I'm getting a free 55 gallon tank stand and accessories from a friend who cant take care of it anymore. He hasnt changed the water in a long time and all but one fish has died. The surviving fish looks really bad it has holes in its head and a silver line going down the sides of its body. There is a lot of driftwood in the tank, most of it came from the store but a few pieces came from his back yard. I'm going to clean the tank with bleach but how do i clean the driftwood, or should I toss it and buy new stuff? Is the fish curable or should i kill him?
free tank, have a few questions
- Thread starter slake
- Start date
I would start over. Who knows what diseases and algea and parasites are growing in that stuff. I think you should give this fish a chance maybe wait a week without doing anything to the tank other than water changes and meds and see if he can be helped at all. If no change, or he dies before then, enthunize him. Don't forget to cycle- essential
Good luck hope the fish survives. By the way is it an angel fish because they are suceptable to "hole in the head" Before you start your tank over I would do lots of reasearch. Good luck, again!!
Good luck hope the fish survives. By the way is it an angel fish because they are suceptable to "hole in the head" Before you start your tank over I would do lots of reasearch. Good luck, again!! 
i would toss the gravel out and buy new. clean any plastic stuff that you want to keep with a bleach solution, then rinse in water with plenty of declorinator. for the driftwood you could get new pieces (but they aren't cheap) or i would let it dry out completely for a week or so, then boil it in very salty water or pour the boiling water over it in a bucket. do that a couple of times, then soak it in tap water for a few days with no declor to leach out the salt. the combination of dryness, salt, heat, and chlorine should get rid of any bad stuff lurking in it. just note that if you add it to an uncycled tank it may grow some white fungus, but that is normal and will go away when the bacteria are established.
Thanks guys, I have eco-complete in my other tank and want to use that but I don't know if i can afford that much. Can I mix it with regular black gravel? It's not an angel it's some sort of catfish, I've been looking for pics but can't find any. I've done lots of research already. I should have the tank in a week so I have time to do lots more.
I found this, I think its a Synodontis eupterus
I found this, I think its a Synodontis eupterus
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I got the tank and set it up last night and it looks a whole lot bigger in my room than it did in his house. I threw out the wood and gravel, and i boiled all the rocks in salt water. Im going to do a fishless cycle and hopefully ill have some fish this time next month.