FL CommunityFans

So I had the 29g starter kit from Petsmart. For whatever unknown, godforsaken reason - the back of the tank literally exploded while my daughter was watching our clown pleco eat, and the water started gushing out all over the stand and floor. Needless to say I went panic mode.. managed to save about 6 gallons of the water and the fish though very stressed out.

Bio-spira had been in the tank for 5 days. Still have the gravel, and the filter cartridge, and like I said the 6 gallons... bout to clean out the new tank (exhanged for a new kit for equal value with the) and then add the gravel and old water and then add new water in with prime.

A) How far did I just get set back on the cycle with bio-spira only getting 5 days to work

b) no other option but to stick the fish in once the temp is adjusted - any recommendations?

sirdarksol

The most important thing is that you saved the fish and that your daughter didn't get hurt.
The important thing for the cycle is that you saved the filter cartridge and kept it wet. The gravel is a bonus.
The fish should be fine when you stick them in. BioSpira is supposed to fully colonize the filter within 24 hours. Just make sure that you do daily checks on water chemistry. If there's any ammonia or nitrites, do a partial water change to get them down.

FL CommunityFans

Well of course the most important thing is my kiddo was ok!. I thought she was the cause at first, then i saw her and she was on the other side of the bed, because she knows I don't like her getting too close. She has a tendency to glass tap at the yoyos

Anyhow, Almost got the tank cleaned out and going to be redoing things here shortly. Thanks for the info and I'll be sure to update!

lilsoccakid

glad to hear nobody was hurt, and it looks like u did everything u couldve to keep the cycle going! good thinking and good luck!

SereneReyn

that's pretty bizarre! glad everyone both human and non-human are okay... sounds like you reacted well. hope there's no chance glass got into the gravel? you did say the back pane broke, yes? sorry about the trouble... you knew things were going too well, right? just when you think you've got a handle on everything, you get a curveball!

Lucy

Wow, what a mess. So sorry that happened to you. Scary to think what could have happened. Good to hear your daughter and fish weren't injured.
Just a thought, you may want to check the manufactured date of the new tank and compare it with the old tank, maybe a defect that was recalled?

FL CommunityFans

Built by the same person, but different months of the year.. so hopefully it's ok. I already checked in to recalled tanks and didn't find anything. Got the tanks setup and prime in it now.. just waiting on the temp to raise a bit so I can re-introduce the fish.

I said explosion.. that's what it sound like. What had actually happened was the back panel of the tank just split right down the middle and curved all the way to the right. It was weird, the stand was level and everything. Still clueless.

Thanks for the concern folks it's appreciated.

sirdarksol

Glass can have defects that are impossible to see. There's no way to know it's going to happen. For that matter, there's often no way for the manufacturer to know it's going to happen. With the constant pressure of the water in the tanks, the semi-liquid state of the glass is constantly deforming. Eventually, it pushes past the breaking point, and there's an explosion.

Drea

Gosh, I can't imagine that situation. So sorry for you..somebody is watching over you for sure

capekate

OMG what a mess that must have been to clean up! I would have freaked out! It was bad enough for me once on a 29g tank that developed a crack across the bottom, under the gravel. I had no way of knowing this since it was in a cabinet. Next morning I woke up to an empty tank. No fish in the tank, it was being cycled thank goodness. It was a dribble of water so no major floor mess, but seeped down into the basement where it made a mess.
I cant imagine a tank exploding like that! wow.. I know that I was very nervous for awhile after my tank episode thinking that it could happen again. What I found out was that there was a pressure point caused by a piece of driftwood that I had wedged in position. It can happen...
Im wondering if you had any pressure points going on in your tank with any driftwood or decor somehow? As Serene mentioned, make sure there is no glass in the gravel.
Best of luck with your new tank! and always make sure it is on level ground too...

~ kate

FL CommunityFans

There weren't any pressure points, nothing was resting on the glass in any manner. It's definitely leveled out now and was level to begin with. Complete freak of nature is what I'm chalking it up as.

Blub

FL CommunityFans

I'm aware of the stocking capacity it had. the glofish are fine in their group of four. They act as a regular bunch of 12 together. There's no difference. The BN is now in our 29g as there was just not enough hiding room for him minus the 1 cave. The tank has been doing exceedingly well with the water parameters and the fish all get a long great so, for me, the tank is/was not in a bad state at all. I do water changes on it every 2/3 days which obviously helps a bit.

COBettaCouple

WOW! If the media and substrata stayed wet, it should have most of the good bacteria and I'd expect a new tank to cycle fast.

How are things going in the new tank?

Blub

FL CommunityFans

Good so far. Minus losing most of the guppy fry (saved 6 somehow our of 30) everyone is doing well. Both the plecos are still a bit shy but definitely warming up more. The incident was very stressful to them I think. Yoyos are harassing each other nonstop playing all over the place and the corys are acting like little busy bees going over everything hunting scraps. Wife's honey sunset gouramis seem a bit more temperamental than previously, but they seemed to have calmed down a fair bit in the last 24 hours. Did a 15% WC today as the ammonia was creeping up.. nitrates are reading 5ppm atm, so hopefully they will help keep the ammonia regulated.

Hatchet - I stated previously I took the BN out and put in in the 29g with the clown. They are both much more social now than they had been previously. They actually feed next to each other and tag team against the guppys and corys trying to steal their wafers.

Blub

COBettaCouple

Sounds like you did really well, considering what happened. That's a lot of survivors and they should get normal behavior back.. sounds like a lot of them already have. Great job on acting fast. It's a shame to have lost those gup fry, but I'm glad the rest made it through.