Disaster Recovery Planning

Yes, I tend to think of the filter as the fish's life support machine, so I do have spares of filter and heater, as well as the quarantine tank which would serve as a temporary home in case anything untoward happened to the main tank. It's also wise to keep some medicines to hand, in case quick treatment is required, such as one for bacterial infections and one for whitespot.

Thanks for the info, just ordered a spare pump and will look for a heater over the next few days. In terms of medicine, are there are preferred suppliers you use or is everyone just as good?  Are there are gotchas when buying, storing?  Also is it possible to use one of these mini quarantine tanks that sit in the upper corner or your aquarium? or does that cause the medicine to mix with the main tank anyway?

  never thought of that. I have a couple of 30 litre plastic containers I use for water changes which I could rig up in an emergency.  Might need a quick photo or sketch to understand the water bottle filter though.

I too have spare everything, collected over 20 years.

With heaters, always buy a reputable brand rather than an cheap unbranded heater from the far east. They are less likely to fail. And while it won't harm the fish too much if it stops heating, they can also fail by sticking in the on position, which will kill the fish if the water gets much above 30 deg C.
Get in the habit of touching the tank gently as you walk past. That is enough to tell you if the tank feels too hot or too cold, then you can check the thermometer. Though don't forget the tank will feel cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and still be the same temp.

Keep a spare filter impeller in the cupboard as they do wear out. And if the impeller shaft is ceramic, always have a spare in the cupboard as they are very easy to break when cleaning the impeller well. If you do break one and use the spare, order another one the same day! I have Eheim aquaball and biopower filters which use ceramic impeller shafts, and I know just how easy they are to break.
Some brands use metal shafts, which are shiny (obviously!) while ceramic are white.


Medication. They all have a use by date, and only last for 12 months after being opened regardless of the use by. The same applies to test kits.
I prefer the brands eSHa and Waterlife. On your trips to the shops, look to see which brands they stock so you'll know where to go if you need some medication in the future.

Thanks @Sue , good advice, more things for my shopping list.

Like that @Matt , nice and cheap solution   ta