im really nervous about cleaning my tank. as my other post mentioned.. i was landed with this tank and a lonely red eye tetra just yesterday. i don't know much about this hobby. but i do know that this tank is really grungy looking and the water is cloudy. im really tempted to take out the fish and totally clean the tank. gravel, plants, and filter. but im just not sure if that a sure way to kill the fish. am i to understand that some "grime" is good? is it a good idea to clean everything? .. or should i just leave the decorations and change the water?
need help!
- Thread starter llewellyn
- Start date
First of all, I would start with small waterchanges, I'm talking about 10% of the water. I would imagine the nirtates are through the roof if the water hasn't been changed in a long time. You can do these daily until the water clears up then start doing 50% water changes weekly. Make sure you add a dechlorinator to the water you put into the tank. I recommend Prime. You can take out the decorations and clean them if you like. You should go out and buy a test kit. If you print off petsmart online price and take it into the store with you , you can get the Aquarium Pharmecuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit for $13.49. In my petsmart it was $27.99 but they matched the online price. As far as the filter goes, when you do your waterchange, I would swish the filter cartridge in the bucket of water you removed from the tank, then clean out the filters and return the used cartrige to the tank. BTW how big is this tank?
the tank is a 20 gal. and its not that i haven't changed the water in a while. i just filled the tank yesterday with tap water...its been dechorinated though.
where do i find the filter cartridge? not sure if i mentioned its an undergravel filter system. i know nothing about them.. and i can't find anything online about maintenance....
where do i find the filter cartridge? not sure if i mentioned its an undergravel filter system. i know nothing about them.. and i can't find anything online about maintenance....
I take it there isn't any box filter hanging on the back of the tank?
Like...
http://www.petsolutions.com/AquaClear+20+Power+Filter-I-15510595-I-C-19-C-.aspx
I would recommend to get one like this or similar brand in addition to the UGF (undergravel filter). A UGF is normally maintained by weekly gravel vacs. On a box filter, you rinse the filter pads in some of the water you are taking out on your weekly water changes. It is best to have more filtration than you need and two or more seperate ones.
Like...
http://www.petsolutions.com/AquaClear+20+Power+Filter-I-15510595-I-C-19-C-.aspx
I would recommend to get one like this or similar brand in addition to the UGF (undergravel filter). A UGF is normally maintained by weekly gravel vacs. On a box filter, you rinse the filter pads in some of the water you are taking out on your weekly water changes. It is best to have more filtration than you need and two or more seperate ones.