I have an used aquarium that once housed gerbils... can I clean this and use it for goldfish?

Question

I just received an aquaruim from a woman on a local free cycle site... she said she kept a gerbil in it at one time.

I just cleaned it the best I could without soap or any other cleaning solution...

I also Iet some water soak in it for about a day and a half before I tried to clean it out to see if any water would leak out.

After I thought I had finished cleaning it, I noticed that there was some residue in the corners in the bottom... It seems very difficult to remove with just water and takes a lot of scratching. Its kind of thin and whiteish... I wonder if it might be gerbil pee.

Is there any way to remove this?

Maybe if there were ever fish in here before could that have left some sort of buildup like this?

...anyways, I guess the real question is how can I make this tank safe for goldfish?

Answer 1

Bleach is ok to use....I do not know why that other person said it wasnt. Bleach is chlorine and the chlorine remover you put in the water removes it anyway. However, make sure you use a dilute amount of bleach if you use it.

Safer however would be vinegar like most people have said. Vinegar is safe, especially if you are putting goldfish in the tank since Vinegar is acidic and goldfish like their water acidic. So any residue will benefit the fish, not damage them. Also, dont use boiling water, the sudden heat will crack the tank! Use warm water, not hot and scrub GENTLY with a stiff bristled brush. If you scrub to hard you can damaged the silicone sealant and the tank will leak.

Answer 2

Yeah, the stains probably are from the gerbil.
Here's how to clean it:
1. Pour in a small amount of bleach in the tank.
2. Fill the rest of the tank with water and let sit for about a day.
This will get rid of all harmful germs even if the stains are still there. Some tank gravel can just cover that up.
Have Fun With Your Goldfish!!!

Answer 3

Use diluted bleach in hot water. Scrub it with a new sponge and let it sit for a few hours. Afterwords rinse it a few times in hot water. Now add hot water and a chemical that removes chlorine. This chemical is sold at all fish/pet stores and you will need it anyways to take the chlorine out of your tap water before you add your goldfish.

Add triple the dose that the bottle recommends. (I.e. - if it's a 10 gallon, add enough of the chemical for 30 gallons.)

Let this sit for a few hours - I would do it for at least 5.

Rinse with hot water a few more times and the tank should be safe.


I worked at a petstore for 2 years. We had a bad case of black algae (an algae that is hard to get rid of and hard to clean off of ornaments and plastic plants).

The way I explain to you to clean you tank is the way we cleaned these ornaments and placed them back in their tanks with no problems.

When you add your goldfish (try one at first and see how he does) do not forget to add the chlorine remover. All tap water has chlorine in it and can be dangerous to fish. This will remove the chlorine from the tap water and if any of the bleach residue survived it should remove that as well. You can't really over dose a fish on this chemical - so it wouldn't hurt to add a little more then called for.

I recommend Stress Coat or Aquasafe.

Answer 4

I would do a leak check first. Take the tank outside and use the hose to fill it with water. Put it on a solid surface so you know if it is leaking. You want the water to sit in it for a day or so. If there are no leaks then you are good to go. I would use a small amount of bleach on a rag and wipe the entire aquarium down then rinse very well. Add water, filter, fish and plants.

Good Luck.

Answer 5

I wouldn't be afraid to use this aquarium for gold fish. I would clean it with vinegar to get any cleaning supplies and gerbil urine out of the tank from the last person and the scratches won't hurt anything. after rinsing it a couple of times, I would think it would work just fine and that residue in the corners, I wouldn't worrie about it. I would fill it up and let it sit to see if it leaks thou. hope this helps.

Answer 6

Glass isn't possibly a porous fabric-- a minimum of, that is lots much less porous than just about the rest. Any ammonia on the glass will wash off in case you provide it a reliable rinse, and a easy scrubbing with clean water (do no longer use cleansing soap or detergent). i do no longer understand of any challenge with using tanks that used to domicile reptiles, the two, provided you first sparkling them as defined. Assuming the tank remains in reliable subject, there are basically a pair of achieveable issues. One could be whether it quite is an extremely previous tank with a steel physique on the exterior. those steel frames will corrode with consistent exposure to salt, which no longer basically destroys the tank, yet can poison the fish. notwithstanding, those previous tanks are hardly seen at the instant, and are oftentimes bought up via creditors whilst they do look at materials sales and so on. the different achieveable challenge could be if any drugs containing copper were used interior the tank. Copper is poisonous even in small quantities to invertebrates like crustaceans, corals, and anemones. on the hint tiers you will discover as residue in an previous tank, it is not lots of a threat to fish. The copper has a tendency to impregnate the silicone seals on the seams of the tank better than the glass itself. So once you're apprehensive approximately this, it could be achieveable to scrape off the silicone (using a razor window scraper) from the interior the tank, and then reseal it with a clean tube of aquarium silicone cement. (this will additionally restoration maximum leaks, via the way). you additionally can get a copper attempt kit, and, once you have had salt water interior the tank for a on the same time as, attempt to work out if there's a detectable point of copper interior the water. yet another determination is to apply a copper-removing resin (available from marine aquarium shops) on your clear out.

Answer 7

Bleach is fine to use, I have used it in all my tanks at one time and have never had a fish die from it. All you have to do is make sure to rinse till you can't smell the bleach anymore and fill the tank up with water and dechlorinater, let it sit a bit then rinse again then fill up like normal and get it ready for the fish. If its a hard residue you can try using a straight edge razor and scrape the stuff off then use the bleach to make sure any germs left are dead.

Answer 8

yes ,you can re~use , no never use boiling water or water from your tap ( most hot water tanks have rust as do most household plumbing ideal is water form outside hose .,USING bleach water is fine , 1 cap to 10 gallon .then dichlor test your water if ammonia level is still high bleach again , rinse well , at least 10 time with a water hose is best , Or bathtub , don't worry about the temperature , no freezing or hot water , seal is not capable of handling the stress ,
never use boiling or hot water it may break down your tank seal and then leak . goods luck i worked for aquarium tropic seas . you will be fine also add amquel + to declor your tank it handles metals and rust and ammonia , also check for RODENT chewing on the seals , if so get some silicone and reseal IT after you de ammonia tize your tank...follow instructions and fill and check for leaks , finny fish hugs ,
good luck , ring me or come join us we are slow but getting more members ,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PetFishLoversAquariumsNponds/

Answer 9

Is the white stuff sort of chalky? If yes, it's gerbil pee. Get Urine-Off or Urine Gone. That will get it off. You gotta rinse really well and let it sit with water in it for a day. Then rinse again.

Then fill it up, set up a filter and you are all set.

Good Luck

Answer 10

just don't use any harsh chemicals, try vinager and an old used toothbrush for the corners, shouldlbe safe enough for goldfish but just to be sure, maybe only get one fish at first , then add more