FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hi Everyone,

I picked up a neglected tank from a friened of mine.
It has a fair amount of algea on the glass and some crusty bits on the top glass panels.

There was also some plastic ornaments some nice looking rocks and pieces of wood, but left sitting in, what i could only call festering water, for a few month.

What is he best way to clean the glass, and is it possible to clean the wood, rocks etc...to be used in a new looked after tank. Or am I kidding myself and better off to buy new driftwood and rocks

Would appreciate anyones thoughts or suggestions

To start off with can be cleaned with a bit of hard work but on the other hand, how old is the tank and is it really worth the effort.
If every thing was sitting in what you call "festering water" it could be full of any amount of problems.
Personally I would dump it all except any exterior fittings lights, pump and the heater. The rest I would dump it in a bag way. In the long term you could start out with a new tank and have trouble free years that is providing you look after the tank corectly.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Ahhh, give it a crack I'm all for free tanks!

I'd leave the driftwood in the sun for a month or so at least and seriously consider turfing it, but the rest should scrub up ok.

How big is the tank? The larger it is, the bigger the risk, and the same goes for fancy shapes with many panels.

Why was it left? Why did the inhabitants die?

First step is to grab some cheap scrub sponges (Aldi ones are safe) and remove as much grot as you can with elbow grease.

From there, hit it with a bleach solution to kill nasties and get to the algae in the glass scratches. Bleach the rocks separately in another bucket, you can toss the plastic ornaments in there too. 20 mins should be enough, then rinse really well and dry in the sun.

If you want to save the gravel AND it is natural gravel, boil it on the stove and bake it in the oven on slow for an hour, and then leave to dry.

For the crusty bits, if they are still there after the scrubbing, use vinegar on a paper towel and just lay it over the top to soften it.

Hope that helps!



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

I had purchased a 55g used tank from someone who hadn't really maintained it well at all. I got rid of any decorations and gravel, I soaked it full of warm vinegar water for awhile, then rinsed and scrubbed well...

I ended up purchasing new hoods/ballasts/lights and of course, totally new filtration as the old stuff was shot...

The thing has been set up in my bedroom for more than 6 months now with no issues...

So, if you're not afraid of some good old fashioned elbow grease and some smart cleaning and replacement of stuff that's too far gone, you shold be fine!

Good luck!

Thanks for the replys.

To answer your Callatya's questions.
I think its about 200 litres by the looks of it, my mate started a new job requiring a fair bit of travel, I should of taken off his hands a while back when he originally asked.

It had a number of clown loaches in there, not sure how many, the last ones died when someone apparently turned off the heater.

I already planned on getting new gravel and filtration, the rocks and driftwood are great shapes, which I why I was hoping to keep them, but if it poses a risk I can buy some new driftwood.

Thanks everyone.

with some elbow grease and time all of the nasties and risks should disappear. follow callatya's directions and it should be smooth sailing from there.

-Brandon

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"