Corporate Fish Tank In A Sad State

[cappilio]

Hi Guys
 
I need a little help and advice, So at my office we have a Tropical Fish Tank. It was generally looked after by one member of staff who passed away a year ago. Since then its kind of fell into disrepute. 
People do the bit of feeding the fish etc but the state of the tank is so bad and i want to make it a better place for the fish. Im not sure that the fish are in any serious problems. 
 
I Believe we started out with 4 Mollys, 4 Neon Tetra and a Plec
 
We now have around 20/30 Mollys and 2 Tetra Left.
So the mollys are breeding so it cant all be bad. But as you can see from the pictures its a sorry state to look at.
 
Iv decided i need to take the responsibility on myself so with Christmas coming up i have decided to dedicate a day to sorting it all out.
 
What i really need to know before i begin is;
 
Is my filtration system sufficient, the water seems to be getting mercy and i continuously have problems with snails. I know this generally hinges on the size of the tank but i honestly couldn't tell you the amount, Im Hoping someone can guesstimate the size form the pictures attached to this post.and perhaps recommend a spec of filter and heater etc.I want to make sure i get the right equipment from the get go.
 
Now being in an office the tank needs to be as "little" maintenance as possible, i know that like all animals fish require care but realistically its going to need to go weeks at a time without any human intervention apart from adding food.
 
Also i would like it to look nice, but im having trouble finding deocroation that suits this style of tank that doesn't look ridiculously small, anyway any help on suggesting the sort of filter/heater air pumps etc i need and perhaps some decoration idea to make it look pretty.
 
Also i like the idea that the molly's have started breeding it means we only ever actually stocked the tank once. i would like some more variety however so can anyone suggest a fish as resilient as the molly i can put in. All my molly's are orange some with black patches. i have seen some different colored variety's can i add these?
 
anyway i hope you guys can help me or id hate to see the state of this tank in 6 months time.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Regards
Cap
 
 

 

[AmtotheBurr]

Ooooof. I see what you're saying with the murky colored water. A good scrub of the tank walls may help some. Since this tank is vertical, I'd suggest getting another species that occupy a different level of the tank than the Mollies. It looks like they tend to stay toward the bottom from the photo?
Do you know if the water is hard or soft?

 

[cappilio]

The Molly's actually use to occupy the Top more they have only recently moved to the bottom and i have no idea why. yeah im going to give it a good scrub, due to the awkward shape and size of the tank its going to be a pain. im not sure if im best to just do a partial empty of the water, leaving the fish in the bottom and cleaning what i can.
 
or
 
taking the fish out and do an entire clean which is tricky because i have no idea how im going to get them out.

 

[nic1]

Hiya,
 
The school where my son goes to has a tank exactly like that.
 
Firstly, do you have a water testing kit? You need to measure your nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels.
The nitrite should be at 0, Ammonia at 0 and nitrate <20. If you test the water and the levels are not up to scratch, (which, I think they may not be as the tank hasnt been cleaned for a year) then you need to do water changes to get them to a safe mark as suggested above.
 
It is suggested that these tanks are cleaned once a month, 25-30% of the water should be siphoned out from the bottom of the tank picking up all the dirt, moving around the substrate so you can get any dirt that's trapped there, clean de-chlorinated  water should be added back in.
As the tank hasn't had a clean for a year I would change 25% once every week till the water parameters are back in good normal range, the mollys seem to be in good health so its of no urgency to increase the amount of water changes at this point.
 
As for decorations you can get a large green plastic plant from Ebay that's designed for these types of tanks, or you can get Gigantea Vallisneria which is a long floaty plant that just keeps on growing and growing reaching heights of 2 meters and more. If you go for the fresh plants its better for the water quality as it uses up nitrates which are harmful to the fish if they are too high.
 
Tank volume can be worked out by using an online calculator, just measure the height and width of the tank of a hexagon tank and it will give you the volume:
http/www.fishlore.com/ConversionCalculator.htm
That tank looks to be around 250 liters.
 
You do not need to take the fish out to clean the tank, If you clean too much of the tank at once then the fish can get stressed as they are used to living in them conditions, start by doing a 25-30% water change, I have no idea where the filter is in this tank, but when you clean it, use the old aquarium water that you removed and rinse out the filter sponges/floss or what ever media is in there in the old water and put it back in to the filter. Only clean the filter once every 4-5 months, I do this but others may tell you differently.
The reason for this is because all the good bacteria live in your filter on the sponges and media, if you wash it in tap water then you can kill all the good bacteria, what you're trying to do here is just get rid of the gunk so it doesn't clog up the mechanism.
 
Don't add in any fish as of yet, you need to find out what water you have first, you should find out if your water is hard or soft, your ph, etc then you can cater for the fish and keep him in his ideal water so he doesn't get easily sick and stressed, this in the long run will be the best option, we also need to find out the actual dimensions of the tank, so let us know and we should be able to find a fish that's suitable for the space it has.
 
Lastly, GOOD ON YOU!! for taking on the tank

 

[cappilio]

No,No water testing kit i will have to get one, I thought i only had to worry about chemical levels with a marine tank. I will get one, can you recommend any as cheaply as possible?
Also i will take your advice and do a staggered water change. i think the Pump we have in the tank already is of sufficient size like 500 gallon one at a guess its rather large with 3 sponges to filter the water.
I have one air pump and air stone in the tank. not sure if its powerful enough however. if i drop the stone to the bottom of the tank the bubbles stop. assuring its higher pressure at the bottom.
 
Should my fish be ok for oxygen? 
i will look for some decoration i will prefer artificial, i remember previously it had a huge log but it sent the water so brown i could hardly see the fish.
 
i purchased some green plant previously from eBay (artificial) but it barely reached half way up the tank. so il look for some larger ones.
 
Also currently the tank has 0 Gravel? is this a must i assume it helps filter the water?
 
Regards 
Cap

 

[nic1]

http/www.apifishcare.com/product.php?id=580#.Vm8E4ktOgiE
This is what I use, its about £25, but you can get it cheaper on ebay, as long as you get one that measures the nitrate nitrite and ammonia, you can also use the test strips which are cheaper but not as accurate:
http/www.apifishcare.com/product.php?id=594#.Vm8Fo0tOgiE
These are around £6, or cheaper on ebay.
 
You won't be adding any chemicals to the water, just taking 5ml out of the tank into a test tube and adding the chemical there to test your parameters…. its a bit confusing at first but you'll get used to it and it will become second nature.
 
The pump/filter will still need a clean every now and again to ensure it works to its potential, as for the air pump, its not really needed if the water is good, I don't use one and my fish are fine.
 
The log was leeching tannins which could also soften the water it is perfectly safe and the water should return to normal colour after a few water changes, some fish actually prefer the darker water and some fish keepers work hard at getting that colour water, but this isn't a great thing when you have hard water fish (which mollys are, and the tetras are soft water…. where a bouts in the uk are you? I will be able to check if you are in a hard water or soft water area) so I wouldn't add that back in until we find out. 
 
Heres a link to a 6ft artificial plant, its £20.
http/www.completeaquatics.co.uk/aquarium-accessories/aquarium-decoration/artificial-plants-for-aquariums/9ft-artificial-garland-plant
 
You don't have to have gravel, some people don't use it because its easier to keep the aquarium clean, if you're planning on having no real plants then its not essential, If you get some bottom dwelling fish then you may have to cater for them, but the fish you have now don't need a substrate. 
 
Nic
When you test the water, post the results on here, you can even take pictures of the end result and we can interpret it for you and help you with what you need to do next. 

 

[cappilio]

Cheers 
 
Its greatly appreciated, il be buying the water tester and plant today.
We are in Derby, UK. Midlands: from a quick google it says Derbyshire Slightly to moderately hard.
 
Iv also looking at this for a new filter; http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Internal-UV-Filter-500-750-1000-Fish-Tank-Pump-Ultra-Violet-Green-Water-/361207458772?var=&hash=item5419a46bd4:m:mar2YlTIYuDpfNnMCWiNg7g
it says it does 250/300 LPH.
 
Also as its a tropical tank i understand the water is obviously warmer. Whats the ideal temperature the tanks should be?
 
Another quick question, as the filter is internal it generally sits at the top of the tank? is this ok? the intake is at the bottom of the unit and the output at the top. but as the unit its self is at the top of the tank does that mean the water towards the bottom of the tank isn't being filtered?
 
Hopefully i can get it all the bits delivered by Christmas and il keep you updated with the results of the water tests etc. Thanks for the direction. Hopefully we can have a lovely clean tank for the new year,
 
Regards
Cap

 

[nic1]

That's why your Mollys have thrived, they love hard water, once we get the measurements of the tank then we can figure out what else you can have in there. 
 
I don't think that you need an extra filter, if its for the purpose of making the water clearer then water changes should do the trick. Just make sure the clean water you add back in is de-chlorinated, you do this by buying a bottle and adding a few drops to the clean water before you put it back in.
Heres a link to why you should do this: http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4400
Here are some links for some good products:
http/www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/merch-groups/merch-groups/mg-166/aqua-safe-aquarium-water-conditioner-250ml
http/www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/fish/fish-tank-equipment---maintenance/fish-tank-water-conditioners/tap-water-conditioner-120ml
I usually pop down the local Tescos or Wilkos (own brand) and buy one for £4, any will do but its important to use one.
 
Ideal temp should be between 24-27 degrees, I actually keep mine hovering around 23-24....24 degrees should be good.
 
The filter seems ok to me, all of the fish waste is generally at the bottom of the tank, which is where the nitrates are building up so its good that the water is being sucked up from there, and the water thats being pushed back in from the top of the tank usually rotates throughout the tank so its adequate enough.
 
If you was to add another filter keep the old one running as you would have to cycle it, which means you need to grow all the good bacteria again, and if its not done properly then the fish can become sick and die from nitrite and ammonia poisoning.... but like I said I dont think you need another filter, just give the current one a quick dip and rinse off the gunk in old tank water.
Once you have all of the lotions and potions the it usually lasts a while, fish keeping is only expensive in the beginning.

 

[Flubberlump]

Hi. As said by nic1, good on you for taking on the tank. I had a situation with a tank at work which was dumped on us in a sorry state a couple of years ago. I was the only one who knew what to do with it so it became my job - not that I minded, it's nice havin g my hobby at work too!

How are you getting on? Have you got the bits and pieces recommended? One thing I would comment on is the water parameters. I wouldn't have thought that the dirty water would mean that the ammonia and nitrite would be high The bacterial colony should have grown in order to process the amount of waste created by the current stock, so the ammonia and nitrite should be at zero. Although I expect that nitrate will be high due to the lack of water changes. We'll soon find out once you've tested!

Have you managed to find out what the filter is?

Do you have the tank dimensions yet? That will really help with stocking once the tank itself is sorted. The other thing to consider is that you should ideally stock around what you already have in the tank. If all of the fish have similar requirements as far as water hardness and temperature go, you should have happier fish. Mixing fish that like 23C hard water with ones requiring 27C soft water will make it difficult to keep everyone happy.