Getting back into fish keeping!

[Pibbles]

Hi, friends! After a nearly four-year hiatus from fish-keeping, I am ready to dive back into the aquarium world. I was on this forum a long time ago but I can’t remember the email or username I used to use, so here we are with a new one.

A friend of mine just gave me a tank that has been sitting half-full of water for three years. Her ex left it at her house and she never got around to removing it. It needs A LOT of TLC (thinking about keeping a journal of updates on the tank) but it’s a great size! I’m not sure exactly how many gallons but it’s 48 inches wide, 25 inches tall, and 13 inches deep. My best guess is around 60 or so gallons. It looks a little bigger than my old 55 gallons.

She gave me the stand that came with it, as well as a gravel vacuum/water changer, some Prime, something called StartSmart Complete (says it instantly cycles aquariums but I’m skeptical, will order some ammonia and see what happens), Accu Clear, and a bottle of Stress Coat. The heater was trashed, and I don’t know if the filter is salvageable. I’ll need suggestions on a filter for a tank this size as well. I’m rusty.

As far as fish go, I would love to get some Cory cats or some bristlenoses, possibly some penguin tetras, but I’m not sure. Will probably do a planted tank. Definitely will do a fishless cycle.

As far as actually cleaning the tank goes, vinegar and water will work best, right? It has a lot of algae and some white crusty stuff along the brace and the lid and lights. There is also a very interesting brown smudge on one side of the glass. I’m hoping it’s just some yucky algae and not anything that could compromise the tank.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome back to the forum

The white crusty stuff on the tank is probably calcium and minerals that where left after the water evaporated. The brown stuff could be anything but probably dry algae. Glass doesn't turn brown and become weak or anything like that so it should be fine when washed off.

You can use vinegar to clean the tank or just hose it out. If you're really concerned you can use bleach or swimming pool chlorine but don't leave this in contact with the silicon for too long because it damages the silicon holding the glass together.

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To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

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Filters are normally fine and most just need a good clean. Check any O-rings for cracks or splits and replace them if necessary. Smear a thin layer of Vaseline on O-rings before reassembling the filter.

 

[Pibbles]

Hi and welcome back to the forum

The white crusty stuff on the tank is probably calcium and minerals that where left after the water evaporated. The brown stuff could be anything but probably dry algae. Glass doesn't turn brown and become weak or anything like that so it should be fine when washed off.

You can use vinegar to clean the tank or just hose it out. If you're really concerned you can use bleach or swimming pool chlorine but don't leave this in contact with the silicon for too long because it damages the silicon holding the glass together.

---------------------------
To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

---------------------------
Filters are normally fine and most just need a good clean. Check any O-rings for cracks or splits and replace them if necessary. Smear a thin layer of Vaseline on O-rings before reassembling the filter.

Thanks for the warm welcome, Colin! I haven’t got any substrate in the tank yet, so actual volume amounts shall come later.

My only concern about the filter (an Aqueon 75, I believe) is that my friend said it made this terrible grinding noise. I’ve disassembled it and I have it soaking in water and vinegar. I would have never thought of Vaseline. The filter has been dry for years, so it would not be unlikely that things need a little lubrication.

It’s been a few years since I’ve done this. Is play sand still a suitable substrate? What about pea gravel? I know I want some kind of little catfish types and I don’t remember what they prefer for substrate.

 

[Pibbles]

This is the brown stuff. Now that the tank is dry, it does look more like algae. When the water was still in it, it almost looked like a decaying creature or something.

 

[Colin_T]

Play sand is fine for catfish. Try to avoid sharp or rough gravels when keeping bottom dwelling fishes because it can damage their feelers. But sand is fine.

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The stuff in the pic looks like brown algae that dried. It should scrape off easily after it has been soaked for a few minutes.

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Most external power filters that make a lot of noise either have air around the impellor (cylindrical magnet with plastic blades), or have a worn impellor shaft (the steel rod that goes through the middle of the impellor). There is usually a washer and rubber grommet on each end of the impellor shaft that hold the impellor in place. If these are missing the pump will make more noise.

You can buy replacement parts from most pet shops or online. Pet shops might have to order the parts in if they don't carry that specific brand.

 

[Pibbles]

Just played around with the filter. I opened the impeller housing, cleaned out some gunk, and gave it a test run in my bathtub. There are two caps on the shaft that are quite loose which may be contributing to the problem, but the noise stopped after water entered the impellor housing. I’m hoping that keeping the water levels high will solve the problem, but I will take your suggestion and look for replacement parts.

I was thinking it was sand, but I couldn’t be sure. Thanks again for your clarification!

 

[Essjay]

Throw away all the bottles. The contents will have gone off after being opened for 3+ years. They are probably past their use by date as well so even if they've never been opened, I wouldn't use them.

 

[Pibbles]

Throw away all the bottles. The contents will have gone off after being opened for 3+ years. They are probably past their use by date as well so even if they've never been opened, I wouldn't use them.

Very good point, Essjay. The only one for sure I would have used was the Prime. I didn’t even think about expiration dates.