PLEASE HELP! NO FILTER! Will my fish die?!

[nomzombie]

So I transferred my fish to their new 150g tank but my son stole the rubber gasket off the top inside of my canister filter while I was moving everything around and I've looked EVERYWHERE and I can't find it. And he can't tell me where he hid it bc he's 2. I don't have anything remotely close to that gasket and the ONLY store within an hour and a half drive of me that carries them is closed for the weekend! Will my fish make it until Monday without it in a new tank? I have a large dragon Goby, a giant pleco, and a small clown pleco

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[Sambo7475]

Keep the lights off, only feed a small amount and you should be fine. We lost power last summer for four days, and my fish were fine.


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[nomzombie]

I'm just worries bc it's a brand new set up so it's not established yet my Goby keeps dashing to the surface for air which he used to rarely do and I read that could mean ammonia poisoning but I've been checking the levels Every hour and it hasn't changed.

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[ktomminello]

Do you have an air pump?

 

[acewiza]

PLEASE HELP! NO FILTER! Will my fish die?!

The answer to that question is YES - it's just a matter of time. Considering it's a new tank with no BB colony yet and large fish stressing already, I'd say the time may be short.

 

[ktomminello]

The answer to that question is YES - it's just a matter of time. Considering it's a new tank with no BB colony yet and large fish stressing already, I'd say the time may be short.

I would say yes this is true if there is no bb to be had anywhere- but sounds like original poster had a tank set up before. If this is in fact the case moving some of the filter floss or sponge well rinsed in conditioned water- not scrubbed- attached to an oxygen pump by air hose and placed in the substrate underneath along with constant monitoring and water changing when appropriate may get you through the week end.... I find it hard to conceive not having a Wal-Mart or even mom and pop hardware store that doesn't carry teflon tape....

 

[nomzombie]

It's a disk that's about a quarter inch thick and about 3/4 inch wide and about as big as a baseball. It's not a typical ring it's more of a plate with a hole in it. I have the filter that was hooked up to the old tank with the old water in it and everything should I take out the medium and the sponge and put them in the tank? The bubbles is already set up and running

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[nomzombie]

The gravel and decor are from the old tank as well with no scrubbing. There's bacteria from the other tank. I just transferred them from a 45gal to a 150gal

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[PB_Smith]

It's a disk that's about a quarter inch thick and about 3/4 inch wide and about as big as a baseball. It's not a typical ring it's more of a plate with a hole in it. I have the filter that was hooked up to the old tank with the old water in it and everything should I take out the medium and the sponge and put them in the tank? The bubbles is already set up and running

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if you have the old filter media and an air pump, you can easily fashion a working filter out of a tupperware container. That would at least circulate the water through established media.
I'm sure you can get some idea that will work for you from this;
https://www.google.com/#q=DIY+tupperware+aquarium+filter

you should monitor the ammonia level if possible and do a partial water change if needed.

 

[acewiza]

The issue for establishing a new cycle is circulation. Yes, absolutely move the old material into the new tank and do what ktomminallo and pbsmith say to buy more time.

 

[PB_Smith]

It's a disk that's about a quarter inch thick and about 3/4 inch wide and about as big as a baseball. It's not a typical ring it's more of a plate with a hole in it.

Hmmm, is it by chance a Magnum 350 filter?
if so you should be able to run it without the top gasket, it just cushions the carbon container or pleat. The bottom one needs to be in place, but I think the top is just for stability/noise reduction.
As long as it has the o-ring that goes around the top it should be watertight.

if it's not a Magnum filter, ignore this post.

 

[Slade]

So you have an air pump working, and media with BB. I don't think you have anything to worry about for this short amount of time.
Doing a small daily water change will keep parameters in check and add to water movement.

 

[54seaweed]

I,ve read of people using aquarium safe silicone to make a temporary gasket but that takes 24 to 48hrs to cure .
if you were local I could have offered a couple filters and power heads to borrow till you got things back on track .

 

[nomzombie]

It is in fact a magnum 350! I did try and run it but I guess my o-rings aren't functioning properly bc It was sucking air instead of water and I checked the lines and they're tight. It ran for about 15 second sucking and pushing water but then the canister filled with air. So I guess I'll buy o-rings along with the gaskets just to be safe since it's SUPPOSED to be able to run without the gasket. I really appreciate everyone's help. This forum has been so informative and I'm feeling lots of relief about my poor fish with all of your assistance. Thank you so much! I have been monitoring the ammonia and it hasn't fluctuated at all. I have the sponge over one of my bubble bars along with filter media. And I've been siphoning out the waste as I see it just to be safe. I've also cut back their food slightly bit not too much bc I don't Wang to stress them too much. Thank you everyone!

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[nomzombie]

Just an update for anyone who helped me, I finally got the gaskets that I needed and thanks to the helpful advice about it being able to run without them I checked my o-ring and discovered it was severely stretched and had a tear so I replaced everything and my filter is now up and running! My fish made it just fine without it for the weekend and don't show any obvious signs of stress. The ammonia didn't spike or anything! It will take a water change or two before it gets back to the crystal clear beauty it was before this mess but I'd say this was an overall success! Thank you for all of your advice and reassurance!

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[Sambo7475]

So glad for a great outcome! I would do several smaller water changes a couple of times a day rather than one big one, it'll stress your fish less, and help prevent a bacterial bloom.