Cloudy Water

[jiffy]

I am trying to clean two tanks I bought the other day because they smell like fish...like the lake or something. I'm not setting them up now, I am just going to store these for a couple months. One tank has crushed coral in it and the other has cichlid sand. The crushed coral water looks like an oatmeal bath, the cichlid sand just looks cloudy from well, the sand.

I have a python, and tried filling and draining the tanks a few times, but it is taking forever and hasn't improved much.

Is there anything I can do besides continue filling and draining these things? Also, if so, is it best to fill 100% then drain, or 50% then drain, or only 25% then drain? Please help, this stuff stinks.

 

[SPLiSH]

If you're not setting them up yet, I wouldn't bother draining them because no matter what substrate you use there will always be debris.

Try buying a cheap sponge filter just to clean them out.

When it comes to properly setting them up, put a plate onto the substrate and pour the water onto the plate so it doesn't stir up the gravel.

Good luck with your tanks!

 

[jiffy]

splish - I know there will always be debris, but these things look particularily dirty and they smell.

I've realized it is the cichlid sand that smells the worst, you can smell the tank standing just a couple feet away. I just filled the tank again, stirred it to mix up any water within the sand, and drained it again, but it hasn't helped much.

I'm not quite sure how to go about taking the sand out of the tank, but I think I may need to just bring the tank outside, tip it on its corner and blast a hose into the tank to clear out the cloudiness problem. It is possible that the guy who owned this before me didn't properly wash the sand and crushed coral.

Advice is still needed.

 

[SPLiSH]

Is it used? I'd be careful then because the smell might be a sign of bad bacteria.

 

[SamUK]

jus get rid of the sand and wash the tanks.


jus scoop all the sand out or do your outside plan and then wash the tanks thoroughly.


id definately do that if its second hand.