Help with new tank

[stg1969]

Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new to the hobby, we already have a 20 gallon but I recently purchased a Fluval Vicenza 180 second hand.

It was in good condition apart from being dirty.

I emptied the substrate (a very fine black gravel), and have cleaned the algae from the tank using bicarb and distilled white vinegar. Filter has been cleaned. (I wasn't worried about losing the bacteria as I intended to start from scratch with a proper cycle with bio boost etc.

After cleaning the gravel for almost a day with cold water running through a bucket, I decided to use a 10% bleach solution on it, to kill off the small snails/eggs, as I do not want snails.

I rinsed for ages, but the mistake I have made is that I was unable to dry the gravel proprrly.

I put the gravel in the tank, filled it, and turned the filter on. Unfortunately, i could still smell bleach and I am now worried if this is recoverable without buying new gravel.

Don't worry I have no intention of introducing fish for a long time, but my question is, can i just keep doing water changes, dechlorinating as I go, or is the gravel a lost cause.#
#ph is currently 6.8 which is fine.

Thanks

Steve

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

You should be able to just gravel clean it out. If you don't already have a gravel cleaner, get a basic model like the one in the following link or make one.
https://www.about-goldfish.com/aquarium-cleaning.html

If you can't afford a gravel cleaner or have a big tank you can use a 1 litre, 1.5 litre or 2 litre plastic drink bottle. Cut the bottom off the bottle and remove the cap, throw these bits away. Put a garden hose in the top of the bottle and run the hose out the door onto the lawn. Gravel clean the tank.

I wouldn't bother using dechlorinator just yet. Just do lots of gravel cleans to remove any surfactants (soaps) from the bleach, and drain and refill the tank each day for a week. The smell should be gone by then.

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If you ever need to do this again you can use granulated swimming pool chlorine ad it doesn't have surfactants in and is easier to clean up afterwards.

You can also use salt to kill snails and most other unwanted things in freshwater aquariums. Just add a heap of rock salt or swimming pool salt and let it dissolve. Keep adding salt until no more dissolves and there is a layer of salt on the gravel. Have the pump and filter running during this time. Leave the salt in the tank for a day or two and then drain it and refill it with fresh water.

 

[stg1969]

Hi Colin,

Thanks for your very informative reply. I'm assuming the bleach content is minor, or surely the pH level would be higher than 6.8

I will just keep stirring the gravel and doing 3/4 water changes then, and also get a gravel cleaner.

Thanks

PS...tank is Fluval Vicenza 180 (40 gallon).

Gonna make it a barb tank i think.

 

[Colin_T]

Drain as much water out as you can. The more water you remove, the more you will dilute any residue in the tank.

 

[FishGuest5123]

When you’re ready to get your tank going you can take some of the used filter media from your other tank to seed the new filter and get it cycled faster. Just remove it and immediately put it behind the new filter media. You can also go ahead and place your new filter in your existing tank next to the one you already have and let it run now so it will be cycled when ready for it.

 

[stg1969]

When you’re ready to get your tank going you can take some of the used filter media from your other tank to seed the new filter and get it cycled faster. Just remove it and immediately put it behind the new filter media. You can also go ahead and place your new filter in your existing tank next to the one you already have and let it run now so it will be cycled when ready for it.

Not a bad idea, but the other tank is a small 70 litre tank, im not sure my fluval 206 external filter wont pound that tank too hard