Rebeginning

[LionessN3cubs]

So...I've been away for awhile and need some help if someone doesn't mind.

I have a 10 gallon tank and all necessary equipment. I know how to do a fishless cycle and have all the supplies for that as well. Here's the thing tho. When I attempted to "re-cycle" my tank at the end of the summer, my neice shut my filter off TWICE for hours at a time in the middle of my cycle and I gave up. I've gone back to school to get a higher education and such and just didnt have the time to put into the tank. It sat from augustish to about 2 weeks before christmas with no fish, just water and the filter left running. Right before Christmas I needed the space in the living room for our christmas tree so I emptied the tank and just moved it to the side. It's now in my bedroom dry as a bone.

What do I need to do to "clean" this tank so I can attempt to cycle it again? I assume that I need to scrub it all down and probably buy new filter media...is that right and/or is there something else I should do? Any help is appreciated~

 

[waterdrop]

Hi Lioness, great to hear from you!

I always just start with plain water and a sponge that has some "bite" to it to help scrub. I make extra sure that -nothing- I'm using, sponges or anything have any soap in them. You'll have to be your own judge about the filter media. It might rinse out ok but its fairly cheap to replace some of the things if there's doubt. The sustrate can be bucket rinsed in the usual manner.

As you go about the cleaning if you have special concerns, like mineral deposits or something the members are pretty good with various tricks, plus there's always searches on TFF of course.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome back Lioness.
It has been a while since I saw one of your posts. Waterdrop is on the money. A simple gravel clean and maybe a replacement of the filter cartridge and you should be ready to start. Try to steer clear of any soap while cleaning and the tank itself should come clean fairly easily. If you need chemical help removing water deposits, vinegar works fairly well because it is a weak acid and the water deposits are almost always calcium based.