Tank Clean-out 2.0

[Warr40]

I jus cleaned out my tank this morning becasue i had gravel under my UGF so i pu the fish i a five gallon bucket took out the gravel ornaments and UGF
When i took out the UGF there was still water in the tank and once i pulled the UGF the tank turned dark greenish-brown
i'm cleaning that up right now
The question is how do i cycle the tank again should i soke the filter spong in the new water--- leav five gallon of original water what do i do

 

[reg2k2]

If the gravel stays wet (not rinsed), chances of the tank going thru a cycle again are low. As for the sponge, rinse it in the water you're discarding. Keeping some/all of the orig. tank water (that the fish are in) prob. couldn't hurt.

 

[bigfish]

Keep most of the water and dont rinse gravel under tapwater as you kill the bacteria off. just replace and re fill. i don't usually bother with UGF waste of time!!!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Warr40

While you have your tank apart, now is a good time to get rid of the UGF. Get a nice HOB instead. Then you will never have to go through this nasty experience again.

Now here's how to begin thinking about what you might have in the way of bacteria. Once you have that in mind, you will have some idea about what to expect from this point on.

Most of your beneficial bacteria can be found clinging to the filter media, gravel, glass, decorations and plants, with most of it in the filter and gravel. As long as that bacteria hasn't been rinsed in tap water or allowed to dry, it should still be alright for a few hours. There is very little beneficial bacteria free floating in the water, so if necessary, get rid of most of it. Once it settles down, add no more than 1/3 of it back to the tank and fill the rest with clean dechlorinated water.

If it does do some kind of cycling again, you can manage it easily enough with frequent (maybe daily) water changes. Since you have preserved most of the ones you had, it will not take too long to get things back to normal again.