# how to clean the tank ! ?



## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

ok so i just got my new tank and its a little dirty ! so i was wondering if i can use glass cleaner with ammonia, basic windex, to clean the inside and out of my tank to get away the old algea. ok thanks!


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I'd use the ammonia only, windex can leave residue. Also I've heard vinigar is great for getting off those tough waterlines


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

hey i tried to take a picture but it doesnt show it that well, i have a lot of loose particles floating around when i added the water. i put my little 2.5gallon filter on there to start moving the water until i can find some XL filters for the filter on this tank, but what else can i do, or do i just wait until i get the big filters ? thanks


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## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

straight bleach, OR straight ammonia _*DO NOT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD COMBINE THEM!!!!!!*_ combined, ammonia and bleach create toxic gasses that will kill you immediately. yes, KILL.

you can also use vinegar and water and some good old fashioned elbow grease. whatever you use, rinse it well and let the tank dry in the sun.


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

haha ok i used a little bit of windex on the outside of the tank, but nothing on the inside except for water and paper towels !
so now i have my tank running and the heater on and the filter is going and i put my extra 5gallon filter in just to help it clean out quicker, and i have a bubbler on the bottom which i will keep, i added the "tap water cleaner" and some "easy balance water treatment" which helps reduce water changes, thats it. my last tank after i did all this i let it sit overnight and added fish slowly, anything else i should do ?


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

i was also going to add one of my plecos and just let him eat around all night and see what happens in the morning ?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Id just use elbow grease... also the "easy balance water treatment" is probably snake oil, as nothing really prolongs the time inbetween water changes. Cycle your tank fishless too... don't waste money on fish that could die from New Tank Syndrome.


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

what do i do with this cycling process? i mean the tank is not new, the water is but it was drained and i given to me. i have had the filters and all on for a while, i was going to put a pleco in there and let him go to work tonite, what do you think about that ?


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## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

cycling a tank is very important. when you put fish in a brand new tank with fresh clean water, they will be fine for about a week, then, because fish eat, and fish poop, the waste will break down into ammonia, so there's a big spike in the levels of ammonia which can kill some fish. then, the ammonia levels start to go down and they become either nitrates or nitrites, can't remember which, and ther'es a big spike of one of those, then finally a big spike of the other one, each of which could kill your fish. so you need to cycle the tank to let the big spikes happen with no fish in the tank so they don't die, then once the ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites have leveled out and stabilized, you can slowly add your fish. 

i've heard of using straight ammonia and adding it to the tank to begin a fishless cycle, but i've never done it before.


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Ammonia, then Nitrites then nitrates.


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

how long until i can add fish ?


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## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

usually it's about 6 weeks. also, if you don't have a moral problem with it, you can get some feeder goldfish or some other small, cheap fish (they have these little 1/2" long bluish fish at my local pet store that are like $3.50 for 3 dozen and they're used to cycle tanks) the moral problem is that most of those fish will probably die, and if they don't, i'm not sure what you'd do with them after. however, you can't just let the tank sit there empty, you have to start the cycle by either adding some, forgive me, "throw away" fish, or doing a fishless cycle, and someone else can explain how to do that because i've never done it before!


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

I'd have to say fishless cycling is better, bu slightly more complicated.

fish produce ammonia through waste and respiration. bacteria tht is everywhere kicks in in the presence of ammonia, this bacteria converts the amonia to nitrites. nitrites are less toxic than amonia. then a different kind of bacteria kicks in in the presence of the nitrites, and breaks those down into nitrates, which are the least toxic and can be taken out with regular water changes, and plants use them too.

either way to cycle your tank you need a source of amonia, either from the grocery store or fish. when fishless cycling you can provide a stable source of amonia, and increase the temperature to 86 degrees. increased temps speed up chemical processes, but you cant do that when you are cycling with fish.

cycling can take quite a while. to speed it up I strongly suggest seeding the tank with bacteria from an established tank. this good bacteria grows exponentiall, the more there is the faster it grows. by seeding your tank with bacteria you can greatly speed up and almost skip the cycling process. the bacteria is on all the surfaces of the tank, but the substrate and filter media would have the most surface area, so grab a plate or bowl of their substrate and take their filter media and stick it in your tank.


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

ok new question.... i got all my water in there and my filter set up, i just started adding my rocks and my water turned really foggy ! my filter isnt clearing it up all the way, what should i do to get rid of this, besides add new water ??


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

your tank isn't finished cycling. when it finishes, it will clear up.


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

I reccommend a product called biozyme for fishless cycling. It's a bacterial agent that starts the chemical processes. It's dirt cheap and I would say after using it you could probably safely add fish within 1 1/2-2 weeks, especially if you keep the temps warm in there. I used it when I started up this tank again, and have 7 very alive fish swimming around.


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

well this doesnt make me happy haha how long will it take


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

when i built up my 10gallon i never had this problem, i think the main problem is that the rocks were dirty and the dirt is in the water, any help there ?


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Hopefully a new filter will clear things up, since you said you're getting one. You might try rubber-banding a piece of cloth with some cotton batting inside it around your filter (if possible) this might catch some more particles of whatever is floating around. Only problem with this is you'll be catching your good bacteria also.

If it's truly debris clouding up the water you're going to have a battle no matter what. A good filter or re-doing everything yet again are the only choices I can think of. I'd give it a few more days though, it could be the bio-load from the cycling process starting.

My blasted tank is as cloudy as can be right now, but I know it's miserable algae trying to take a hold again.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Did you wash the gravel before you put it in?


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

yea i washed the gravel, i not sure my filter is sucking up as much as it can be, the water comming out comes out, but one side has more comming out than the other and they are not flowing out they are just stedily comming out, i dont think there is a speed on the filter, any way to get it to suck faster as well ?


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Well I'm not any expert (obviously...lol), but there are a few possible things to check. Your pump may not be strong enough for the amount of water you're trying to move, the filter media may be getting clogged, or if you're using valves on the air hose, they may need fiddled with to get the air-flow working better. I have an underground filter with a cartridge on each side of the tank, and it took me almost an hour to get them blowing out at the same rate.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

maybe the media or tube is in wrong?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Or the filter is not level...


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

it hooks onto the side of the tank, so i suppose it is level, its pushing out a little more, i also took out my other littler filter that was from my old old tank that was nasty dsirty, so it might clear up


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

shev said:


> your tank isn't finished cycling. when it finishes, it will clear up.



No fish = no cycle.


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Not entirely true, there are bacterial mediums to introduce into the tank without adding fish to cause it to cycle. However if he did not do this, the problem is either with dirt, or algae settling in the environment. 

In addition there are bacteria in the air that will start a slow cycle (albeit incredibly slow, meaning wait 3 or 4 months). But, I would have to say, until the problem is cleared up to an acceptable level...do NOT add fish. Especially if it is from dirt or debris in the water. Even the feeder fish used to cycle the tank would probably die before their useful life was worn out if it's just not clean water.

I might not be good at maintaining a perfect aquarium when life is introduced, however I do know quite a lot about the proper setup. There are alternative methods to introducing fish and cycling them with a new tank (unfortunately from experience).

EDIT: Also, the only reason I've had problems with algae and snails if you've read my other posts, is because I never attempted to add live non-steralized plants before.

I think it would help us all to figure out his situation if we could get a blow-by-blow explanation of how the tank was set up, for how long, and if anything was added to the tank (chemically or biologically). It seems from his description as though the equipment was placed, the water was added, and nothing else has been done thus far. And honestly, I've never seen just cloudy tap water.

I'm sorry if anyone here disagrees with my opinion of cycling, but I had a tank running for weeks prior to adding my betta that the water was crystal clear in the tank, and continued to be for 5 months afterward. I also cleaned EVERYTHING in my tank when I lost my betta (it was sick from day one). I've had fish in this tank for about a month now, and they've never been more vibrant or active since I started attempting to keep fish as a child. In my opinion, it all depends on the setup.


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

*sigh*

That post is far too riddled with flaws for me to respond beyond you being dead wrong about "airborn" bacteria.

False.


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