Daddy gave me his 70 gal. it was sick. what to do?

[groan]

my dad just got out of the fish keeping world and has given me everything.
this includes a 70 gal tank ans 2 304 fluvals.
he had a problem with the tank where everything died all of a sudden. he gave me no clue what it was except for clouded eyes. anyways the fish are gone, the tank is in my basement and it is full of wter with the filters running.

what I want to know is what I should do with the filtres...should I pour a jug of vinigar in the tank (or 2) and let it run for a while? I got rid of all the media and gave the tank a vinigar bath before anything.

any help would be helpful.

[squeeker]

If you threw out all of the media, did a good gravel clean, and disinfected any plants (potassium permangenate or bleach dip) you should be fine.  For added protection, clean any decorations (fake plants, rocks, ornaments) in a vinegar solution and you should be fine.

[KLKelly]

Sorry to steel your thread - you mention potassium permangenate - I've looked for this and can't find a source except for a friend in the US that sent up a batch.  Where do you get it here?

That would be what I'd use to disinfect a tank and filter!  I use it on my plants and my qt tanks.

Karrie

[BigDaddy]

The other option is to let everything dry out completely.  Instead of a vinegar solution, a mild bleach solution can be used as well.

[groan]

ok, so just add a bit of bleach directly to the tank water and let it run the course for a bit?

everything was tossed out, including the gravel so i dont have anything to clean except the filter and tank.

how much bleach would you add to the tank water?


just to clarify what i have done already,
the tank was cleaned out along with the filters and allowed to dry (the tank was, not the filters)
everything was then transported to my home the following day and sat here for a couple of days without any water.
everything was then washed in straight vinegar or a strong water/vinegar solution and then rinsed thouroughly.
the tank was then filled and the filters attached (empty of media) and are now running. I just eant to make sure the insides of the filters are clear of whatever they had in them.

maybe i read above wrong and i shoulod do a cleaning of the filter insides with bleach.
I guess it's not recommended to add bleach direct to the tank and allow it to cycle through for a day or 2?

anyways, i just want to make sure i get this right. i dont want a repeat of what my dad had.
Thanks!

[squeeker]

no, I would never add bleach or anything else directly to the tank... it would be a real pain in the rear to get it all out.  If the tank was allowed to dry, and you washed everything with vinegar already, you should be good to go.

KLKelly, I picked up Potassium Permangenate at a past auction from a member here, Oenology.  I don't know where to get it, otherwise.

[bitterman]

Vinager or Bleach solution is the best for cleaning.

The bleach will kill more quickly.

Empty your tank and filters, Then mix up a small amount of water and bleach to wash everything.

I use 1 cup per 5 gallons of water with everything empty and then scrub very well and clean everything. Then rinse with clean water, until you can't smell bleach any more. Also use dechlorinator to neutralize any bleach you did no rinse away with the clean water.

I would also do a fishless cycle on the tank before adding any fish after the cleaning. Takes about 4-5 weeks, then you can fully stock the tank all at once.

Bruce

[groan]

great, thanks.
I've washed everythign already so I'll just do a scrub of whatever i have left with vinegar and start the cycle.
I will be syphoning water from my 30 gal to help start the cycle.

cheers and happy new year

[squeeker]

Adding water from an existing tank won't do much to start a cycle.  The beneficial bacteria responsible for cycling an aquarium is found on surfaces, not floating in the water.  You'd be better off taking some media from your filter, a handful of gravel, or a few ornaments from your existing tank, and adding a few hardy fish.

[groan]

thanks squeeker,
i'll grab a rock from my other tank instead and i would prefer to do a fishless cycle but we'll see. I have som eof big al's cycling solution and will follow that for now. I'm inno hurry to get fish in just yet.

Wow, is sand ever hard to get clear...filling the tank after rincing it all out and the water is UBER cloudy.

[squeeker]

thanks squeeker,
i'll grab a rock from my other tank instead and i would prefer to do a fishless cycle but we'll see.

No, you see, if you seed your tank with bacteria from an established tank, you can skip or minimize the cycle altogether.... which saves a LOT of time.

By adding ornaments/gravel/filter media, you provide the bacteria necessary to convert ammonia to nitrates.  However, this ONLY works if there is a source of ammonia to begin with.  So, if you add filter media/gravel/ornaments, you have to add fish right away or the bacteria will die off as it has no food source (the ammonia).

The trick is to add enough bacteria to support the number of fish you add to the new tank in order to avoid an ammonia spike.  For example, if you only move over one rock, it has very little surface area, and thus could only support a few small fish (ie 5 white clouds, etc).  However, if you move a whole filter sponge from a well-established tank, you could support many times that.

Just be sure that the water parameters are similar in both tanks and you should be fine.

Hope that was clear!!

[groan]

super clear. thanks!
i'll work on that as soon as I sort out the issue I am having with my filters...they both leak. I may post another thread on the subject as it seams the design of the 30r allows this for small overflows but it never stops!
more on that later

thanks again ans ll be sure to move over a chunk of filter floss once I get this thing going.

[groan]

i think i figured out the filter issue.
the unit on top of the fluval 304 was not sealed properly and was allowing air in. this gave the only way out a air chanel and caused the drips to appear.

all is working well now and once the water clears i'll think of putting some fish in.

[groan]

if I move in a handful of gravel and a couple of very pourous lava rocks in the morning and in the evening add the fish (3 yellow labs and 4 afras, all juviniles 1 to 2 inches) with the remainder of the rocks (lots of lava) would that work for a successful transfer?

[squeeker]

I'd also squeeze a dirty filter sponge into your new filter... but other than that, you should be good to go.  Just feed sparingly for a week or so, and monitor those params, but it shouldn't be a problem.

[groan]

Thanks!
The fish are in and they seem to be happily exploring and claiming thier spots.
They have soo much more room now!
Just a few minutes ago they all came out of thier homes, and for about 20 seconds all schooled together (the labs and the afras) and swam over the pagoda rock. it's liek they all wanted to see what was on top but didnt want to go alone.
it was so cute!

[cory]

i would do new media and give the tank a good washing. Gravel : Get new stuff. Take the time with this one and make sure everything is fine before introducing fish. Get your self a tester set. Comes in handy.

[groan]

Hi Cory,
Thanks. This new tank has now been up for about 3 weeks or so...and even has a nice happy community in it. (see my sig)
Cheers!

[cory]

Glad to hear! best of luck!