HOB hell

[Sidi]

Well, I just got back from Seattle, been there since Friday. I came home to a lovely surprise.

I'd added some filter floss to the Aquaclear on my 55g a couple days before I left. Well, apparently it compacted and the water level in the filter rose up over the edge while I was gone.

Probably 20 gallons of water on the carpet, soaked through in a huge radius around the tank and under other furniture. I had to pull the fish, drain it, move the tank (with substrate, since it's a layered planted tank and I didn't want to have to start all over), and am now in the process of drying the carpet with fans and a steam cleaner.

So, in other words, don't muck with your tank too much right before you leave on a trip...and if you do, make sure there's someone trustworthy checking in on things while you're gone.

 

[rich311k]

Sorry to hear that. HOBs need cleaned out monthly if not more.

 

[Sidi]

Yeah, I usually do clean mine out about that often. I think the problem was adding material with the filter floss and it then packing up with the residual particles I was trying to get out.

What a mess. And we may have to rearrange the living room to put the couch over the area to let it dry completely.

 

[theotheragentm]

Man, that sucks. I feel the pain, although my spills are more based on my stupidity, like not paying attention when siphoning. I mean, I'm holding the tube and I can't even hit the damn bucket.

 

[Zagz]

I feel your pain too, I've had it happen. Put a fan on the carpet to help it dry quickly. You don't want mold to build up between the carpet and underpad.

 

[Nell]

yikes! I would not want to come home to find that! (I'd say goodbye to my security deposit... thats for sure.)

A dehumidifier will also help a lot to get the moisture out of the air so the floor dries faster. If you don't have one, you could probably find someone to borrow one from, as many people don't need to use them in the winter.

 

[An t-iasg]

I'm sorry to hear about the accident, and I hope things with the tank and also the rest of the room are all back to normal soon.

 

[Sidi]

The carpet is just slightly damp at this point. Cranking up the fireplace and getting the room nice and hot (on top of the fans) seemed to help. I figured the heat drying things out faster would offset the fact that the heat would also help grow mold/mildew. The fish all seem happy in their garbage can. At this point my only real worry is a couple of small dark stains from table legs. Oxyclean seems to be removing them slowly, but it might take a few applications.

I'm hoping to be able to set things up again this evening, but it may be tomorrow before I feel comfortable doing so.

 

[7Enigma]

Yikes! This is the type of thing that scared me when I first put the floss in, as I noticed the higher water level and lowered flow. I made sure that the HOB was propped up enough in the back so it was tilted towards the tank in case it overflowed.

Since doing this I've had it overflow twice, but because of how its tilted it just runs back down where the intake goes.

That's a horrible story!

EDIT: I just posted in my FF thread with an additional warning about preventing leaks. I didn't want anyone else to go through this.

 

[Sidi]

Well, things are ok now. The carpet was nice and dry this morning, not really any staining even. So my tank's back together and seems to be fine. No fish losses (I'm gonna have to start calling that discus Achilles, since he's been nearly invulnerable it seems). Most of the plants came through it just fine, other than my Madagascar lace losing a few leaves.

And the filter floss did a great job of cleaning everything stirred up by putting the water back in. Heh.

 

[7Enigma]

Glad to hear everything is going well for you. I'd keep the carpet off the area where the water went for a couple more weeks in case any moisture worked its way into the floor. You don't want any warping or mold to develop. Goodluck and post some pics of your tank once its all settled.