Cleaning a Betta Tank

[WaterBaby]

I have moved my Crowntail Betta "Bluestar" into another tank. He started to develop some fin rot. I medicated him in his original 6 gallon tank and then moved him into a newly cycled 10 gallon.

This gives me a chance to really clean his tank to reuse it. However, I do not want to destroy the bacteria in the tank.

Will thoroughly vacuuming the gravel (meaning deep substrate vacuuming) suck up all the nitrifying bacteria?

It is a cycled tank and don't want to re-cycle it....

Thanks

[OrionGirl]

No, vaccuming won't remove the bacteria--but you'll want to determine why the fin rot occurred. For a small tank like that, I'd probably feel better breaking it down and re-cycling it than risk introducing a new fish and having it get fin rot as well.

[TKOS]

I would take the filter from teh 6 gallon tank if possible and clean it well and get new media. Then run it on the 10 gallon tank to get a good load of bacteria back in it. When you are ready to use the 6 gallon again it will be ready. Or the the very least take some extra filter material like floss or sponge and run it in the 10 gallon's filter. Then add it to the 6 gallon once you are ready to have a new fish. That will make the cycle almost complete.

Clean everything out of the 6 gallon with a mild bleach solution. That will make sure to kill any bacteria or fungus living in it.

[WaterBaby]

Thanks!

TKOS-The only problem with taking the filter apart is that it's an eclipse system and it has a bio-wheel.

I do have another established tank (20gal) that I always keep an extra bag of carbon in (for bacteria storage). I guess I can use it to help cycle the 6 gallon again.