Help! My filter has broken, what should I do?

[Eliza]

Hi, I just got a new tank and some platys, the fish shop stupidly sold me 3 boys and 1 girl so I had to go back and buy two more girls as the one girl in there was hiding and being bullied by the boys. I know you are not meant to do this before your tank is fully ready but I had to take the risk, luckily they were fine!
I have just done a water change and my filter has stopped working, I got my dad round to see wether he could fix it but he couldn’t and the fish shop won’t be open for another 24 hours,
I am slightly worried.
Do you think they will survive that long?
Is there anything I can do apart form wait for the shop to open?
Thanks

 

[Jessie J.]

How'd they do?

 

[Jeremy180]

You will need to replace the filter asap, if haven't already.
When you do, try to get some of the filter medium from the old filter into the new one, to save any surviving filter bacteria.

 

[Colin_T]

Sorry I didn't respond earlier, this is the first time I have seen this thread.

For future reference if a filter ever breaks, stop feeding the fish for a couple of days.

If you have an air pump then get that going so there is aeration in the tank. If you don't have an airpump then get a 2 litre plastic container and scoop water out of the tank and pour it back into the tank. Do this a few times per hour.

Increase the lighting to 16 hours a day to encourage plant and algae growth that will help use ammonia and produce oxygen.

Wash the filter materials in a bucket of tank water and when they are clean wash them in a second bucket of tank water, then put the materials in the aquarium. This will help keep the filter bacteria alive.

If you have a hang on the back (HOB) filter like an Aquaclear or TopFin, you can scoop water out of the tank and pour it into the top of the filter. Do this at least once an hour.

If you have an external canister filter you can put the outlet/ return hose into a bucket next to the filter. Let the bucket fill up and then put the return hose back in the tank. Pour the bucket of water into the tank. Do this once an hour and it will help keep the filter alive for longer.

If the filter is relatively clean the beneficial filter bacteria will live longer. Under good conditions the filter bacteria can live for at least 2 hours without water flow but after that they start to suffocate. However, even after 6-8 hours without water flow, some bacteria will survive.

 

[Eliza]

Ok thanks so much for all of your help