Aw poo, not the BN :(

[darkmule27]

Our (my mom and my) BN died sometime this morning :'(. Not sure why...he was plump and happy as ever last night, devored an algae wafer. To add the to frustration, no one in our area apparently sells BNs anymore.

After so many mysterious losses (well, mostly bent platies/swordtails), a full break down of the tank seems like the best option. So this has a question and isn't just me moping about the BN...what's the safest way to ensure the smallest mini-cycle? We have 2 other tanks, but one is going through its own mini-cycle...would moving some gravel from that temporarily harm that cycle?

Thanks!

 

[happygirl65]

SOrry for your losses...

It depends how much gravel you move.
When you say complete breakdown, are you thinking of bleaching the tank and starting over completely?

One thing you could do would be to do a complete water change, stir up the gravel as much as possible and really give it a good cleaning with declorinated water. Then add some food or ammonia to get the cycle going again. You should still have a decent amount of beneficial bacteria and if you leave it without fish for a couple of weeks, then anything that requires a host (such as parasites or viruses) should die off.

 

[darkmule27]

Leaving it fish-less wasn't an option right now due to space, tanks, and funds :/ threw in a used filter from my 10g since I was swapping that filter. We're using this as an opportunity/excuse to upgrade, so there's a silver lining to it all.

 

[happygirl65]

Sounds like you have it covered then?