Turning off the filter

[zxcvbnm]

My mom makes me turn off the filter in my 2.5 as it bothers her. She has been sleeping in my room for about a week, and the filter is off for about 6-10 hours every night(I live in a small apartment). Can this harm my fish? thanks

[jpappy789]

probably not a good idea. o2 levels can get dangerously low if there is now surface agitation. people have had power out for that long and have had fish survive but that was only one time.

[Rbishop]

It should not be turned off. Move the fish tank or your Mom to another room.

[wataugachicken]

yes. while the filter is off, ammonia buildds up in the tank, and oxygen levels drop. the presence of ammonia also makes it harder for fish to breathe. when you turn the filter off for that long, you are definitely taking a risk, especially in a tank that small. some of the bacteria may die off during the night if they dry out - they need moisture and oxygen too. when you turn it back on in the morning, you may have compromised your filtration enough that some ammonia still remains in the water, and is building up over this time period. i would move the tank to another location in the apartment where you are able to leave it on at all times.

[jm1212]

the filter should be running 24/7 unless there is a power outage. otherwise, the water quality will be compromised. try raising the water level to lower the niose.

[zxcvbnm]

If I raise the water level the air bubbler thing on the filter doesnt work.

[zxcvbnm]

Unfortuneatly, My room is the only place I can have tanks (we are getting a house soon, and when we do, I'm getting a 55 :D, but I live in one of those places where a decently sized house is around 2 million dollars)

[jm1212]

can you show us the setup with a pic?

[jac]

Get your mum some ear plugs ;)

Is the filter your only means of airation in the tank?

[jpappy789]

I'm going to have to agree with jac. Earplugs are an option...

[mr rosco]

sorry,but your fish are more important than your mam.....re-locate as appropiate!!!!

[zxcvbnm]

it's one of these things (lol I didnt use all the pirate stuff though)
http://www.pet-shop.net/assets/images/hc13375.jpg

[jpappy789]

that should be easy to move, well easier than someone's 150 gal., but why can't you move it???

[zxcvbnm]

nowhere to move it to

[Marinemom]

You don't have another room in the house that you can move it to? Family room or living room? Kitchen?

Marinemom

[DarkSoul]

if my mom was sleeping in my room (what happened to her room?) I would simply tell her that its my room, and my fish, and shutting off the filter is going to kill the fish. If she chooses to sleep in my room, than she must deal with the sound of the filter, which wasnt a problem, until she moved herself in.

[barthur33]

I'd move the tank somewhere(coffee table, kitchen counter, bathroom shelf, anywhere!)and let Mom be. In the grand scheme of things, Mom's are a heckuva lot more important than a few very replaceable fish!

[jpappy789]

With that small of a tank, any counter, dresser (maybe), or table with a power outlet near it is fine

[spirals]

The pirate tank will be fine on any type of counter, dresser, table etc, especially if its temporary. I know its your mom and you want her to be comfortable, but these guys are seriously suffering by having their air supply cut off. It would be kinda similar to having a friend who hated having windows open in a house that theres a lot of smoke in. When its an issue of comfort (especially short term) or living, I'd chose the living.

[mostlycichlids]

Why dont you just move it out of the room at night and move it back when she wakes up. Come on its only 2.5g how hard can it be to find a new place unless you live in a cardboard box.

[wataugachicken]

if you feel you have no other choice than to turn the filters off, i would recommend daily 50% water changes to keep the water clean. adding fresh water also adds more oxygen. do the changes in the evening before you go to bed, but keep turning the filter on in the morning as well.

[247Plants]

There are DIY ways of injecting pure oxygen into the tank.

You can take a small bottle and poke a hole slightly smaller than a airline hose and push it through. Put limewood diffuser on end of long piece. Fill bottle partially with hydrogen peroxide. Place small piece of lead in bottle. close bottle with said cap with airline attached and seal. Place diffusor in tank. Voila oxygen generator.

[Jahosacat]

How 'bout putting the tank in the bathroom or the kitchen for the night? All you need is 1 plug for the filter; no need for light at night. I have several 2 1/2 gal tanks and they are easy to move.

If you have no choice but to leave it in your room and turn off the filter, do frequent water changes.

Good luck!

[zxcvbnm]

Why dont you just move it out of the room at night and move it back when she wakes up. Come on its only 2.5g how hard can it be to find a new place unless you live in a cardboard box.
lol pretty much. I guess I'll try to find another spot for it but im kinda paranoid about dropping the tank. I don't have much space for it because pretty much every counter and table is cluttered, and my brother, who's two (the reason why my mom is sleeping in my room), will probably knock it over if he can get his hands on it.

[zxcvbnm]

oh yeah and i'm gonna be leaving for band camp in 2 weeks and my mom's probably gonna turn the filter off when I'm gone, and I can't have the tank anywhere else all day. any suggestions?

[wataugachicken]

well, if you move the tank, don't move it full of water. take out 1/2 to 3/4 of the water first. since it only weighs about 23 lbs full, taking out most of the water will make it easier to move than a basket of laundry.

can a friend keep the tank at their house while you are at camp? otherwise your fish are going to be goners when you get home. it'll be a smelly mess too, because it doesn't sound like your mom will even care enough to flush the dead ones. if you know she's going to turn the filters off, return the fish and buy new ones when your situation changes.

[spirals]

No offense but nice mom...If she's going to turn off the filter while you're gone for 2 weeks you might as well kiss those fish goodbye, because I doubt they will be alive when you come back.
I agree with getting a friend to take care of them. It would probably be best for your sanity and for the lives of the fish in the tank.
How loud is the filter that it bugs her so much? You could maybe look into getting a small airstone + pump for while you are gone, might be quieter. You could wrap the pump in a towel or other cloth ( I have one on a glove) which will cut the noise from the pump to nothing.

[rwilliams254]

Why not in the bathroom with the door closed?

What's in the tank?

What kind of noise does it make? If you put a thick blanket over it can you still hear it?

[mcox3]

Yeah, i think there are several solutions besides unplugging the filter...
especially for a tank that small...
plug moms ears?
Blanket over the tank like williams said?
Box over tank?
Move to tank diff. room?
Mom sleep on couch?
move mattress to diff. room?
tell mom to deal with it?

[zxcvbnm]

i'll try the blanket thingy. I pretty much have no space in the bathroom or anywhere else. my mom refuses to wear earplugs and my dad doesn't want to help me move the tank around every night and every morning (I guess I really can't either cuz I go to sleep at 11 and have to wake up at 6 for summer school and Im always late

[wataugachicken]

if you can carry your backpack full of books, you can lift the fishtank to another place in the apartment. 11? you go to sleep later than i do. i think you have plenty of time to move the tank, but i don't get the feeling that you really want to.

[zxcvbnm]

it's not like I want my fish to die, my dad pretty much isnt letting me, my grandparents sleep downstairs and he says it might disturb them

[rwilliams254]

The tank can't weigh more than 25 lbs. A backpack weighs more than that!

You're mom is in your room and your dad is in another room? The 2 year old is in the third room?

You can't find 1'x1' spot ANYWHERE in the apt? You may have bigger issues to deal with a few dead fish.

[zxcvbnm]

my dads with my brother. I cant have it downstairs, and it cant be in my brothers room. theres no space in the bathroom.

[feemia]

Finding another space for the tank really won't matter if there's no one to care for the fish while you're away at camp. If you want them to live, you'll have to either return them to the LFS or find a friend who'll take them until you move to your new house.

[rwilliams254]

There's a solution to every problem. A lot of people have offered a lot of solutions. It's up to you to either choose one OR find one yourself. It's a little tiny tank with little bitty fish (did you ever mention what kind of fish are in it?).

...on second thought, are you just wanting someone to tell you to freeze them or kill them so you don't have the guilt?

[zxcvbnm]

yeah there's a betta in it. I think I'll try the blanket thing.

[zxcvbnm]

thanks for all your suggestions