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So sweajnrs nursery has a fishtank which has broken. Some friends of ours who are away for 6 months have a replacement in their basement which we can donate but to quote "it's very dirty".
I know nothing about fish but I am about to pick-up and clean a 55 gallon fishtank so any hints / tips much appreciated.
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BANG and the fish are dead 🙂
Fill it up slowly, the pressure change from being filled, emptied and then filled again can cause them to burst, which is one of the reasons you only change a third of the water when you do a clean,
(According to a workmate who has fish and a big tank)
Check tank is water tight over ~24 hours, if it is, empty that water out. Net fish to a safe bucket with some of their existing water, cover bucket with towel to prevent suicidal jumpers. Move over old tank substrate, water and filter to new tank. Give filter a few minutes to clear the water, safely add fish to new tank, gradually fill new tank over a few days (perhaps using a safe excess of Seachem Safe/Prime to help keep water safe) so fish are not shocked by sudden water chemistry changes.
55 gallon tank will weigh about a quarter of a tonne when filled (minus weight of children hanging off it), in case you need to check there is a suitable base to put it on before going to the trouble...
Wear gloves and wash your hands. Unless you want to get Mycobacterium marinum.
Thanks all - keep the good tips coming. I'll be taking a look at the current set-up this afternoon but am hoping that the current tank already has an appropriate base etc.
It's worth putting it on top of a layer of polystyrene (e.g. ceiling tiles). This helps prevent pressure points caused by an irregular surface, so the base will be less likely to crack when you add the weight of the water. (Just to qualify this statement - using this method my aquarium has survived 24 years and 2 house moves without cracking ).
For cleaning I'd just use warm water, a [u]clean[/u] cloth and elbow grease. Fish are so sensitive to cleaning chemicals because they don't have impermeable skin like us.
Some tanks have floating bases, such as Juwel models, which are not supposed to be combined with polystyrene under the tank
Is there a lifetime for modern fish tanks? Had my Juwel for five years, no problems yet, but just wondering how long the sealant is designed to last for.
Rubber_Buccaneer - MemberBANG and the fish are dead
😆
Add a touch of Bisphenol A to it - and watch your fish become the aquatic equivalent of Bangkok lady boys.