What is the best way to clean out your tank after a fish has died from parasites and fungal diseases?

Question

I would like to put a new fish in my tank but dont want it to die of the same diseases the last fish died of. Also is it best to get new gravel in the tank?What else can you use instead of gravel so that the tank stays cleaner?

Answer 1

Sorry to hear about your Barramundi. Without knowing exactly what it died of, there are only general ways we can tell you to make your tank safe again.

If you want to absolutely sterilize everything, a 5% bleach solution for 15 minutes is the way to go. Just remove anything that may not be bleach safe (the foam filters if you have an Aquaclear filter, live plants, etc.), then just remove about 5% of the tank volume and add the bleach - this way it circulates through the gravel, filter, and any decor you have in your tank. Drain the bleach, then rinse everything out at least 3 times (fill the tank and do three 100% water changes).

Apart from this, you can use high concentrations of salt or vinegar, and raise the temperature in the tank (90o or so) so that you alter the environment enough that you may kill the agent that caused your fish's sickness. This is a guarantee that all organisms will be killed though. If the cause was environmental stress, and the fish was attacked by "body fungus" you'll never keep this out of the water. The best that you can do is to find out what was causing the initial stress that depressed the immune system of your fish enough that the fungus could take hold.

Many parasites can be killed just by not having fish in the tank (as Venice mentioned already), but not if it was something that can encyst itself - inside the cysts a parasite or bacteria can remain unaffected by changes in temperature, pH, or drying.

Although you don't have to get new gravel if you surface-sterilize yours, if you don't want to use gravel, you don't have to use anything. I've seen people who keep cichlids and other "messy" fish in a bare-bottom tank. The disadvantage of this is there is no substrate on which the cycling bacteria can attach except for the filter media which isn't large enough to keep a sufficient population for most fish, so you'll need to do water changes more frequently - on the order of 2-4 times a week, depending on tank size, feeding, and number and size of fish to keep the ammonia and nitrite under control.

Another option would be sand - it has ways of getting dirty on its own, but any food and or feces stays at the top where it's easily seen and removed. If you use a gravel vacuum to clean, it takes some practice to use it without siphoning up the sand as well. (see ths link on sand as a substrate and cleaing: http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/silent_killer.htm )

Answer 2

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RE:
What is the best way to clean out your tank after a fish has died from parasites and fungal diseases?
I would like to put a new fish in my tank but dont want it to die of the same diseases the last fish died of. Also is it best to get new gravel in the tank?What else can you use instead of gravel so that the tank stays cleaner?

Answer 3

Parasites live off of other animals, so with regard to the parasites, the simple fact that there are no living animals in the tank for them to feed off of will kill them off if no other living animals are introduced into the tank for at least a couple of weeks. With regard to the fungus, you have a choice of medicating the water, which will kill, not only the fungus, but also the beneficial bacteria, or letting the tank completely dry out, which will also kill both the fungus and beneficial bacteria. Either way you have to start all over again and recycle your tank. But, in any event, no harsh cleaners, chemicals or extreme means are necessary to rid your tank of the disease other than a simple drying out of everything. These diseases rely on water to survive. Without the water, they die. New gravel vs. old is irrelevant because you'll need to recycle anyway. Many people do bare bottom tanks and use no gravel at all, but because the gravel is such a big host of the beneficial bacteria, you must ensure that you have excellent filters that handle all your bacterial, chemical and mechanical needs. Good luck!

Answer 4

Best things: boil the gravel if you want to keep it, using a coated vessel to prevent metal poisoning, and then rinse the gravel in cold running water until it runs perfectly clear. Sterilize the tank with a salt brine solution, dissolving all the salt you can in a half gallon of warm water. Then pour it in the tank and rub the salt brine in all sides and corners of the tank including the edges (if any). Rubbing the salt itself in will not hurt, as long as it's damp (wear rubber gloves tho) Rinse thoroughly, and you're good to go!
Happy Born Again Aquarium!

Answer 5

It might be best to get new gravel unless you have fish in there already. To clean a tank, just use a siphon hose.

Answer 6

If you know what it died of, then simply purchase the meds to fix that disease, do a 40% water change, take the current carbon out of your filter, and add the recommended amount for the correct time.

Answer 7

you can also get sucker fish to help the tankstay cleaner 1st empty out the tank of every thing 2nd throw away the gravel and get new gravel 3rd get new fish & gravel DO NOT FORGET THE SUCKER FISH [2 OR 3]

Answer 8

Lysol