Cleaning Out A Really Neglected Smelly 4 Foot Tank

[Neo8223]

Hey all. My cousin gave me a 4 footer which he was going to throw out. He left the sand in there and also some bogwood. He left this tank outside to test if it leaked (as it was a re-seal) and it passed with flying colours. There was stagnant water in the tank for 3 months and the tank is now caked in algae and bloodworm lol! When i emptied the tank it smelt awfull! and when i put it in my car, i had to open next months air freshner on top of this ones to keep the car smelling nice! (oh and the tank gave off a smell of dope too lol!)

My question is, how would people clean the tank which has so much dirt in it? My ideas are:

Glass scraper and lots of scrubbing with a soap sponge to remove most of the dirt. Then use bleech. (i use bleech all the time in the aquarium, so i know what i'm doing) Finally rinse it with copius amounts of water and then a bath of de-chlorinator and then finally leave it to dry in the sun (removing all the miniscule remains of the bleech)

How have other people cleaned out seriously neglected tanks.

Should i throw the bogwood. There isnt exactly loads of it anyway, but seeing its contributing to the depletion of our peat bogs, i dont want it to go in vein and be eco-unfriendly. Or should i just boil it for a good 3 hours and then let the brisslenoses suck out all the dead algae after?

Cheers

Paul.

 

[WILDER]

Scrub the tank with bleach rinse well, let dry out for aday.
Sterlise everything, I would boil the bogwood again if you want to keep it.
Take the filter apart sterlise them in salty water or bleach but you will have to rinse well, leave to dry out for aday.
I just put a filter in a bucket and run it for a while in a bleach solution, then keeping running it in clean water, let dry out for aday.
Plastic plants the same, if there real I would throw them away.

 

[Neo8223]

Cool. cheers for the speedy reply! I donated the plastic plants to my dad, there are no live plants, but i have ideas of my own about that lol. There was no filter with it, well a fluval 305 but my cousin didnt want to depart with it. I'll boil the bogwood on monday when my mums out lol.

 

[WILDER]

I would tell your dad to sterlise the plastic plants just to be on the safe side.
Good luck.

 

[Neo8223]

I would tell your dad to sterlise the plastic plants just to be on the safe side.
Good luck.

Cheers. lol Think i will end up doing that. I do all his partial water changes anyway lol. He just feeds them!