I need help please~

[cactuslilly]

Hi everyone!
I'm Lilly and I have no idea what I'm doing.

I PUT THIS IN THE WRONG SECTION OMG

Backstory:

My grandfather passed away at the end of last year and it was a shock to all of us. It was very sudden and there were no preparations, so somehow I ended up being the only one willing to take on his fish tank. He adored his fish and would show me every time I came over. He had gone into a coma and no one took care of the fish so it has been a nightmare.

According to my friend (who sorta knows fish) the tank is about 70 gallons.
It came with a LOT of out-dated stuff. There were conch shells and about two or three dead fish in each. There were also two huggggeeee plecos, about 5 neon tetras (i think), one molly, one corey catfish and a loach. We have rehomed the two plecos since moving it. We removed the gravel and added sand instead.

My issue now is the filter ugh

It came with an Eheim Cannister filter but it makes this horrible noise and definitely doesn't work anymore. I need to figure out what to do filter-wise.

I am just a shift at Starbucks I don't make a lot of money BUT these fish were so important to my grandpa and I don't want to give up on them. If you could please give me advice for where to find a new filter or which model to go with it would help me a lot T^T

I have practically no experience with fish so this is all soooo overwhelming.

 

[cactuslilly]

Tank at Grandpa's

Filter

Tank at My House (Sand Settling)

 

[Toad]

I'm pretty sure your filter isn't working because of the sand. Normally you'd want to rinse sand endlessly till the water runs clear and then add it to the tank.

Take the filter apart (after unplugging of course) and check for any damage/sand. Your filter media may also be clogged if it hasn't been rinsed in awhile. You'll want to rinse this in old tank water from a water change btw, never under the faucet. Filter media is what holds most of the bacteria colonies needed to keep a healthy tank.

If it's beyond repair sunsun cannister filters are supposed to be decent and within budget, or check craigslist or yardsale sites for cheap filters till you can save up.

Read about cycling, read about water changes, research the fish you have. Take it slow. Buy a liquid test kit if you can.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Aquarium Advice mobile app