Broken filter - help me quick

[Etunes]

HEAD IS GONNA EXPLODE. The stupid filter has broke on my 20g. I have had problems with it before and now it just quite. My 75g is cycling right now to move the fish too but it is no were near ready. What should i do. I do not have another filter from another tank i can use as the filters on my other tanks are using them. I was planning on making the 20g a QT and have extra filters on my 75g for things like this but its not done. WHAT SHOULD I DO.

 

[mattrox]

Bring the filter over and do daily pwcs until the filter cycles.....

 

[Etunes]

The filter is broken and it is on a 75g tank compared to a 20g. I would be better off taking the media out of the filter and putting it into the tank and doing daily water changes on the 20g which is what i am hoping to be able to avoid. Does anyone have any good plans for a DIY filter maybe?

 

[HN1]

PWCs are probably going to be the best/easiest thing to get you through. Try to maintain some water flow in the tank to prevent stagnation and maintain O2 sat.

 

[BigJim]

I'm not quite sure I understand the situation? Were you running the 20g filter on the 75g, or did the 20g filter quit while you're cycling the 75g?

I'd probably just go buy another filter and place the old media in the new filter. Keep the media in the tank until you get the new filter. I did that when I broke the AC70 for my 29g. The tank ran fine without PWCs for five days while I waited for the new filter to arrive.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Sorry to hear that, but like bigjim said i think pwc's are going to be your best bet.

 

[jsoong]

How is the filter broken? Any way to fix it - at least temporary?

Otherwise, get a new filter & move the filter material from the old to the new, that should transfer your biofilter over to the new filter & minimize any cycle peaks. <Keep the filter media wet when you run out to get the new filter so you don't kill the bacteria.>

Monitor the tank for the next while & do pwc's as needed. But properly done, a filter transfer won't cause too much problem.

BTW - a DIY filter involves some kind of sump & water pump. Unless you have all the parts on hand, it is faster (& cheaper) to run out and get a HOB.

 

[Evaunitone]

If you salvage the media from the original filter and all the bacteria is still doing fine on there, then you're not in too much trouble. Your old media will colonize any other media in your new filter pretty fast. I think cycling a tank is almost entirely about the filter, so if you move the media to the new filter things should be fine.

 

[Etunes]

Sorry bigjim, what happened is i have 2 tanks, a 20g and a 75g with there own individual filters. The 75g is not cycled yet and the fish from the 20g are supposed to go on there. The 20g filter broke. I actually thought of what bigjim said this morning but if you look at the time i posted i was tired and delusional. I will try and snag a ride so i can go get 1 soon and just slap the media into the new filter. Thanks guys for the help.

BTW it broke through the motor and is no easy fix, it is a old filter from my dads old tank when i was little, it was bound to happen.

 

[BigJim]

No problem. It sucks when filters break.

 

[Etunes]

O man, so i decided to get down and dirty and see if i could fix the problem. I found my 8 inch bichir in the filter, i didnt even realize my filter cage on the end was missing, he got curious then got sucked up and suffocated.

RIP buddy, my favirote fish

I feel so bad, i feel like i killed him.

 

[HN1]

Oh no!!!!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Hate to hear that. not your fault though. just take this experience and learn from it like most everything else.

 

[Etunes]

ya, i guess your right rookie, thanks for the words.

 

[SnailPowered]

I'm really sorry to hear that! Bichirs are on of my favorite fish and it takes a while to get one up to 8 inches. Hopefully you will find a way to get the cage on more securely so that doesn't happen again.

 

[Etunes]

Wont matter, next cage will have non broken cage over the intake and i will be getting more, i was just hoping to have my pal with me longer.

 

[mattrox]

Sorry to hear that.