Auuugh!

[VoidParadigm]

So annoyed right now. My big hibernation tank I keep at my grandparent's house sprang a leak.

Which means I now have 35 inches of goldfish and 8 inches of pleco coming here for tonight and going home whenever they can get the tank dried and resealed. Sigh.

Are mini-cycles going to plague my tropical tanks immediately, or will they take a few days to start messing things up?

I asked the g-parents to bring the filter too, so I may just fill up a rubbermaid tub for them instead. Anyone know if rubbermaid is a safe brand for fish?

[Northernguy]

Yup! Thats what I have used. Make sure you clean it out even if its new.
Thats a better idea then using your tanks.

Why don't you reseal the tank.Its really not difficult and does not take long.

[VoidParadigm]

Fair enough. Main problem with the rubbermaid tubs would be finding where I put the cover, even if I just lightly set it on top. One of my big boys is a jumper (he once jumped two feet up and smacked me in the face -_-) so I'll at least have to find an old sheet or something to put over it.

[Northernguy]

Put a couple of boards across the top,set the lid on top of the boards and use some bungee cords to hold it in place.A canister filter would still work but not an HOB.

[VoidParadigm]

Alright, thanks! Into the rubbermaid they'll go.

[Northernguy]

The hob will still work on it.lolthumbs2:

[Scrup]

Sterilite works too and is a bit cheaper than rubbermaid if you have to buy more.

[VoidParadigm]

Grandfather called the manufacturer of the tank, and SUPPOSEDLY so long as we take it back to where we bought it they have to replace it. Downside with this is that we bought it with a filter included, and all parts have to returned. It could take two days to get it out there, then another week to get the new one back out here. Five Goldfish and two Plecos can't go that long without a filter, especially in such an overstocked space. Buying yet another filter is not an option.

Here's what I can see as my only option.
Taking Kiwi's (Three-Spot Gourami) filter and putting it on my largest rubbermaid tub. Since she's a Labyrinth Fish (can breathe air) she has the best chance out of every fish in this house of lasting that long without a filter, especially since her tank only has her in it.

Let the criticism begin. =\

[Scrup]

Is an air pump an option? could get creative with the filter media and make a temp sponge-like filter...It wouldn't be pretty or work great, but it would be better than nothing.

Could try wrapping the filter media around a sponge and using a rubber band or zipties to hold it in place.

Honestly you can make up for a filter with water changes in a gourami tank pretty easy I imagine...

Only problem I see is the filter getting clogged up fast and/or not even begining to handle the bio load of the goldies. You going to fast them while this happens?

[terrapin24h]

cut back on feeding with the gourami and should be good to go. Like has been mentioned, air driven sponge filters could save your bacon here.

--chris

[VoidParadigm]

Aye, Kiwi will be fine so long as she has her heater.

Only problem with fasting the fish is that if the two Plecos get too hungry they might develop a taste for slime coat. So, I'll probably move them to my corydoras only tank - which will of course screw up my parameters, but at least the goldfish won't be constantly harassed once they get back in their own tank.

The goldfish are the oldest and biggest of all the fish here, so they're more or less the priority. Been through a lot with the original four. (One of them for that matter is a forever stunted cripple who got attacked by a raven.)

[Rue]

So sorry! I hate animal emergencies! Hope you get everyone settled for the meantime, and that the tank gets sealed!

[Scrup]

Could leave them in and drop algae wafers in after the goldies go to sleep. Works on the new pleco I got, as he is timid atm and the goldies beat him to the food every time.

[VoidParadigm]

Good idea, but unfortunately wouldn't work. My goldfish love to scrounge for food in the dark. That's how my danio school got cut from 5 to 1 overnight. =\ Had the big female re-cuperating in their tank, and bam, next morning, nothing.

'sides that, they have a sixth sense for algae wafers. lol. All I have to do is go within 3 feet of the shelf I keep the wafers on and they go nuts.

[VoidParadigm]

Well, an update now.

The store let us exchange the tank for the same model, the goldfish went there yesterday, and the plecos will be going within the week.

Kinda curse turned blessing, though. The tank the plecos were in has had its algae killed off. Not even spores to be seen. Green spot algae, brush algae, and some kind of funky dark one - all gone.

I haven't seen the plecos in near on a week except for one glimpse of a to-big-for-a-cory fin. But oh well. That tank is all dark rocks and logs, so it's not surprising they've found somewhere to hunker down during the days. If it wasn't for my perfectly clean decorations I'd think they were dead. :lol:

[Northernguy]

Algae always grows back!lol
Just let the sun shine in.:19:

Glad to hear the tank was replaced.thumbs2:

[Scrup]

How big are the goldfish vs the plecos? could try getting a peice of PVC too small for the goldies to fit into...

[VoidParadigm]

True, the algae will grow back, but I'll enjoy my victory while it lasts. :lol:
'sides, I don't truly mind it. Imo it gives the aquarium a more natural (not to mention, free! hehe) look - and my cories absolutely love to clean up green brush algae when it receives that morning flare-up from the sun.

And three of my goldfish are around 3-4 years old, with about 2/3 of their lives spent in ponds. So with all the bugs and plant material that falls in the pond they're getting pretty darn big now. My two males are at least eight inches. The fancy baby we have used to be able to get into the jars we set in for the plecos, but s/he is getting too fat to do that anymore. And while the permanently stunted bodied (attacked by raven when young) goldfish is around the same size as the plecos, he has the fins of a sexually mature goldfish.

So long as the plecos decide to grow slower than the fancy goldfish then we can keep using jars/containers/pipe/etc to hide food. After that, may the best fish win. :lol: