Allo - could do with a little help
Been offered a friend's tank who no longer has any interest in keeping it - it has about 4 fish left. The tank really needs a good clean, and of course I'll need to drain it to transport it.
How's best to go about this? The fish will need to come along as well - could really do with some pointers on this!
Cheers
OK, firstly, is it tropical or marine, I'm assuming tropical. What distance are we talking? tank size? occupants? If possible, you need to keep about half of the current water to prevent a new cycle starting, and do not clean the filter media either. Get some food grade buckets from B&Q with the lids, add half of the water, put the fish in one of them, they will be fine for an hour or so. Ditch the rest of the water, clean tank, use white vinegar if necessary but no other chemicals, rinse thoroughly,
I'm not sure on what the consensus would be on cleaning substrate too as that's basically a biological filter too so personally, I wouldn't clean the substrate in case it ruins the current cycle, the aim is to prevent a new cycle from starting which would be harmful, even fatal to the fish.
That's about it really, i'm sure others could add to this.
Edit. Infact, I can add to this myself, go get some test kits and monitor water daily / every other day to keep an eye on things. Also, buy some Seachem prime (or alternative) and add to new water as instructed, I also use Seachem stability, well, I have it, but hardly ever use it as my water has been spot on for the past couple of years. One thing I would recommend is a UV filter, if you don't have an external canister filter, i'd look at an Aqua one Ocelleris 850UV (If tank is under 150l), if you do have a canister filter, then just buy an in-line UV filter, they are a godsend and keep my water crystal clear, and algae to a minimum, I wouldn't run without now.
