Fish Holding

[Formerlee]

Hi all

I'm in the process of breaking down my 55 gallon tank and eventually setting it back up but not within the next two months. I dont have another tank to store the fish in (rainbow shark and platys).

Would it be feasible to temporarily home the fish for up to 90 days in something like an igloo cooler?

I see people using plastic totes but I figured a cooler would be much stronger and the plastic should be safe...

Of course I would use a hang on back filter and gravel/wood from the established tank.

[Brian]

Should be.   As long as nothing toxic has ever been in the cooler.   

[gardenman]

A cooler should be fine as would be a Sterilite or Rubbermaid tote. Just remember coolers tend to have drain plugs to drain melted ice, so you'll want to be sure that plug is well and truly sealed. It's a nuisance if the plug comes loose and spills cold ice water at a picnic/event, but it's a disaster if it comes loose in your house while full of fish. Which may very well explain why so many fish keepers use plastic totes with no drain plugs instead of coolers with drain plugs. Water has an annoying habit of escaping if you give it the chance and a drain plug is a chance for water to escape.