Cleaning task....

C

clownfish

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Dec 22, 2002
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Lucky me. I've been designated the job of cleaning a 33 gallon tank for a friend while she's away for holidays. The problem is the current state of the tank.

The water level is REALLY low, about 8" above the gravel and there is a lot of gravel siphoning that it would benefit from. The tank contains a large pink gourami, 2 platys and a large pleco. The filtration is a Fluval 304 which is relatively new and clean. It is running well.

I'm hesitant to start cleaning - I don't know the safest way that would minimise harm to the current residents. Should I fill the tank slowly, say 2 buckets a day until it is full then start cleaning? I just worry that siphoning at this stage will take away too much balanced water.

What is the best way to approach this job before :rant2:ing at my friend for leaving me in this position?

Thanks.
 
I would think that as long as the chlorine is removed from the water, you're ok just topping it off. I mean, over breaks I take my fish home in tupperware containers and completely dran and fill the tank, and they're fine. But then again, they're coldwater fish and relatively hardy (goldfish and lobster). But I would think that as long as the water isnt loaded with chlorine or whatever it'll be ok.
 
If the tank water is 8" from the gravel just top it off with another 8" of water and you simulate a 50% waterchange for the fish (just make sure that the parameters are close (ph ...). Once you have a decent waterlevel, you can start doing the gravel vacuuming and all that fun stuff the next day.
 
Well I don't know about all that. If the tank has sat long enough for half of the water to evaporate out, were they using any kind of lid at all?

The remaining water has got to be MONTHS old without being changed. Any new water will have a chemistry greatly different from this old water.

A 50% water change is fine on a tank that gets normal maintenance. I'm not sure it's a good idea on a tank that hasn't seen a WC in like a year.

I would go with your proposed plan and add in a few gallons a day. Then I would gravel vac a little bit out...say 1/3 of the amount you just added. You'll eventually get it full and you'll be doing it slowly enough to avoid a sudden shock to the fish. You'll also eventually get the gravel clean, just not all at once.
 
I would also be very careful about pouring in new water...don't do it too fast, so that a lot of garbage doesn't come up from the gravel.
 
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Like rkss said, I would add another 8 inches and simulate a 50% change. This 8" worth of water should give you enough time to vacuum up the detritus fromt the gravel. So once you're at 16" again, I would say you could refill the tank on the following day. Unless you have the water temperature pre-equalized in the clean water, dont add it all at once. A good tip to adding water so as not to disturb the bottom substrate is a tupperware lid. The plastic lid creates an area to pour water onto without sending streams to the bottom. The best thing is that it should float and you can use it the whole time you are refilling. DONT forget the chlorine treatment in your clean water buckets. Your fish will thank you.
 
mvigor is correct. Do not just dump 8" of water in a tank that has not been touched for such a long time.

The shock *can* kill the fish.

Gently add a gallon or so at a time over the course of a few days. Monitor the fish closely.

This is no different than OTS at all, and if you treat it as though it were, you should get through this quite safely:

http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/small/ots.html

Btw, clownfish, when your friend gets back please give her a couple of slaps for me :)

Roan
 
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