Upgrading! How to clean a used tank?

[Sahabo]

Alright. So I used white vinegar and boiling water on everything including the gravel. I put two inches of gravel in the 10 gallon, set it up and started to add water. Well all the water instantly became cloudy with debris floating around! I used the siphon several times, but the water is still cloudy. Is this normal with used gravel? Should I just keep rinsing or will it eventually settle down? Should I ditch it and get new gravel??

 

[Sahabo]

Aha! I have deduced why the water is cloudy and why the previous owner's fish died...ammonia poisoning or bacteria of some sort. I just tested the water after letting it sit with the gravel in the 10 gallon. I got an ammonia reading of 1.0. How can there still be ammonia or bacteria on/in the gravel after boiling it?? I also tested the nitrAtes and got a reading of 5.0. NitrItes were 0. How do I clear all this up? Should I just get new gravel? I suppose I could squeeze the sponge filter from Corwin's cycled tank into the 10 gallon and see if it cycles. What do you all recommend?

 

[Sahabo]

BUMP! anyone out there?

 

[rich311k]

Test your tap water after dechlorinating and see what you get. Many people have ammonia in their tap water.

 

[Sahabo]

no ammonia in tap water...already tested. I think I might just dump the gravel and get new stuff...it's not worth dead fish to keep it.

 

[An t-iasg]

For a small tank, it's not going to be too expensive to get new gravel. Sometimes boiling gravel can make the color flake off also. It sounds like the boiling treatment didn't clean the gravel well enough. It must have been nasty! With an ammonia reading in this tank, I would get new gravel - you're going to carefully set up this new tank and I wouldn't want an unknown like this bad gravel in a new tank.

 

[Sahabo]

It was nasty, Deb, and the last thing I want is to put Corwin in a nice big tank only to have him bite the dust! Getting new gravel tomorrow. I'm going to take my time setting everything up and making sure it's cycled before transferring Corwin.

Thanks to all those who responded! Now to decide what to put in the 5 gallon