Nasty freshwater tank

[msamsonz28]

So here's the story. We have a bowfront corner tank in my office at work. Approx 35g. It has been set up for over a year but is severely neglected. The guys that set it up left and no one has even looked at it in months. There is bright green algae all over the gravel. There is a fish in there and I'm surprised he is even alive. I just topped off the water - it was about 7g low. How should I go about fixing this tank? I know I need to get a test kit for it. But would it be better to empty it and start all over or do you think we can do it another way? I have no experience with freshwater. My plan is to start reading everything I can this weekend and next week get started on making this tank nice again. Where should I begin?

 

[talloulou]

I wouldn't empty it and start all over again. I would do lots of water changes. The fish is very use to that water so I wouldn't recommend changing too much water too fast in this situation. I would do 35% water changes daily. Vacumn the gravel heavily. Scrub the algae off the glass as much as you can. Once the tank receives frequent water changes the phosphates and nitrates will start to go down and the algae problem should get better. Once you get your water testing well you can add an algae eater. Clean out the filter as well. Do the daily pwc until the nitrates get below 40 ppm.

 

[Devilishturtles]

I agree with talloulou. Don't dump it out and start again. Chances are you've probably got a cycled tank on your hands, and it just needs humps of TLC. Get a test kit as soon as you can, and test the water. But for now, partial water changes will get you on the road to recovery.

 

[greenmaji]

You really need to be careful in this case... there is a good chance there is a bad buildup of ammonia in that tank and a big water change will give you a big fish kill... You really need to test that water first.. JMHO..
You could treat the entire tank with Amequl(sp?) and start doing large pwc..75%

I think this might be a problem..
Old Tank Syndrome
http://www.bestfish.com/oldtank.html

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd do immediate water changes and clean off the algae. Test the water for all levels. Nitrates are probably built up in that tank so slow 25% daily water changes will get it down. Don't change the filter media for about a week or two after you do the deep gravel vacs. That way you're not taking away too much bacteria. And even then only change half of the cartridges. Then after about a week, change the other half.

 

[msamsonz28]

here are parameters:
ammo: 0
trate: 5 or less
trite: 0
high range pH: <7.4
pH: <6
where should the pH readings be? and will water changes take care of it?

I am about to do a 25% pwc, vac the gravel and scrape the glass. also it's a 55g not 35 as i previously stated.

 

[mr86mister]

depending on the fish you want, but for general...you should raise the pH to about 7 so its neutral and a good cleaning and water changes might bring it up, but if that doesnt work you can use the pH Up weekly to bring it up

have you figured out what fish is in it, so maybe we can help give you ideas on what kind of fish to put with it or what not to and etc. etc.

 

[msamsonz28]

it is a gourami and he's about 3-4". i'm not too concerned about adding new fish yet until i know the tank is in good shape. i'm afraid with all the stirrup from the gravel vac that the gourami may not make it. there's probably months of buildup in there.
i am going to keep up with 20% pwc daily this week. change out filter media next week?

 

[mr86mister]

i'm sure he will be fine, make sure you do a thorough job and get all the corners and as get as deep in the gravel as you can, i'm very excited for you because this is pretty much your tank now that you're the only one taking care of it and you can do what you want!!

changing the filter media out sounds good to me....what kind of filter do you have on it

 

[msamsonz28]

the filter is a magnum.
I'm happy to be taking care of it too. I didn't care too much about it until I set up my own 55g sw tank at home. Now I realize how cruel it is to have that fish in such poor conditions. I won't claim the tank as "mine" though because I will definitely share the responsibilities. I'll make sure of that. I will only be in this office for about a year and a half and then I move on. There's a couple other guys who have aquarium experience so I will try to get them involved again.
well thanks to all who contributed to this post. I think I have this tank on it's way to recovery. I'm sure I'll be asking more questions in the near future.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Whatever you do, don't use pH up. It will cause pH swings. Instead, if the pH is too low, use a more natural approach, such as limestone or crushed coral. It will raise it slowly and naturally. That way you don't have to dose weekly or worry about swings.

 

[Menagerie]

The water parameters are fine, except the pH. Do 25% PWC daily or every other day while vacuuming the gravel. Do not vacuum the gravel all at once. This tank will quickly be on it's way to beauty in no time. Never alter the pH in a tank with chemicals, this will cause pH swings and lead to fish deaths, since we do not know the buffering capacity. There is no correct pH reading. It is what it is. Most tropical community fish do well in pH from 6.8 to 7.8. Allow a glass of tap water to sit out over night and test the pH. This will tell you what the pH reading will be in the tank after numerous PWCs.

 

[andywg]

Be careful with changing filter media. I'm assuming you will keep at least some of the old media.

I wouldn't do any more than around 20% PWC per day to ensure you don't shock the fish that is resident.

Other than that. Well done. Keep it up! 8)

 

[andywg]

Be careful with changing filter media. I'm assuming you will keep at least some of the old media.

I wouldn't do any more than around 20% PWC per day to ensure you don't shock the fish that is resident.

Other than that. Well done. Keep it up! 8)

 

[msamsonz28]

ok cool. that was my plan 20% pwc/day. i figured not to change all of the media in the filter because i'm sure that it contains alot of the bacteria needed.
next question concerning the filter - as i said before it is a magnum. it is sitting in a 2.5g bucket and there is a good deal of water in the bucket. is this normal operation for this type of filter? i'm not familiar with it.

 

[greenmaji]

not really.. The water is probably from a leak in the hoses or from the seal around the canister?

 

[RoK]

Maybe the bucket is being used as a sump sorta thing?
Anyway, you should check the pH of the tap water there to see what it is. Put some of the tap water in a container and let it sit for about a day and then test the pH.
It is possible that the tap water may have a low pH, even a pH as low as 6.0 should be fine for the gourami and some other fish (as long as it's constant).

 

[Guest]

as long as the water parameters are ok, it should be ok to add an algae eater, some sort of pleco, and some otto's should clean the tank up really good.

 

[msamsonz28]

Update: over the past three days i've done 10% pwc and vac'd the gravel. all the water is coming out clear now and the gravel actually looks pretty good. the gourami is still hiding up in the corner and won't come out. i still haven't fixed the magnum problem because the guy that knows how it works is away on vacation until monday. not gonna add any new fish until i have that figured out which leads to my stocking questions....
some of the guys here want to catch a catfish (they're all rednecks haha) and put him in. i think he will probably get too big for a 55. is it ok to do that? and since i'm taking care of this tank i don't even know if i want a catfish but i'm open to it.
here is my wishlist - let me know what you all think...
oscar - i saw a cool albino at petco last week
bala shark
rainbow shark
algea eater - not sure what kind
just some ideas there and i am open to all your inputs. definitely don't want to overstock or add too quickly.

 

[greenmaji]

the catfish and the oscar are too big.. the catfish is also is a temperate water fish rather then tropical..
bala sharks get so big they shouldnt be for sale at a LFS.. but they are..
Rainbow sharks are not too big..
an algea eater of some kind is deffinately a possibilty..