Danger, Will Robinson.......

When you are busy it always happens, something comes forward and demands your attention. Sunday evening I was trying to wind down from a very busy day and just have a restful evening. I went in to feed my fish and found that the 55 gallon fish tank was leaking. Now in an old house like mine I wouldn't get too concerned, but....the tank sits on an antique credenza-like piece of furniture. I cut down, removed the legs off of this buffet to make it a low long piece of furniture. It didn't ruin it's design, but ruined its value of course, I was very young then. Anyway, the tank is leaking so slowly onto the hardwood piece of furniture and would eventually hit the oak floors below. It already did enough damage from seepage that apparently it had been going on for a few days, that I will have to sand and refinish the entire top. It is hard wood so it gives me an out. If it had been softer wood I would be in trouble.
To immediately solve the problem, I went to the basement and brought up a twenty gallon tank and set it up immediately. I used about ten buckets of water from the original tank, dipping and carrying, then carried water from the kitchen sink to finish filling it. I didn't want to shock the fish with all new water and have them go belly up on me. I netted the large cichlad and four other smaller fish plus an algae eater and successfully transferred them to their new home. I had already taken out the two koi and four goldfish last week and put them outside.
I put a garden pump from a water feature into the leaky beast, and pumped through a garden hose out the dining room window the rest of the water. Right now I have just raised the tank up and put it on blocks so I can continually run a fan blowing air on the wood. I don't think I can even start to refinish it until it is totally dried out. I may have to take it out into the hot sun in another week and let it cook. I really think that I caught it soon enough to keep it from having any warp damage. So at nine at night I finished my rescue, salvage mission. I wasn't expecting so much excitement. The fish like their now home sitting next to the cockatiels but the birds aren't too happy about it. When I have refinished the buffet I will show it to you. It is a beautiful piece and am glad I will be able to save it. Thanks for reading....