glassbird
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2009
- Messages
- 449
Hmmm...where to begin...I have offered to take on the care of a tank at a shop that I frequent because it bothers me to see it being ignored. It could be a stunning tank, but I think the employees are tired of dealing with it, and have let it slide. I have a 75 gallon tank at home (fancy goldfish) and a pond with fish and am not new to fish keeping, but I have almost NO experience with tropicals.
I can barely see the fish thru the murk, but I believe there are 3-4 silver dollars and 5-8 smaller fish, some sort of tetras I think. Its a larger tank, maybe 35 gallons, six sided. There is a large HOB filter but I can not figure out a manufacturer because it is so dirty and crud encrusted. In a few days I will be doing a cleanup of the tank, and will have more information. Right now, all I know is that they were being treated for velvet somehow, and the shop has a water softening system in place. I am completely unfamiliar with velvet, and do not know anything about water softening systems. I took a sample and the pH is 7.0, no ammonia, but the nitrates were high.
I do not want to stress these fish. I yearn to just net them out, put them in a bucket in a quiet corner, and then clean the living heck out of that mess. BUT...I think it might be safer to scrub up the filter, do a PWC and gravel cleaning, and do another PWC and gravel cleaning in a few weeks. What do you think? What do I need to know about tetras?
Any thoughts would be welcome.
CT
I can barely see the fish thru the murk, but I believe there are 3-4 silver dollars and 5-8 smaller fish, some sort of tetras I think. Its a larger tank, maybe 35 gallons, six sided. There is a large HOB filter but I can not figure out a manufacturer because it is so dirty and crud encrusted. In a few days I will be doing a cleanup of the tank, and will have more information. Right now, all I know is that they were being treated for velvet somehow, and the shop has a water softening system in place. I am completely unfamiliar with velvet, and do not know anything about water softening systems. I took a sample and the pH is 7.0, no ammonia, but the nitrates were high.
I do not want to stress these fish. I yearn to just net them out, put them in a bucket in a quiet corner, and then clean the living heck out of that mess. BUT...I think it might be safer to scrub up the filter, do a PWC and gravel cleaning, and do another PWC and gravel cleaning in a few weeks. What do you think? What do I need to know about tetras?
Any thoughts would be welcome.
CT