Heater Emergency

[lynnavi]

My sis-in-law has just phoned, she was cleaning out her son's tank and has broken the heater, will the fish be ok until she can get a new heater tomorrow. Is there anything she can do?

 

[WILDER]

Wrap the tank in a blanket.
Make sure there plenty of aeration in the tank.

 

[lynnavi]

Just phoned her, she has emptied it almost completely, trouble with snails apparently, what now please?

 

[WILDER]

Make sure she matches the temp of water back to the temp of tank water.

 

[lynnavi]

I have just been down she has the fish in an 11 litre tank, is there any way they could go in my tank without actually letting them into the tank, if you know what I mean. Would be a job getting them back out as mine is planted up.

 

[WILDER]

I would just refill the tank but make sure you match temp.
Then just wrap the tank in a blanket.
They should be fine if there plenty of aeration in the tank.

Don't preform warm water changes to get the temp back up. It's the worse thing you can do.
If the temp drops slowly the fish should be ok.
They just add new heater and let the temp go back up gradually.

 

[lynnavi]

To refill the tank, she would have to add some warm water to get it up to temp, she is down to the gravel and only has the original 11 lts of water, think the tank is over 100ltrs.

 

[WILDER]

That's fine.

I meant don't add warm water to raise the temp in the morning.

 

[lynnavi]

Oh ok, thank you very much, will phone her.

 

[WILDER]

I suppose you don't have spare heater you could lend her till she gets a new one.

 

[lynnavi]

No, I have another tank set up but haven't got round to getting a heater for it, otherwise she could of had it.

 

[WILDER]

Ok.
Let us know how she gets on if you don't mind.