Bringing home a 75 gallon tomorrow!

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jlbfish

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Feb 21, 2012
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806
Location
Texas
I scored a nice 75 gallon tank and stand off of craigslist. They live in the same city so I am assuming water quality (mostly pH) isn't a concern when I do the first water change.

So she has black neon tetras and a pleco in it (I think it is a pleco she just called it an algae eater).

When we break it down the fish will go into a bucket of tank water and the media from the tank (I hope. She is breaking it down) and the gravel will as well then the tank and stand will be ready for transport.

It has an algae problem and I really don't know if it is cycled or not. I need to test it and see what the parameters are but I will have to fill it first.

I want to toss the gravel and put sand in. Is that a bad idea?
I figured before refiling I should clean off the algae. Is an algae scrubber good for that?

Since I am filling the tank up with 'new' water I am planning on floating the fish and adding a little tank water over time to the bag that i put them in. Is a ziploc ok?

Does that all sound good? I am still a newb but addicted!

Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks!
 
I cannot answer some of the questions, but a ziploc should be ok. I wouldn't carry a fish in a ziploc though incase it broke. I would have thought the ziploc would be fine for acclimating it though.

Sorry I couldn't help any more than that
 
If have those yellow sponge with a green back, you can use those to remove algae. (Green part to scrub algae and yellow part to absorb it), It does a really good job removing algae.

Also, many fish prefer sands but other prefers gravel. So it does depend on what fish you have. I personally find it easier to use sand, but that of course is my personal opinion. I would either go for pool filter sand (white-ish) or black blasting sand (black) for the best value. They go for about $10-$15 for a 50lb bag. But you would need to rinse it very well before placing it in the tank. I have black sand in one tank and pool filter sand in the other, and I think the black is much better because it really brings out the color of the fish.

If the person turned off their filter and the gravel has dried up, you may need to start the cycle again. So, that is something you would need to ask.
 
If the tank is still running it would be to your benefit to keep at least some of the gravel in the tank for a few weeks-even if you put in the sand and put nylon bags full of the gravel in the tanks just to keep the bb going. There is alot of bb in the gravel if the tank is still running. Of course you will be watching parameters to make sure the tank has been cycled. Also keep all the filter material that was in the filters. Best if it is still running, just keep all decos and filter media wet and reset up the tank and check your parameters. Acclimate your fish and have fun. If the owner has torn the tank down and the media and decos are dry you will have lost all or most of the bb so it would be good to add seeded material from another tank to get your cylcle going.
How exciting to get a new tank and all the hope and promise it brings-priceless to a fish lover!:fish2::flowers:
 
I will ask her. I'm not sure how much she knows about cycling and BB.

She has an Eheim Canister filter on it. I have no experience with those.

Sounds like she had the tank with fish, then just left it with no fish and no maintenance and then put fish in it. She currently has 8 tetras consisting of Black Neon and Red Eye and an algae eater that is 4 in and green algae covering everything like a carpet.

Are her fish going to be ok in that tank until I can get it under control? Assuming its cycled.

Yes! I am very excited I've gone from a 3.5 gallon tank for my son to a 28 for me, a 20 for him. Switching his 3.5 gallon with a betta to a 5 gallon so the 3.5 can be a hospital tank. And now a 75 all in about 4 mos. I'd say I'm an addict. My husband says "after this NO MORE!" and yet .....lol.
 
Check out you tube and look for eheim filters- you will likely find videos on what to do and how to use them. When I got my first canister I was very uncomfortable but once you start using them-its easy. I do prefer the Aqua clear hang on back filters too as they are so easy to clean with weekly water changes and no filter media to replace all the time.
You're on a learning journey and you will learn so much through this experience!
 
If everything is covered with algea you might want to consider starting over with this tank. New sand/gravel and clean all equipment. Algea can be a real pain!
 
We were thinking the same but what of the fish? Leave them there? I wanted to put sand in and we can power wash deco or something. I have read that blue green algae can be a sign of an uncycled tank so.....

Do you just scrub with a sponge and no soap? Rinse and fill?
 
jlbfish said:
We were thinking the same but what of the fish? Leave them there? I wanted to put sand in and we can power wash deco or something. I have read that blue green algae can be a sign of an uncycled tank so.....

Do you just scrub with a sponge and no soap? Rinse and fill?

Maybe your.LFS would take the fish. You can use a sponge, or you can get one from the LFS, and no soap is right! lol You can use a little vinegar and water to clean with. Make sure to rinse tank and equipment well. Enjoy your new tank!
 
I could put them in a bare bones 10 gallon with a filter. Would it be too much of a shock to go to a cycled filter? in a possibly over stocked tank? Not sure they could stay there through a whole cycle.

For the 75 we have 2 sponges that hopefully are still seeded if we did fish less. But that 10 gallon would hold 8 tetras and a pleco.

I do have a 28 gallon tank I could iso them in the 10 gallon and wait some amount of time (?) then place them in my 28 gallon with my neons and cories.
 
If the algea eater is a common pleco best to rehome it, they get huge and are poop machines! lol Depending on what kind of tetras they are they might be ok in the ten. Or if your two sponge filters are seeded/active you could but the tetras in the 75, as long as you don't overfeed or add any more fish til you are sure the tank has cycled. Keep a close eye on your tank readings.
 
Really the LFS takes fish that you don't want? I will call for the pleco and maybe red eyed tetras not sure sounds like the others are phantoms.

The previous owner said she tested the water as did petsmart and said the parameters were fine so she couldn't figure out why she has algae. This scares me but I am hoping that they were 'fine' because the ammonia and nitrites were 0. I've been reading you can get algae w/out appropriate amounts of nitrate but we shall see. Wish me luck!!!! LOL
 
Ya know i hope it is something that getting the tank cycled, out of direct sun and only turning the lights on in the day and leaving them off all night will help. I am still new at this so the algae scares but but I want to beat it so I hope I can!

I might just leave the tank dark for a while I heard that helps.
 
jlbfish said:
Ya know i hope it is something that getting the tank cycled, out of direct sun and only turning the lights on in the day and leaving them off all night will help. I am still new at this so the algae scares but but I want to beat it so I hope I can!

I might just leave the tank dark for a while I heard that helps.

As long as you clean tank and the filter you shouldn't have a problem with the algea coming back. Depending what you want for substrate I'd get new. I'm assuming whats in the tank will be a real pain to clean. As for the lights leave them off during cycling unless you put the tetras in. Lights are for us not the fish! :)
 
If the filter was still running to the end, it can be kept alive by running it in a pail of tank water while you clean the tank. If that isn't practical, you can float the filter components in a pail of tank water. I would bleach the tank to remove any traces of algae.This can be done by filling with water adding bleach, and when everything has turned white scrubbing it off draining, rinsing and refilling. Dechlor will neutralize the bleach. My personal preference is to start with a clean tank and if there is a lot of algae, best to get rid of it and start with a clean slate; I bleach everything. If you keep the gravel, it too can be bleached.
 
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