How I cleaned an old nasty turtle tank and filter to use for fish.

[rtbob]

My daughter came home with this ugly little turtle three years ago. We had this 20g long tank left over from the eighties when I used to keep fish.

I set it up for her and let her take care of it. Well last month she decided it was time to let the turtle go. Some how it lived despite the water being changed only four times in a three year period. It had actually grown at least four times it's original size.

So I go to Petsmart on 4/09 and see these neat little black cichlids (bout an inch long) (SA) for only $3.59 each! I think they will go well in my 20g with a school of Buenos Aries tetras. I get two of them.

I had been trying to keep a school of these tetras for a couple months now. My Eclipse cat kept eating the darn things so I moved him into the 100g then bought 4 more tetras for a total of 7.

I bring home the two new cichlids and place them into the 20g than go online to see what I have just bought.

They were labeled managuense and the label said minimum 20g tank. I find out that these are Jaguar Cichlids and their meaner than snot and get huge!

Okay I screwed up, 20g my a$$. The next morning I get up and go check on them. One of the buggers has a tetra in it's mouth but it is to big for him to swallow it. Great! So much for my school of tetras.

Than I remember the 20g long turtle tank upstairs sitting with stagnant water in it for a month. It also has puke clown substrate and a inside the tank tetra filter rated for 10-30 gallons.

I know very well that turtles carry all sorts of nasties so this is what I did to prepare the tank so far successfully.

Removed substrate, rinsed tank with garden hose. Scrubbed inside and out with 50% vinegar. Soaked substrate/filter/rocks in 50% vinegar. Scrubbed rocks and filter. Cleaned coarse bio-media sponge in vinegar solution.

Rinsed everything. Filled tank half way (10g), added about 1 pint of bleach.
Scrubbed inside of tank again. Added substrate, rocks and filter. Let it circulate for three hours while I headed to the Goodwill to look for something to put it on and to the LFS for a heater. This was done out in the back yard with the tank in full Sun.

Found a neat little thing there for only $15.00 that would hold both 20g tanks!

Came back home and drained the bleach out rinsed everything real well. Filled the tank up all the way this time. Triple dosed prime and let it run for two more hours.

Checked for chlorine and it showed zero. Drained the tank again. Set up the tank along side the old 20g. Double dosed prime just to be safe and added Seachem Stability to aid the establisment of bacteria. Added the two cichlids and two larger Platys to help with the bio load.

I added a top fin 20 to go with the internal filter. The top fin has been running for months on my 55g for no reason other than to have a cycled filter if I need one. (Like Now)

The tank has been up and running for over 62 hours now and the fish our happy campers.

So what the heck is all this about?

You can clean up an old stinky turtle tank and use it for fish.

Also the wife don't know it yet but another big tank is in my future. Those Jags will need a new home soon!

Water parameters as of this morning:

Am 0.50
Ni 0.25
Na 10

Added 2ml of prime to detox the bit of ammonia and nitrite for 24 hours and will recheck again tomorrow.

The fast cycling in my opinion is due mainly to an established filter being used. The bacteria supplement may have helped also.

 

[Lab_Rat]

Unless you're planning on getting the jags a 125g or larger tank, I would return them. Also, I would not expect the platys to live long in the same tank with the jags.

 

[TabisFish]

I thought those jaguar cichlids get 2 feet long?

 

[rtbob]

I'll have no problem re-homing them if need be. A friend of mine here in Round Rock owns a pet store. Not to worried about it as of yet as they are barely over an inch. The platy's are twice their size and so far with all the hiding places there is no interaction between the fish. The platy's will be pulled at the first sign of aggression or when the Jags reach two inches. They are in there now to add to the bio load to aid in cycling the tank

After researching Jags I'm aware of their potential size. As usual there is conflicting information on the aggressiveness of the species with some reporting very little and others saying it is very.

Their are always deals on CL in the Austin area and I'm in the market for a 150+ and monitoring it several times a day. If nothing comes up I will give them to my friend.

 

[rtbob]

I thought those jaguar cichlids get 2 feet long?

Yes in the wild two feet is the max size. In aquaria they are usually less than 12" according to this site:

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=Parachromis&species=managuensis&id=230

 

[Ashes2ashes]

I have also cleaned up tanks this way, using bleach water etc. It's a great way to have a new setup if you have an old one laying around. The size of the cichs has already been mentioned, so I won't beat a dead horse, BUT, I will say, when you see an ammo and nitrite spike while cycling, I wouldn't just use prime, I would do a big water change. During the cycle it's important to keep those things below .25 so you don't harm the fish. The prime DOES help to neutralize those elements, but it's not a cure and IME big water changes are always better. You are right though, an established filter will quick cycle the tank. Congrats on the new setup and new fish though. I hope you are able to get them a bigger tank and keep them.

 

[rtbob]

Tomorrow if Ammonia and nitrites are registering my plan is a 50% w/c. Thank you for your input. Today was my honey-do list day. It involved trimming tree branches bundling up the mess and fertilizing the lawn.

My initial post is way to long. The main thing I was trying to get across is that no matter how nasty the tank is, with proper cleaning it can be made safe for fish again. The filter and substrate also.