Nightmare!

[ilaizm]

I'm not going to go into details of what happened as the important thing now is the way forward. In a nutshell yesterday my 90G planted discus tank leaked. It flooded two rooms in the house. When I arrived home the tank had approximately 5cm of water left and I managed to transfer the discus (5) to the storage tank which I use to age water in and connected a filter (which was previously set up on the big tank), a heater and an airstone. Have a look at the attached pic.

My question is how long can they survive in there? Also, how many of you use custom made tanks? My cousin is telling me not to go for a custom made one to avoid risks of this scenario happening again.

[rickztahone]

I'm not going to go into details of what happened as the important thing now is the way forward. In a nutshell yesterday my 90G planted discus tank leaked. It flooded two rooms in the house. When I arrived home the tank had approximately 5cm of water left and I managed to transfer the discus (5) to the storage tank which I use to age water in and connected a filter (which was previously set up on the big tank), a heater and an airstone. Have a look at the attached pic.

My question is how long can they survive in there? Also, how many of you use custom made tanks? My cousin is telling me not to go for a custom made one to avoid risks of this scenario happening again.

theoretically you can keep them in there for quite a while but there are a few things that wouldn't make it ideal; first, would be the fact that it's a black bin and it would make it difficult for the discus to see food in there (not impossible). secondly, you would still need to do water changes and seeing as that is your aging barrel then how would you do the WC? thirdly, getting a custom tank is fine as long as it's someone who know how to make it right. what footprint were you planning on getting custom made? make sure you keep an eye on the temp because this is a much smaller container so the heater might heat it up too much. this should be taken care of asap IMO because it might stress them out.

[ilaizm]

I have two other smaller containers where I am aging water. So I can do a small WC. The discus are adult discus, how frequent should I be doing WC's in there?

Footprint would have to be 48cm by 152cm to be able to fit the unit which holds the tank.

[rickztahone]

I have two other smaller containers where I am aging water. So I can do a small WC. The discus are adult discus, how frequent should I be doing WC's in there?

Footprint would have to be 48cm by 152cm to be able to fit the unit which holds the tank.

that footprint sounds fine, a little over 55 i believe. you would have to do WC's as needed, check your water parameters with a test kit and make sure you have no ammonia or nitrIte. your nitrAtes will show because they are in such a small container and it will build up. hopefully your bacteria did not die off and doesn't have to re-colonize. keep us posted

[ilaizm]

I just got a quote for a custom made aquarium and it would take 2 weeks to complete.

A friend of mine offered to lend me a tank to be used as a temporary solution until I get a new one. He's saying the tank is as big as mine is and is currently empty.

1. What do you think about the idea? Since it was empty i'd have to clean it well first, right? If so how should this be done?

2. I had two canister filters connected to the tank that leaked and managed to connect one of them to the bin I am currently using to store the fish. Will that be enough to avoid going through the cycling process? I.e. would I be able to just throw the fish in this temporary tank he is offering to lend me?

[shoggoth43]

Custom should be fine as long as the builder knows what he's doing. Even a major manufacturer tank can leak if the stand is somehow warped or not level. You can help minimize that with a layer of foam underneath the tank to cushion it somewhat and deal with any irregularities. A side benefit is that the tank will now have some extra insulation for heat retention. Depending on the stand design that may or may not be helpful.

-
S

[Eddie]

Just do a good cleaning of the tank your friend is lending you. A water/bleach solution. The amount is up to you, some say 10 parts water to 1 part bleach is sufficient, others say more. Its entirely up to you but just make sure the tank is rinsed REALLY well after the water and bleach scrub. I like to fill the tank with extra dechlor and water and let it soak really well, couple of hours and then rinse good again.

You can just add your existing filter to the tank and not worry about a single issue. ;)

Eddie

[shoggoth43]

1) I always go buy a couple of gallons of white vinegar. Scrub down with towels soaked in it. Rinse, repeat. Fill the tank and drain a couple of times. As long as the tank smells clean ( not like vinegar ) when you're done you can fill it and add your fish.

2) Were the cannisters still running? Open them up and give a sniff. Cannisters tend to die off quickly with no water flow through them. You may be stuck recycling the tank unless you can swap in some media from another aquarium. ( Sorry, just noticed you were running one of them already. I would think you'd have already noticed a problem if it had died off. )

-
S


I just got a quote for a custom made aquarium and it would take 2 weeks to complete.

A friend of mine offered to lend me a tank to be used as a temporary solution until I get a new one. He's saying the tank is as big as mine is and is currently empty.

1. What do you think about the idea? Since it was empty i'd have to clean it well first, right? If so how should this be done?

2. I had two canister filters connected to the tank that leaked and managed to connect one of them to the bin I am currently using to store the fish. Will that be enough to avoid going through the cycling process? I.e. would I be able to just throw the fish in this temporary tank he is offering to lend me?

[Jhhnn]

If a tank 47x154cm (18-1/2"x60-1/2") will fit the stand, you can use a "125tall". That's if the stand will take the weight. It's an unusual tank size, but standard, not custom- you'll probably have to order it. I have one.

Dunno how the stand is built, but you may be able to use either a standard 75gal or 90gal tank, 48-1/2"x18-1/2". Various "standard" tank dimensions here, although not all may be available to you-

http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=2

Depending on the water capacity, your fish should be able to survive in the plastic container for a good long while if you provide heat, air, and filtration, exercise good husbandry. I'd stick a fluorescent light on top, cover any gaps w/ boards or whatever to prevent jumping, proceed from there...

Dunno how long you've had the custom tank, but it may be under warranty... when you do get a new tank, be sure that the top of the stand is very, very flat when the aquarium is filled. If it's torqued or twisted, the tank will be, too, radically increasing stress on the seams...

It's remarkable what people seem to get away with as aquarium stands- check this out-

http://denver.craigslist.org/pet/1173565044.html

Scary, huh?

[Eddie]

You could always use egg crates. They hold up cars just fine.....I know, I mean....I used to know. :D

Eddie

[Disgirl]

Please check out the thread Quarantine Tank Options under the Technical and do it Yourself area. Some good temporary tanks listed there! Good luck, I have had a similar problem as yours a few years ago.
Barbara

[ilaizm]

I have decided to buy a new aquarium. It comes with its own filter. If I had to get it and fill the tank up with water, switch on this new filter and also connect my existing canister filter will I be able to put the fish in immediately?

[Eddie]

I have decided to buy a new aquarium. It comes with its own filter. If I had to get it and fill the tank up with water, switch on this new filter and also connect my existing canister filter will I be able to put the fish in immediately?

Yes, no worries. I'd monitor ammonia/nitrite for a little while in the event of a spike. Do you plan on running both filters permanently?

Eddie

[ilaizm]

Ok thanks.

I'm still not sure whether to run both or not. That was in fact going to be my next question. If i decide to then only use the new one. How long should I keep my existing one running for?

[Eddie]

Ok thanks.

I'm still not sure whether to run both or not. That was in fact going to be my next question. If i decide to then only use the new one. How long should I keep my existing one running for?

That was going to be my next suggestion, 4 weeks minimum if you plan to use the new only. ;)

Eddie

[ilaizm]

Thanks a lot!

[Eddie]

Anytime my friend, anytime.


Eddie

[ilaizm]

The aquarium I will be getting is the Juwel Rio 400 which as I mentioned previously comes with a filter system included.

If all filters had to be cycled, would you suggest using just the Juwel filter, using the Juwel filter and one canister filter or using the two canister filters which I had connected to my previous tank?

[Eddie]

The aquarium I will be getting is the Juwel Rio 400 which as I mentioned previously comes with a filter system included.

If all filters had to be cycled, would you suggest using just the Juwel filter, using the Juwel filter and one canister filter or using the two canister filters which I had connected to my previous tank?

Just use the new filter along with the old ones for 4 weeks, you'll be golden. I do however like to have 2 filters running on any tank no matter what. ;)

Eddie