got a fish tank?

Question

I got a fist tank from my who i call dad and it was my what i call brother who died at the age of 25 any how he loved his fish tank and i love the fact i got the gift of having but he has been gone for 5 years now the fish r gone too.but it is not so clean i would love to restore it back to the way he had it, but need some tips on cleaning it it has alot of hard wated stains on it all the parts i was thinking useing lime away and then some bleach and then rinseing with lots of water and then let it sit for a few days befor putting fish in it ,if that wont work please let me know how i can make it work,,thanks

Answer 1

no problem if its green algae type use a razor be careful with your fingers stick it in to a short stick.or a car window scraper with soapy water.sorry for your loss if you need to know more feel free to email me[regarding fish as well.make sure u clean thoroughly after using soap though.try hose to swill it.good luck

Answer 2

Goldfish are very messy but cleaning up after them is easy - you should have gotten a siphon vacuum that can reach the bottom of your tank - use it once a week to clean up the gravel. I keep a algae scraper handy that i use once a month. You might have an overstocked tank with 6 goldfish, but I have seen people successfully raise goldfish in an overstocked tank to a certain point. Keep in mind that goldfish can get rather large as adults, so you might want to invest in a larger tank if yours is small now - a rule of thumb that I have read over and over again on a number of goldfish breeding sites (and have been told by others who breed goldfish) is that 20 gallons is enough for one fish and 10 gallons for every goldfish after that. So for 6 gold fish you are looking at a 60-70 gallon tank when they are mature enough. However, they can be kept in smaller tanks until maturity. Goldfish are a great fish to use at the start of a cycle, as they are among the hardier of fish, but watch ammonia spikes - check the water at least twice a day for a few weeks to make sure the ammonia levels are non-existent. If you see a spike, treat immediately with ammonia-locking chemical (like ammo-lock). As for feeding, goldfish are scavenger fish - I feed mine once every day, but usually let them go a day or two without food - they are capable of going a few days without a feeding as they will eat anything in their tanks (which is why I allow algae to grow in my tanks to a certain point - they eat it). Only feed a small amount at a feeding and no more then ONCE a day, otherwise you will have more waste then is necessary wreaking havoc on your bio-filters. I usually don't feed my fish after I've either vacuumed the tank or used the algae scraper though, as usually enough food has been knocked loose into the water from either process that the fish are kept well fed.

Answer 3

Vinegar is heaps safer than bleach and will do a better job. If the fish have been out of the tank a while, there shouldn't be any disease issues, but the stains on the tank itself you can probably get off with vinegar. On parts like pump parts and that, I'd try the vinegar because it won't do any harm, but you'll probably find it's easier and better to buy a new pump etc.
If you feel the overwhelming need to use Lime Away, rinse extremely well afterwards and hand dry the tank with paper towel, don't leave it to air dry because little deposits of chemicals will be left behind in the evaporated water spots.

Answer 4

all of the tank I have I receive from my uncle who had them sitting in his barn for years. they were never washed after the fish died plus had tons or grime, dirt, dust, cobwebs, ect from being kept in a barn for so many years. this is how I cleaned them, got them spotless and it's all just household stuff, so not expensive, you most likely won't need to buy anything. my uncle taught me this way of cleaning them out and he is an expert.

you'll need:
a new sponge with a soft side and a scrubbing side
vinegar
baking soda

clean the whole tank: vinegar and hot water. make sure the glass is not cold or it will break when he hot water hits it. I find cleaning it in the bathtub works best. fill most of it with hot water first. use your sponge to wipe down all of the inside. dump it out and put enough vinegar in the tank to cover the bottom. get some on the sponge and scrub the whole tank. then add hot water, boiling if possible and let it soak for 15mins. dump it out and rinse it until the tank doesn't smell like vinegar.

calcium build up (hard water stains): make a paste out of water and baking soda. scrub well. preferably with the rough side of a brand new sponge.

as long as the fish that were in it before didn't die recently you won't need to do this but here is the proper way to clean with bleach: put 1 part bleach to 20parts water until the tank is filled completely. let this soak for a few hours. over night is perfect. RINSE. rinse and rinse and rinse. rinse until you're positive there is no more bleach then rinse a few more times. allow the tank to air dry, preferably also spend a few days in direct sunlight.

if you follow these directions you can get your tank looking brand new, safely.

Answer 5

Definately do not use soap in the tank. Soap is the quickest way to kill your fish - even if you think you have rinsed it thoroughly! I have three fish tanks, and never even put my hand in the tank after i have washed it with soap or have used other types of cosmetics and lotions.

Anyway very diluted bleach is ok if it is rinsed thoroughly (you are supposed to dip any new plants you purchase for your tank in a weak bleach solution for 10 seconds.) You can get limescale removers specially formulated for fishtanks - not limeaway!! You will need several scouring pads and a lot of elbow grease!!

You need to set the tank up for a while before getting fish in it - check out this website it shoud help. http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/fishqa/f/faq0110.htm

good luck with the tank!!!

Answer 6

Sorry for your loss and glad to hear you have the desire to restore a living environment. I love my fish, my kids are tuned in to them now and even my 10 month old puppy sits on the couch back and watches the fishes... too funny.
As said here before, vinegar, baking soda and water are the best cleaners with lots of rinsing and rubbing to get it done. As far as setting up the tank, I will email you a WORD doc that I wrote for a friend who was a novice. It will explain in plain english; whats going on, how and why...
Good luck with your tank!

Answer 7

After you get rid of the lime /hardwater stuff, the rest is easy.There is a laundry product called Oxy-clean that is safe for aquaria and it does a great job of sanitizing them,leaving only a really good rinsing needed to be ready to cycle.____PeeTee

Answer 8

never use anything to clean your tank if its not a fish dechlorinator. buy some dechlorinator and pour it in the tank. let it sit a day or two then use a special sponge you can buy at a petstore to scrub the tank. i once had a used tank and used this and it worked very well. and as you know rinse it VERY thoroughly before adding any fish and always rinse new gravel and decorative corals.

Answer 9

don't use chemicals..........if you do you still run the risk of losing your fish...........if you feel you must cycle the water several times and use godlfish or feeder guppies as a starter to keep from losing a lot of money in the begining. the vinegar from a previous entry sounds like a good choice.i have never used it but will keep it in mind. i always used salt. it will do wonders on an aquarium. you can buy the aquarium salt int he pet section of most larger retailers. hopes this helps and good luck ........oh_hell