Used 29 Gallon Tank

[PCeeTech]

Hello all,

I just purchased a 29 gallon tank used, and have a question. It came with used gravel in it, can I just add my decorations, and water etc? or do you think I should take the stones out and "wash" them out in a bucket? (no soap of coarse). I plan to do a fishless cycle, and set this tank up as my 2nd tank.

Thanks in advance!

PceeTech

 

[sparky_555]

Personally i would wash the gravel but i dont suppose it matters really. Washing it might decrease disease spreading if the previous owner had dieseases in there.
Wait for other replies, they will know better

 

[Tessla]

There's a good chance that there are some harmful beasties clinging to your gravel. Rather than risk the spread of disease I like to either bake my gravel and found rocks in the oven or place them in boiling water for a while. Just remember not to pour boiling water directly into your tank as you'll risk cracking the glass. If you're worried about it, you can pick up a big bag of sand or gravel for your tank at the hardware store for a few dollars and wash it well in a bucket.

 

[PCeeTech]

Thanks....

Sounds like a good idea to wash the nasties away. How long do you recommend baking, and at what temp? or is not really important as long a it gets done? or I may just boil it if I can find a pot that my wife will let me ruin using it for fish stuff..

Thanks

PceeTech

 

[Tolak]

Rinse well with tap water to remove debris, then add a little bleach to the bucket of gravel & water. You are trying to make a mixture of 1 part bleach to 20 parts water. Stir it around once in a while and drain & rinse after about a half hour. For the final rinse add 3x the normal amount of dechlor to the bucket of water & gravel, this will neuteralize the bleach.

Baking anything made of natural stone can be a problem if there is an air pocket in the stone, and the water vapor expands. I imagine a piece of gravel might be like a small fircracker, larger rocks can explode pretty good.

 

[rdd1952]

Had the tank and gravel been sitting for a while and was gravel dried out? If it had been sitting for a while and was completely dried out, then you're probably fine to just rinse it to remove trash and then put it in. Any bacteria that may have been in it would have died when it dried out. Otherwise, I would do as Tolak has suggested.

 

[PCeeTech]

The tank has been sitting awhile and has completely dried out. I think I'm still going to do what Tolak suggested and completely wash it just to be on the safe side. The last thing I need when trying to establish my tank is some nasties creeping up complicating matters.

I am however a little nervous about boiling any large rocks for the tank. I boiled the large rocks in my 10 gallon without a problem, but feel I may have only been lucky to not have had a problem. I may clean the large ones as Tolak suggested as well. dont want any unexpected explosions in the house LOL..

Thanks,
PceeTech

 

[Orbit887]

I would definately recommend washing & cleaning the gravel. On my 29gal tank, I also got it second hand, and it had gravel in the bottom, that had dried out. Didn't think about washing and cleaning it, just added the water, and it was filthy! The water was dirty for a day or two until the filter got to grips with the amount of dirt to be removed. The rest of the dirt in the gravel, was removed over weeks after that with a gravel cleaner. The water in the bucket would be black from the dirt in the gravel after a water change.

 

[PCeeTech]

definitely agree

I was scooping out the gravel into a bucket, saw all kinds of fine matter, particles, and gak, especially when I reached the bottom! I'm glad I followed everyone's suggestions to clean the gravel because it will make huge difference..

PceeTech