe it had evaporated
given I left the condensation tray off. Then, five mins later, opening the window by the tank we noticed the carpet was sodden! 
I was still adamant that the water had evaporated, condensed in the lid, and dripped down the side of the tank onto the floor. So we did a mop up operation (including the walls where the wall paper had started to absorb the water) and filled the tank back up - we were going to do a change anyway, so we thought doesnt matter if the water is in the bucket or on the floor !
However, after doing this we realised that water was still coming off the mat the tank sits on and dripping onto the floor - we decided we had to check for leaks. All the visable seals were ok, which could only mean (oh oh
) it was the underneath.
So queue buckets, nets, transplanting fish, removing water and plants and generally emptying our 20 gallon to a weight where we could lift it up to have a look. And lo and behold, on the underside, there was a crack, running the length of the tank, from front to back, and leaking water.
'Bum' we said.
So that was that, the end of the tank, The fish and plants were temporarily rehoused last night in buckets & other tanks, while we did the best we could to keep the gravel, filter and ornaments submersed and ticking over so not to loose any of that precious bacteria. Luckily we had a spare heater from another setup we bought, and another bucket, otherwise we would have really been up the wotsit without a thing-a-me.
Luckily, everything since then has been ok. Did a bit of research, found the best new tank to fit in the space, phoned around, and by lunchtime we were the proud owners of a new Fluval Duo 800 - we filled it up, added the old filter medium, the saved gravel and ornaments, and then realised that the water was too cold. So we spent an hour or two waiting for the heater to do its bit and (finally) by 3 o'clock the temp was high enough to put the fish in their new home!
They've taken to it like a (several) fish to water, and its all going swimingly!
However, we're not out of the woods yet. We'll be monitoring the water closely over the next week or so, and I expect we'll have to do a few water changes as the tank builds its self up and re-cycles. However, given we bought a bigger tank there is a little bit more space for error and I think we'll be ok.
This whole episode brought up a couple of points though.
Firstly, I'm gonna make sure we have an emergency plan now, in case (touch wood it doesnt) we ever have a tank cracking again!
What would have happened had we not been able to get a new tank? How would the fish have been living in a bucket for more than 12 hours?!
How would we have explained this to the people we work with, if today wasnt a Bank Holiday and we therefore had to take another day off to re home the fish?!
No matter how much we can wrap our fish in cotton wool and prepare them for going away, there is always the possibility of the unforeseen that will undo our hard work (and ruin our furniture & carpets!)
And finally, just what can you do with a cracked, leaky old 20 gallon tank!
Prior to going away, did the usual, water change, fasted the fish for a day or two prior and then chucked in a pinch of food before we left. Seeing as we were only away for three days, they would be ok, wouldn't they?!
When we came back, they were ok, but the tank was not!
First thing we noticed was a bit of an odour in the house. Nothing much we thought, forgot to empty the bin before we left. Then we noticed that the water level in the tank was only about two thirds full (can you see where this is going?), again, I thought that maybe it had evaporated
given I left the condensation tray off. Then, five mins later, opening the window by the tank we noticed the carpet was sodden! I was still adamant that the water had evaporated, condensed in the lid, and dripped down the side of the tank onto the floor. So we did a mop up operation (including the walls where the wall paper had started to absorb the water) and filled the tank back up - we were going to do a change anyway, so we thought doesnt matter if the water is in the bucket or on the floor !
However, after doing this we realised that water was still coming off the mat the tank sits on and dripping onto the floor - we decided we had to check for leaks. All the visable seals were ok, which could only mean (oh oh
) it was the underneath.So queue buckets, nets, transplanting fish, removing water and plants and generally emptying our 20 gallon to a weight where we could lift it up to have a look. And lo and behold, on the underside, there was a crack, running the length of the tank, from front to back, and leaking water.
'Bum' we said.
So that was that, the end of the tank, The fish and plants were temporarily rehoused last night in buckets & other tanks, while we did the best we could to keep the gravel, filter and ornaments submersed and ticking over so not to loose any of that precious bacteria. Luckily we had a spare heater from another setup we bought, and another bucket, otherwise we would have really been up the wotsit without a thing-a-me.
Luckily, everything since then has been ok. Did a bit of research, found the best new tank to fit in the space, phoned around, and by lunchtime we were the proud owners of a new Fluval Duo 800 - we filled it up, added the old filter medium, the saved gravel and ornaments, and then realised that the water was too cold. So we spent an hour or two waiting for the heater to do its bit and (finally) by 3 o'clock the temp was high enough to put the fish in their new home!
They've taken to it like a (several) fish to water, and its all going swimingly!
However, we're not out of the woods yet. We'll be monitoring the water closely over the next week or so, and I expect we'll have to do a few water changes as the tank builds its self up and re-cycles. However, given we bought a bigger tank there is a little bit more space for error and I think we'll be ok.
This whole episode brought up a couple of points though.
Firstly, I'm gonna make sure we have an emergency plan now, in case (touch wood it doesnt) we ever have a tank cracking again!
What would have happened had we not been able to get a new tank? How would the fish have been living in a bucket for more than 12 hours?!
How would we have explained this to the people we work with, if today wasnt a Bank Holiday and we therefore had to take another day off to re home the fish?!
No matter how much we can wrap our fish in cotton wool and prepare them for going away, there is always the possibility of the unforeseen that will undo our hard work (and ruin our furniture & carpets!)
And finally, just what can you do with a cracked, leaky old 20 gallon tank!
