New (old) tank, how to clean and set up?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

milliemouse

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 10, 2017
Messages
62
Location
UK
Hey everyone :)

I just bought a second hand fish tank and got it home last night. I am in need of advice on how to get started with it. It is a 180 Litre which I believe is around 50 US gallons?

Firstly, I'm not entirely sure how to clean it safely, I have been told that vinegar is the best option for inside the tank as I am aware harsh chemicals are a big no no. Can anyone advise me on this?

Another thing is there is some really obvious lines on the back of the tank where a I'm assuming a background was adhered onto the glass, I've attached an image.. it's completely smooth to touch and doesn't rub off with a cloth and warm water so I'm wondering what will get it off.. or even what it could be?

*EDIT* have now determined it is a stain on the inside of the tank left from silicone adhesive, I have tried the same thing to remove it, as well as trying rubbing alcohol to no avail! *

For the calcium/hard water on the glass I've read that razor blades can remove any build ups so I will be sure to give that a try!

I'm planning on making this a planted tank with various different heights, nothing too difficult to take care of lol. Was thinking of using sand as a substrate but not really sure how I would go about that, would I add plant substrate and then sand on top? That is what I have done previously with gravel so I was wondering if it was a similar concept..

This is the biggest tank I have owned so far (newbie!) so I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions! Literally throw all the knowledge at me, about cleaning, plants, substrate, filters and even stocking.. :cool:

Thank you!!
 

Attachments

  • 17424662_10208438012843667_7602409998113488310_n.jpg
    17424662_10208438012843667_7602409998113488310_n.jpg
    73.7 KB · Views: 469
  • 17425904_10208438012803666_6801421334284108936_n.jpg
    17425904_10208438012803666_6801421334284108936_n.jpg
    63.1 KB · Views: 846
Last edited:
Nice tank!

Try rubbing alcohol on a cloth, if that doesn't pull off the lines, it might be a silicone type product that is sold to hold backgrounds-you can carefully remove that with the flat edge of a razor blade


My experience with mixing sand with other substrate is that we end up with "sandstrate " lol

That is to say the two get mixed up over time with one coming out more dominant in the end

The benefit of sand(pool filter sand is my experience) is that you can pick it up with your syphon and deposit it back on to the top, hiding the other, heavier substrate lol


If you want different heights, you can build hills using lava rock, then top with sand- plants with grow roots among the rock:)

Sand alone is fine, as long as you add root tabs monthly-bimonthly

I grow swords, Anubis, wisteria with success in plain sand and root tabs [emoji4][emoji106]
 
Nice tank!

Try rubbing alcohol on a cloth, if that doesn't pull off the lines, it might be a silicone type product that is sold to hold backgrounds-you can carefully remove that with the flat edge of a razor blade


My experience with mixing sand with other substrate is that we end up with "sandstrate " lol

That is to say the two get mixed up over time with one coming out more dominant in the end

The benefit of sand(pool filter sand is my experience) is that you can pick it up with your syphon and deposit it back on to the top, hiding the other, heavier substrate lol


If you want different heights, you can build hills using lava rock, then top with sand- plants with grow roots among the rock:)

Sand alone is fine, as long as you add root tabs monthly-bimonthly

I grow swords, Anubis, wisteria with success in plain sand and root tabs [emoji4][emoji106]

Hey thanks! I only paid £50 for it and got a bunch of free filters and pumps as well as all types of ornaments too! I thought it was a bargain.. fingers crossed it doesn't have any leaks..

Oh brilliant! I'll give that a go, forgot to mention in my original post that the lines are completely smooth. I believe there was silicone there at some point but it was removed by the previous owner and has left a stain.. :ermm:

I see, thats good to know.. I have found a similar thing when using gravel and plant substrate together.. you always get some that wants to be on top lol.
To be completely honest, I didn't even know there was different types of sand as I've never wanted it before so no need to look into it! :facepalm: I think a heavier one would be more suited to me though.

That's cool! I definitely wanted some height so I'll look into Lava rock.
Thank you for your reply, thats helped me out :)
 
If it's a stain, I would be inclined to use a background, then plant tall plants at the back of the tank to disguise it

Wisteria reaches 24", Sagittarius is tall too. Val's,pennywort

Swords are about 6-12", and dense, which I ❤️

If you want to customize your filter units, you can use some spare lava rock in there too, to house beneficial bacteria....you start with a chunk of filter floss, add lava rock, and if you need carbon to remove toxins, you can buy it by the jar and add it in little mesh bags [emoji6]

No more expensive cartridges [emoji23]

Try the hardware store for pool filter sand, if you can't get it there, check out pool/spa places. It's cheap because it's meant to be thrown away after they use it as filter media [emoji6]
 
If it's a stain, I would be inclined to use a background, then plant tall plants at the back of the tank to disguise it

Wisteria reaches 24", Sagittarius is tall too. Val's,pennywort

Swords are about 6-12", and dense, which I ❤️

If you want to customize your filter units, you can use some spare lava rock in there too, to house beneficial bacteria....you start with a chunk of filter floss, add lava rock, and if you need carbon to remove toxins, you can buy it by the jar and add it in little mesh bags [emoji6]

No more expensive cartridges [emoji23]

Try the hardware store for pool filter sand, if you can't get it there, check out pool/spa places. It's cheap because it's meant to be thrown away after they use it as filter media [emoji6]

I just put some water in the tank and actually you barely see it which is good! was more inclined to add a background anyway but I'm glad its not that noticeable!

Wisteria looks nice, how easy is that to care for? Much prefer the look of swords though, and I've had them before.. so thats definitely going in the tank!

I don't know much about filters generally, A Fluval U4 came with this tank. Would I just pop the lava rock in where the filter cartridges go? also what different filter media does what? I've also just used the floss and the sponge that comes in them previously! lol
The tank also came with another bigger filter type thing but I'm not entirely sure about it, so don't think I'll be using it.

Oh thats good I'll definitely get some of that type of sand, I read something about air pockets in sand, how would I prevent that? just use a thinner layer?

Sorry for all the questions :hide:
 
Wisteria is kind of set it and fogeet it :)

You buy it either potted or as a stem plant, depending on how it was gathered (you can literally multiply it by snipping the tops off and replanting them lol)

I think the A4 is like the aqua clear isn't it? Squarish with three-stage filtration?
If that's the case, you have the perfect filter right there....those things are user-friendly and you aren't stuck replacing cartridge every month lol

I never replace the sponge, biobeads....just take turns each week rinsing them in your water change bucket as you pull water from the tank

The square sponge is your mechanical filtration-it catches gross stuff. You want to squeeze it out when you rinse it[emoji13]lol. It goes on bottom

The bag of black rock (carbon)goes next. You really only need that to pull toxins or meds out of the water. It's common for people to leave it out or replace it with a second bag of white beads. You can buy carbon in bulk if you find yourself using it often....saves money


The white beads go on top
They house your beneficial bacteria. A strong population in here helps maintain a healthy tank and handle any ammonia spike quickly:) This is the bit that could be replace with lava rock if you were rebuilding an old, cartridge filter(most of which don't even have a place to grow bacteria)

I usually add some bacteria when starting a new tank...right now I have these products running side by side to restart my 29gallon tank Image1490188120.330509.jpg
 
Oh...about the air pockets....using lava rock to build your hills, and planting rooted plants should prevent that

The air pockets become an issue if sand gets deeper than 3inches with nothing stirring it up

You can also add khuli loaches if you like eels, or Malaysian trumpet snails to keep the sand moving

Though I have neither one, I just stick my syphon in there when I vacuum:)
 
Oh...about the air pockets....using lava rock to build your hills, and planting rooted plants should prevent that

The air pockets become an issue if sand gets deeper than 3inches with nothing stirring it up

You can also add khuli loaches if you like eels, or Malaysian trumpet snails to keep the sand moving

Though I have neither one, I just stick my syphon in there when I vacuum:)

Have you heard of the method using a gravel bag filled with gravel to create a basis for the hills? I was considering that but unsure how that would turn out! I picked up my sand and pieces of wood for the tank today and started another thread where I am going to post my progess :)
 
I have heard of it, and actually plan to try it myself

Sand would sift in amongst the gravel in the bags, but wouldn't pack tight, or form bacterial pockets

I'm actually holding onto my old blue gravel to scape the '38 gallon when my dad's goldfish go home (I'm wintering his pond fish)
 
I have heard of it, and actually plan to try it myself

Sand would sift in amongst the gravel in the bags, but wouldn't pack tight, or form bacterial pockets

I'm actually holding onto my old blue gravel to scape the '38 gallon when my dad's goldfish go home (I'm wintering his pond fish)

Ahh I was thinking of giving it a go too! That's awesome, what kind of set up are you planning on?
 
Well, I want hills on back, and one side, planted with swords , Val's and Anubis

I have a chunk of driftwood already and will build around that

I house a bristle nose pleco, and will add my remaining neons, harlequins, minnows and replace the numbers lost to sickness over the past few weeks

I thought I might have an angel as a Center piece
 
Back
Top Bottom