All My Fish Died... How To Clean Tank?

[Jen]

All my fish died over the weekend from co2 poisoning or pH shock.

They weren't sick or anything, so what should I do to the tank? Would a simple 100% (or as close as possible) water change be enough, or should I clean it all out and start from scratch?

 

[Rhiannon]

Seen's all my fish keep dieing too (lost an angel last night, just found my bristlenose dead) I was wondering the same thing. If they all seem to die, what do you do?

I think I would do a full clean out, and do a new 2 week cycle of water.

I guess just to get all the nasty's out...if there are any..

 

[jasonskillz]

well, what kind of fish did you have?
i think you should start over, a fresh start even though those fishes will never be just like the old ones, if you really love raising fish, starting over again shouldnt be too hard

 

[Jen]

Its the fish that are in my sig... barbs, neons, rainbows, platties, ottos and bn. plecs.

I will be re-stocking the tank with different kinds of fish - it was something I wanted to do, but couldnt bear to part with my current fish... talk about irony.

 

[Liam]

If its just an overdose of Co2 then you can add new fish as soon as the excess Co2 is gassed off, an airstone would do it in half an hour, sorry to hear about your poor fish. Did you just turn up the Co2 on a pressurised system, if I up the Co2 I do it on a day I am around to watch the fish, sorry you lost them.

 

[puddle_inc]

i would clean it thoroughly and re-cycle it. maby put some quick cure and melafix in it when nothing is in it to help clean any bacteria or anything out of it.

 

[crazie.eddie]

I would figure out how the fish died. You wouldn't want to stock the tank again and have the fish die, becuase of the same problems.

If you want to sterilize the tank, I would leave everything in the tank and add bleach. Let the filter run for several hours. Then drain and fill again and add dechlorinator and let it run for several hours.

 

[Jen]

I know how they died...

All my fish died over the weekend from co2 poisoning or pH shock.

They weren't sick or anything, so what should I do to the tank? Would a simple 100% (or as close as possible) water change be enough, or should I clean it all out and start from scratch?

 

[crazie.eddie]

Are you using pressurized CO2?

 

[TammyLiz]

Jen, you're not planning on doing a complete replant, are you? I wouldn't unless you're dying for an excuse to do it. Destroying your cycle seems pointless, too. If all fish were in good health before the shock and you've been able to find all the bodies to prevent pollution, I'd just do a large water change and begin to restock again with what you want. It shouldn't need a complete redo.

I'm so sorry to hear they all died. Nice to have a fresh start but it's not under the best circumstances.

 

[Jen]

Yes... it's a pressurized system. My needle valve has been acting up, I have a new one on order though.

I have been thinking of doing a re-plant. It has been 2 years with the same laterite, so it probably wouldn't hurt to change it.

My other problem is that I don't know how long my cycle will hold up. I don't know if the fish died today, yesterday or friday, and I don't know if I will be able to get out tomorrow to get more fish.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

running the tank empty for 2-3 weeks should be enough time for all of the nasties to die off (presuming that any were there to start with). if you want to maintain your cycle in the meantime, just add a squirt of ammonia each day until you're ready for fish again. but increase your stock slowly, just in case you had a partial die-off of the beneficial bacteria

 

[kelp]

Two days, the last of my fish died out, and I decided to just strip the whole tank and clean it all. The filter and the hood were filled with calcium deposits and solidified poo. The tank deserved a good cleaning. I just cleaned everything with vinegar and water. I filled up my tank with vinegar and water, and left some of the stuff submerged, and wiped them off with a toothbrush, and rinsed them with water(chlorinated water, I didn't have time to deal with dechlorinated water).

But yeah, I didn't have any live plants or anything I needed to keep. I say if you just want to completely start over, go for it. It's a lot of trouble, though.