It is said that bad things come in threes, and last week several aquarium-related crises confirmed this for me. How did I cope with it and what can I take away from it?
It is said that bad things happen in threes.
I witnessed this last week when it started with an unpleasant surprise from my two-month-old paludarium with a high water column from Exo Terra. For a moment, I thought I might have spilled some water while pouring new water into the paludarium, but very soon the constantly reappearing puddle under the paludarium (which has been standing on such "legs" since it was made) convinced me otherwise. And indeed, when I shone a light under the paludarium into a gap less than a centimeter high, the cause was more than clear. At regular intervals, water was dripping from the joint under the paludarium.
At first, I was hit by a mild panic. Am I really supposed to dismantle this newly arranged and inhabited paludarium? Surely not. Where will I put the fish that have settled into the new conditions and decided to respond to the good conditions by breeding? I didn't enjoy the idyll for long. Perhaps to turn my slight panic into rational thinking, I called a friend who is an aquarist. "You don't want me to take the aquarium, do you?!" came the voice from the other end. The next call went to a well-known aquarium shop in Chrudim. The result was ultimately no better, so in desperation, I turned to another experienced aquarist and acquired a temporary aquarium from his neighbor, who had a collection of aquariums stacked in the yard.
From a small plastic container, I then transferred 5 adults and about 30 small ones to a new, more suitable, but still provisional environment.
When the situation calmed down and I came to terms with the reality of a possible disaster, another aquaristic catastrophe didn't take long to arrive. While filling the water in the basement, something distracted my attention. Honestly, I don't even remember if it was a phone call, a meowing cat, or something else, and I forgot to turn off the water. After two hours, when I went to enjoy the thriving aquariums and also to calm down a bit regarding the situation with the paludarium, I was greeted not only by a flashing thermometer trying to adjust the cold water flow back to the original temperature but also by splashing on the floor. Oh no! I had to clean it up quickly to avoid causing damage and also to ensure that my dear partner, who was diligently working upstairs at that moment, wouldn't find out. I managed to keep it a secret, so they will only read about it in this article :)
Once again, I started to regain my lost balance and plan how I would spend Sunday, what I would manage to do, and how I would work in the garden when I noticed the moisture under the aquarium, this time on the floor. I focused on the water that was lying on the wooden cabinet specially made for the aquarium and found that it wasn't a splash, but was beautifully making its way along the bottom joint of the aquarium. I think I even went pale. It didn't seem like a coincidence to me. This time I was already experienced:
- Turn off the electronics - disconnect the heater, filter, lighting, and other devices that could come into contact with water.
- Quickly for the barrels and start pumping out the water to reduce the leak.
- Transfer the plants and fish to a sufficiently large temporary plastic container with water from the aquarium.
- Install a heater and aeration into this temporary plastic container
- Protection of the floor and furniture - towels and anything that is at hand and everything dries quickly
- Take a photo of the leak for the seller and possible complaint.
(Adjust the order according to the situation and need.)
I will hope that the training for crisis situations with running water in aquaristics has been sufficient and that I will be spared from similar surprises for a while, but just in case, I already have my routine.
