Broken Filter HELP!!!

647 Views 11 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Lavadero, Sep 5, 2015

WhiskeyHands

Discussion Starter · Sep 2, 2015

Hi,

First off, I wasn't sure in what category to post this but I figured Emergencies would be it.

So today I was cleaning my 21 gallon fish tank housing 3 female bettas, 2 sumo loaches ( I think that was the name, they stay very small. The guy from the store said it was the smallest loach I could get), a pearled gourami and 3 glowfishes ( yes I know they should be in groups of 5 minimum.) Anyway, I decided to clean the filter cause of the accumulation of algae stuck up in the tube but while cleaning the tube, the upper part that connects both the tube that take water from the tank and the filter itself broke in pieces.

I tried scotch tape. It didn't work. So, I tried superglue and it does work but is leaking a little bit.

My questions now are, is superglue waterproof and is it fish friendly? I really don't want to go to the pet shop to buy a filter again but if needed I guess I'll go.

Thanks in advance.

WhiskeyHands

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Watermelons

· #2 · Sep 2, 2015

If its not a no name brand filter you should be able to contact the company and purchase a replacement part.

Yes superglue is safe. It should be cyanoacrylate. Even the dollar store gel stuff is safe to use, even directly under water.

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WhiskeyHands

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 2, 2015

Watermelons said:
If its not a no name brand filter you should be able to contact the company and purchase a replacement part.

It's an aquaclear filter. And thanks a lot, i'm looking at the filter and it's doing fine now, just leaking a bit but the water goes back in the tank. I was just worried about the fish because of the chemicals in the glue. Thanks!

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WhiskeyHands

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 2, 2015

Watermelons said:
If its not a no name brand filter you should be able to contact the company and purchase a replacement part.

Found it!

https://usa.hagen.com/Aquatic/Replacement-Parts/A16150

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Lavadero

· #5 · Sep 5, 2015

Hey. Not sure if you solved your dilemma here, but instead of super glue I would recommend aquarium adhesive. That way you can eliminate the doubt in your mind that asks this question. I'm sure super glue works just fine, it dries in 10 minutes and is ready by 24 hours, surely. Sometimes when we want things "now", we don't consider the long term repercussions of our needs and decisions entirely.

I am a bit hippie-ish in general, we can all thank my roommate for that, and the fact that generic super glue wasn't intended specifically for underwater aquarium use, I would always pull for something I know can sit in my water with no risks associated with it. I would get the aquarium adhesive, hands down, 100%.

Sorry for the lecture. I do wish you the best and I'm sure which ever route you've decided to take will work out for you, in one way or another. Take care.

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Watermelons

· #6 · Sep 5, 2015

Actually cyanoacrylate is really quite safe.
It is also used as a tissue adhesive for humans and animals both in a profession setting and an at home setting.
The gel form is totally safe to use directly under water. So its more then safe to use on an item out of water then placed in water once dry. With the non gel type you should really wait for it to dry, otherwise it is totally fine to use in that I NEED IT NOW situation.
Check out the "uses" section for it on wikipedia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate

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Lavadero

· #7 · Sep 5, 2015

True that cyanocrylate is safe. If did the further reading, you would see the natural form is sensitive to moisture and heat, so to compensate for that they add something else. That something else is what bothers me: phthalic anhydride.

"The most probable human exposure to phthalic anhydride is through skin contact or inhalation during manufacture or use. Studies show that exposure to phthalic anhydride can cause rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, and asthma. Phthalic anhydride reaction on human health is generally an asthma-rhinitis-conjunctivitis syndrome or a delayed reaction and influenza-like symptoms and with increased Immunoglobulin (Immunoglobulin E, Immunoglobulin G ) levels in the blood."

What is to say that won't be transferred to the fish? Once again, my vote would be to not risk it. You live and you learn. Nobody knows. We are all really just guessing.

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Watermelons

· #8 · Sep 5, 2015

Which is why you either use the gel so it doesnt disperse underwater. Or wait until the liquid drys ;-)
I wouldnt call it guessing when hundreds of thousands of people use it with no issue..... you can google anything in existance and find dangers.... there are people who think gravel and sand will be dangerous! My goodness what is in the paint!?!?

Super glue is NOT going to kill you or your fish.
Whiskey, you are totally fine using it. And to anyone else reading you are fine as well. Just remember not to huff the tube when you use it okay?

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Lavadero

· #9 · Sep 5, 2015

I do see your point, Watermelons, but there is a point I am trying to make. Hundreds and thousands of people believe in God, but as a Zen Buddhist, I believe in the power of myself. There is obviously a lot more going on than we care to admit. Just because a million people do one thing successfully, it doesn't always mean it provides to be the truth in every situation; all it means is that it is more likely to be successful, not that doing it is always a success.

Same with people and how our atoms are composited and pressed; there is space in between and space is where movement exists. So standing there, or sitting here typing this, we are never anywhere truly. If you ask an expert theorist in the field of science, he will tell you that you yourself do not exist, but rather are more likely to exist than not.

We are going off point here. I already mentioned the choice is within the OP's discretion. At this time, it has turned into somebody failing to recognize there are things in which they may not know to be truth. By truth I mean experience then reflection of it. I won't mention any names.

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Lavadero

· #10 · Sep 5, 2015

Also I wish to clarify for you, Watermelons. I don't understand your first sentence: "Which is why you either use the gel so it doesnt disperse underwater. Or wait until the liquid drys :wink:". Gel or liquid. It doesn't matter, the substance is blended in there. You can't give me a seeded watermelon and wish it doesn't have seeds the next time you cut into it. It already exists as it.

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Watermelons

· #11 · Sep 5, 2015

Oh dear.... I think anyone reading will know exactly what to think here.

And folks, super glue is not watermelon nor is it related to watermelon, so again I wish to clarify that you are all safe to use superglue to glue coral frags or fix snail shells or fix a broken filter.

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Lavadero

· #12 · Sep 5, 2015

I think the main message here is that we are both two people trying to help this person out with their problem. That has been the message and is actually the focus of this site.

Whiskey, please make your own informed decision. Nothing I, nor any one else, could say anything other than something to take with a grain of salt. They are considerations. We are both right. We are both wrong. Yes, it is possible for us to exist as both.

Please notice I am addressing only the members the situation involves in my posts; I am not addressing the invisible audience, thought to be the world.

There was something you wanted to say, Watermelons? Oh, right. Of course.

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