Cleaning Tanks

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Taz2478

Taz2478

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Oct 10, 2005
3,271
25
68
not where I'm supposed to be
The storm (Katrina) cut off power so the tanks basically over heated and I lost most of my fish. What do I use to clean the glass of the guck left from dead fish and bad water also what to use to clean the wood pieces and gravel?

the tanks have been dry for 3 weeks now. Finally got all the trees and debris out the yard so I have a place to clean everything.
 
Howdy,

fill the tanks up with water to soak the dirt and soften it up. Then drain them and use vinegar and a sponge. Maybe even the rough sponges for cleaning dishes - except on acrylic or silicone. Vinegar disinfects and cleans. Wear gloves, though. Do not use soap or anything!

Fill the gravel in a bucket (1/3 full) and hold a garden hose into it full throttle, let it swirl around and rub itself clean.

Take your wood to the next carwash and use the power wash without soap (!!!). That'll blast averything off.

Don't freak out about the fact that fish died in there. You do not necessarily have to sterilize it 200%. Just wash it all off, scrub it well and fill it back up. Also make sure to clean your filter. The beneficial bacteria that once were in there are gone, you'll have to spike it again and start to cycle your tank.

Good luck, and I am glad to read that you made it thru Katrina safely and that you are re-building your hobby!

Way to go!

HarleyK
 
I agree except for the sponge part. A lot of sponges that you buy at the corner grocery, especially the scrubby kind, are treated with chemicals to keep them from molding. These chemicals are bad for your fish.

Here's something I would add: If it's durable, take it to the local "do it yourself" carwash and powerspray it (no soap). This method will take off years of build-up and saves you the cost of a powersprayer if you don't already have one. I DON'T recommend this for glass tanks, but it works great for sturdy plastic, rocks, etc. Another great use for this is contaminated gravel. Put the gravel in a large laundry basket (the kind with with a lot of large holes), lined with some old towels. You can spray the heck out of the gravel, draining all of the yucky stuff out onto the towels. If you want to be really thorough, bring a second laundry basket/towel set and dump the gravel into this clean setup for a second rinse.

I'd also suggest that once you get everything set up again, before you add any livestock, run a diatom filter for a couple of days to get rid of any trace of nastiness that might be left.
 
here's a seriously rough shot of the 150 and yeah its glass so I'll find a way to scrub it down cause I was thinking of the pressure washer.

PHTO0056.jpg
 
Salt and vinegar method
Add vinegar to salt to make a paste then scrub if you still have areas that are ''crusty make another batch heating the vinegar and salt paste and scrub
the salt acts as an abrasive but will not scratch the glass rinse well after-Anne
 
I've always used bleach..... I figure it's chlorine so if I don't get it 100% out I just use a heavy dose of prime...... Am I wrong?
 
spryandspringy said:
I agree except for the sponge part. A lot of sponges that you buy at the corner grocery, especially the scrubby kind, are treated with chemicals to keep them from molding. These chemicals are bad for your fish.
Click to expand...

Howdy,

1) if they add something to the sponge, it has to be indicated on the package. Stay away from anything added to a sponge, you don't need anything but a sponge.
2) Anti-fungal agents have a very high selective toxicity, i.e. harm nothing but fungi (watch out if you're a fun guy :D ). Furthermore, they are used on food items, regulated by the FDA with several orders of magnitude safety factors. I would not at all be worried about that.

HarleyK
 
repair said:
I've always used bleach..... I figure it's chlorine so if I don't get it 100% out I just use a heavy dose of prime...... Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

Howdy,

Bleach is sodium hypochlorite, but is forms an equilibrium with chlorine gas. That should be taken care of by a water conditioner, that's right.I don't see the need for bleech, though. There was no disease or anything in the tanks. Furthermore, you cannot bleach the entire setup including filter and deco material. I mean you could, but you'd need a bathtub and a lot of bleach. I honestly consider it unnecessary. Just scrub the stuff down, remove the gunk, set it up like a new tank and let nature take over. There are dead fish in the wild as well, and noone comes along to disinfect the river or lake...

HarleyK
 
Bleach is the way to go. It will clean up everything spotless for you. I would not soak the drift wood in bleach but everything else will be fine. Rince real well and use a hefty dose of dechlor when you fill it back up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom