First pre-owned tank - what to do with filter media - tank drained 2
days ago - 02/04/19
Hi WWM Crew,
We have decided to upgrade our tank again so that we can have lots more fishes
:)
<Yay!>
Hubby suggested we swap the TV and tank so we get a 7' wall to play with. After
reading conflicting reports about the rounded corner larger Boyu aquariums
(liable to crack, hood filter is underpowered and hard to clean) we decided to
go with a 72"x24"x30" custom-built tank, starting cost of £1000 + 200 mile
delivery costs + heater, filter, lights as extras.
<Nice!>
Yesterday just before purchasing one of these I stumbled across a private advert
posted yesterday, for the same tank dimensions complete with filter, heater and
lights, only 2 miles away. We responded, went to see it, and it seems in good
condition (although unknown age - seller is not first owner). It stands on a
metal frame rather than a cabinet (easily solved with IKEA doors?)
<If you're handy; or have friends who are>
but at only £300 for everything it seemed a steal.
Current owners are moving house next month and have moved the inhabitants (a
shoal of red-tailed catfish) into a pond in the office.
<Hope this is a HUGE pond>
The tank was drained 2 days ago, but the substrate and 2 external filters were
left covered with tank water (probably thought this would keep bacteria alive).
<I would flush the ext. filters, but the substrate microbes should be intact>
After not being able to muster enough hands to move the tank today we cannot
move the tank until next at least next weekend, maybe 2 weeks, but have brought
all the accessories home (some of the water was emptied from the filters at this
point to help lift into car).
So I am assuming the bacteria in the filters are already dead as they were
starved of oxygen 2 days ago. The media ( 2 sponges, ceramic rings, and plastic
spheres in each) look in good condition so I don't really want to throw them.
<I wouldn't toss them. Just rinse, wash and let air dry for now>
My main question is - is my best option to take everything out of the water,
rinse until clear in tap water and then dry until ready to be used again, or
should I soak them in a light bleach solution to get rid of any nasty anaerobic
bacteria/mould spores/pathogens that may have been in the previous setup before
rinsing with tap water?
<I'd skip the chlorine...>
Before starting the pre-owned tank I would want to put the pre-owned filter
material in my Juwel to encourage some bacteria to grow on it, but don't want to
risk the health of my fish and bacteria colony. I would put as much of the
pre-owned media as possible inside my internal filter, and place the rest inside
a mesh bag in the tank. Of course at the time of a pwc I could let the pre-owned
filter material sit in the dechlorinating water to ensure it is free of chlorine
residue before putting it into my Juwel.
When we get the tank my plans are to clean the tank and the accessories
thoroughly with dilute bleach, rinse, dry off, then wipe away any residue when
completely dry. Next day setup the substrate ready for planting, add the new
tank accessories, add some water then plant the new plants, add the old plants
from current tank (after a short leaf-dipping in bleach solution (+rinse) to try
and kill some of the algae), then fill with water from the garden hose to keep
the plants alive and allow whatever to leach out of the substrate. I would get
the heaters on asap (ground water currently close to freezing), maybe add a few
kettles of hot to help along, and the dechlorinator. When the tank is up to
temperature I would set up one of the filters using the media that has been in
the Juwel tank's filter, and maybe a large sponge from the Juwel, then refill
the Juwel's filter with more of the pre-owned media that was in the mesh bag.
Every couple of days I would take the move the pre-owned filter media out of the
Juwel and add it to the external filter and refill the Juwel internal filter
with the stuff in the mesh bag, until the new external filter is full, then I
will put my sponges back in the Juwel.
In the new tank I would let the water settle and become less cloudy and would
then move the substrate from my original tank across to the new tank. The
current top layer would get put in some water with algae killer
<Mmm; I'd skip the algae killer... too toxic>
for an hour or so, then get rinsed with dechlorinated-water before being added
to the new tank. I would start testing the water in the new tank for ammonia
being leached from the new substrate. If levels are low I would 'feed' the new
tank with the left-over food I was given to help with cycling and keeping the
bacteria alive.
I know I should drain the old tank to help with fishing out my babies, but I am
thinking it would be less of a bioload shock to move them a few at a time over a
couple of days. So, I perhaps start with the peaceful platies, maybe the babies,
then a few days later a few more, then move onto the guppies, then the
Danios...?
<Okay... can do slowly>
The remaining decorations in the Juwel could stay until I drain the tank to give
the fish hiding spots. I would move the Juwel filter and media into the new
tank, then drain the water, catch the remaining fish, then add algae killer into
the tank to clean the remaining decorations before moving them across to the new
tank (again after rinsing in dechlorinated water).
This is my first pre-owned tank. I'm thinking slow and steady wins the race as
1. I don't know the history of the tank I am purchasing, so want to be careful
to ensure it is clean; 2. my Juwel is plagued with hair algae - I am not sure if
it comes from the water supply, or came in with a plant or bogwood years ago. I
now know better, hence why I want to bleach-dip the plants before moving across,
and kill the algae on all the décor.
<See WWM re... light bleach soak, freshwater rinse, a few days air-dry...>
This is also why I don't want to move the tank water across. If it comes back
I'll know it's in the water supply and there's nothing I can do to eradicate it,
only control it.
Sorry this is so long. Do you think all of the above is sensible - is there
anything that is unnecessary or something important I have missed?
<Have posted my thoughts within yours>
Thanks for your help, you guys are awesome!
Nicki
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
Re: First pre-owned tank - what to do with filter media - tank drained 2 days
ago 2/5/19
Thanks Bob, found the pages on bleach soaking. Will research further before I
taken any action.
<Real good Nicola. BobF>
First pre-owned tank - what to do with filter media - tank
drained 2 days ago /Neale
2/5/19
Hi WWM Crew,
We have decided to upgrade our tank again so that we can have lots more
fishes :)
<Understood!>
Hubby suggested we swap the TV and tank so we get a 7' wall to play
with. After reading conflicting reports about the rounded corner larger
Boyu aquariums (liable to crack, hood filter is underpowered and hard to
clean) we decided to go with a 72"x24"x30" custom-built tank, starting
cost of £1000 + 200 mile delivery costs + heater, filter, lights as
extras.
<Yikes! Quite an investment.>
Yesterday just before purchasing one of these I stumbled across a
private advert posted yesterday, for the same tank dimensions complete
with filter, heater and lights, only 2 miles away. We responded, went to
see it, and it seems in good condition (although unknown age - seller is
not first owner). It stands on a metal frame rather than a cabinet
(easily solved with IKEA doors?) but at only £300 for everything it
seemed a steal.
<Agreed.>
Current owners are moving house next month and have moved the
inhabitants (a shoal of red-tailed catfish) into a pond in the office.
The tank was drained 2 days ago, but the substrate and 2 external
filters were left covered with tank water (probably thought this would
keep bacteria alive).
<Might; but probably not in a working, active state. Assume the media
will mature relatively quickly, thanks to the encysted bacteria, but
probably not "live" as such.>
After not being able to muster enough hands to move the tank today we
cannot move the tank until next at least next weekend, maybe 2 weeks,
but have brought all the accessories home (some of the water was emptied
from the filters at this point to help lift into car).
<Good.>
So I am assuming the bacteria in the filters are already dead as they
were starved of oxygen 2 days ago.
<Bacteria don't necessarily die under these conditions, but go dormant.
They will come back to life, somewhat, in a few days. As I say above,
it'll likely cycle faster than it would from scratch, but won't be
instant, so do allow some time to gently build up the bacteria
population.>
The media ( 2 sponges, ceramic rings, and plastic spheres in each) look
in good condition so I don't really want to throw them.
<Indeed not.>
My main question is - is my best option to take everything out of the
water, rinse until clear in tap water and then dry until ready to be
used again, or should I soak them in a light bleach solution to get rid
of any nasty anaerobic bacteria/mould spores/pathogens that may have
been in the previous setup before rinsing with tap water?
<Thorough rinsing under the tap would remove any organic muck. No need
for sterilising though.>
Before starting the pre-owned tank I would want to put the pre-owned
filter material in my Juwel to encourage some bacteria to grow on it,
but don't want to risk the health of my fish and bacteria colony.
<Very unlikely pathogens will survive being neglected this long and
without fish hosts to live upon.>
I would put as much of the pre-owned media as possible inside my
internal filter, and place the rest inside a mesh bag in the tank.
<A good option.>
Of course at the time of a pwc I could let the pre-owned filter material
sit in the dechlorinating water to ensure it is free of chlorine residue
before putting it into my Juwel.
<Indeed.>
When we get the tank my plans are to clean the tank and the accessories
thoroughly with dilute bleach, rinse, dry off, then wipe away any
residue when completely dry. Next day setup the substrate ready for
planting, add the new tank accessories, add some water then plant the
new plants, add the old plants from current tank (after a short
leaf-dipping in bleach solution (+rinse) to try and kill some of the
algae), then fill with water from the garden hose to keep the plants
alive and allow whatever to leach out of the substrate. I would get the
heaters on asap (ground water currently close to freezing), maybe add a
few kettles of hot to help along, and the dechlorinator.
<I think using bleach at all is overkill; would dump irredeemable
plants, prune back ones with the odd bad leaf; install plenty of new
fast-growing plants (floating Indian Fern ideal, but Hygrophila,
Vallisneria, etc do the job well) to minimise algae growth while the
specimen plants get established.>
When the tank is up to temperature I would set up one of the filters
using the media that has been in the Juwel tank's filter, and maybe a
large sponge from the Juwel, then refill the Juwel's filter with more of
the pre-owned media that was in the mesh bag. Every couple of days I
would take the move the pre-owned filter media out of the Juwel and add
it to the external filter and refill the Juwel internal filter with the
stuff in the mesh bag, until the new external filter is full, then I
will put my sponges back in the Juwel.
<All sounds fine.>
In the new tank I would let the water settle and become less cloudy and
would then move the substrate from my original tank across to the new
tank. The current top layer would get put in some water with algae
killer for an hour or so, then get rinsed with dechlorinated-water
before being added to the new tank. I would start testing the water in
the new tank for ammonia being leached from the new substrate. If levels
are low I would 'feed' the new tank with the left-over food I was given
to help with cycling and keeping the bacteria alive.
<A good approach. In honesty, a tank this side would handle a school of
small fish, like Danios or Limia, without any real problems even from
scratch. The sheer volume of water will dilute ammonia, and alongside
regular water changes, such hardy species should sail through.>
I know I should drain the old tank to help with fishing out my babies,
but I am thinking it would be less of a bioload shock to move them a few
at a time over a couple of days.
<Agree 100%, but remember truly schooling species, such as Neons or
Corydoras, won't be happy moved across in ones and twos, so move them as
groups.>
So, I perhaps start with the peaceful platies, maybe the babies, then a
few days later a few more, then move onto the guppies, then the
Danios...?
<Sure.>
The remaining decorations in the Juwel could stay until I drain the tank
to give the fish hiding spots. I would move the Juwel filter and media
into the new tank, then drain the water, catch the remaining fish, then
add algae killer into the tank to clean the remaining decorations before
moving them across to the new tank (again after rinsing in dechlorinated
water).
<All sounds good too.>
This is my first pre-owned tank. I'm thinking slow and steady wins the
race as 1. I don't know the history of the tank I am purchasing, so want
to be careful to ensure it is clean; 2. my Juwel is plagued with hair
algae - I am not sure if it comes from the water supply, or came in with
a plant or bogwood years ago.
<If at all possible, test the tank for leaks immediately after you get
it home. Ideally, outdoors or in the garage, so that if it does leak,
you don't ruin the carpet. Glass tanks are pretty robust, but twisting
is the big killer, pulling the silicone away from the glass, and it's
that which'll cause a sneaky leak, rather than obvious cracks or bumps,
which most folk manage to avoid.>
I now know better, hence why I want to bleach-dip the plants before
moving across, and kill the algae on all the décor.
<If you want to. Hot water and a good scrub probably just as good, since
the algae can/will return if conditions suit: their spores are in the
air and water, and they get into the tank no matter what.>
This is also why I don't want to move the tank water across. If it comes
back I'll know it's in the water supply and there's nothing I can do to
eradicate it, only control it. Sorry this is so long. Do you think all
of the above is sensible - is there anything that is unnecessary or
something important I have missed?
Thanks for your help, you guys are awesome!
Nicki
<Good luck, and hope this helps! Neale.>
Re: First pre-owned tank - what to do with filter media - tank
2/5/19
drained 2 days ago Thanks for all the suggestions Neale, much
appreciated!
<Most welcome.>
Don't know why I've never thought of using fast growing plants to out
compete algae, maybe this is why we didn't have problems with the Fluval
Edge 23 l... The elodea went rampant and other plants were happy, but
most other plants died off when put into the Juwel 180 l.
<Quite so; the badness of the algae is usually proportional to the
unhappiness of the plants. When plants grow fast, algae generally
doesn't.
There are some biology reasons for that we don't need to worry about
here.>
Do you think that planting the back 6" wall with elodea will be helpful
in combating the hair algae? I don't care about the short algae it's a
snack for the platys but they don't touch the hair algae and it traps
fish.
<Indeed. Hair Algae tends to be a pest in tanks with sluggish plant
growth and indifferent lighting levels. Rather than writing out my
thoughts, I'm going to direct you to an earlier scribbling on the topic:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_3/fwalgae.html
Should cover the basics!>
On another note... Any idea why female fish get aggressive in their old
age? Currently my 6 year old female Danio choprai is a menace.
<My Danio choprae were as well, to the degree I ended up with just a
single male from a group of six. My feeling here is that Danios (or
schooling fish generally) become aggressive as the size of the group
declines, rather than it being an age thing. So if you have just a few
Danios left, aggression will become more noticeable than when you had
lots of them. Remember, schooling fish *are* aggressive, and within the
group there's background level of bullying that maintains the social
hierarchy. In a big group, no
one fish deals out, or receives, too much aggro, so the fish are all,
broadly, happy. But as the fish age, and some of them die, you end up
concentrating this bad behaviour on smaller numbers of fish, and the
result can be unpleasant. Some schooling fish become frustrated, too.
These will attack dissimilar fish for want of anything else.>
The 6 year old male is fine. Until a few months ago both Danios were
peaceful, swam around the base of objects and occasionally spawned. She
now seems to set up large territories at the surface and charges at
anything that swims into it (seeing fin damage on the light coloured
platys who she seems to chase off more than the dark colours). Last time
i saw this was 6 years ago when an elderly female Variatus play started
beating up the other 3 platys (maculatus). I got her more tank mates
(more platys and mixed school of Danio) and she calmed down until her
death. Likewise I got more Danio choprae a few months ago. The male
schools with them often, she only occasionally joins in, but they've all
been schooling a lot all weekend (along with one guppy). Yesterday she
allowed a small male to court her....
Then tonight she has claimed half the surface (cleaned the tank Saturday
and removed a lot of algae at the surface).
<More than likely adding substantially more Danio choprae should fix the
problem. Cheers, Neale.>
Bio Balls or ceramic rings, 3/14/11
Good morning team
<Hello>
Hope all had a great weekend.
<Yes thanks.>
I am considering adding additional material such as Bio balls or
ceramic rings to increase the amount of beneficial bacteria in my
tanks.
<Ok>
Firstly is this a good idea?
<It has it's pluses and minuses. Are you having an issue with
ammonia/nitrite now? If not the addition of bioballs is not going to
change much as the bacterial growth is limited to it's food supply.
See here for more.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i6/trickle_filters.htm
.>
What would you recommend Bio Balls or ceramic rings?
<Either.>
Many thanks in advance.
BJ
<Welcome>
<Chris>
Re: Bio Balls or ceramic rings, FW 3/14/11
Hi Chris
<Hello>
Many thanks for your reply.
<Welcome>
One of my tanks (AquaTropic 80 (110L) planted tank ) with 3 neon tetras
and 2 male Colisa labiosa, 4 of the male guppies and 5 male Pseudomugil
furcatus has a nitrate spike since yesterday(even thought it is nearly
12 months old) 0.3 have been doing 2/3 water changes a day to keep it
below 0.1.
<Nitrate? This is generally the end product of the nitrogen cycle in
FW tanks, and anything below 20 ppm is generally considered ok, and
that is from the marine side, freshwater fish are generally even more
forgiving.
Nitrates are removed by water changes, no bacterial process will reduce
it further with a few exceptions like a deep sand bed or commercial
denitrator. Now if we are talking nitrite, then you have a problem and
may benefit from more filter media for the desired bacteria to
colonize.>
Thought adding additional ceramic or bio ball in a bag at the back of
the tank might help to keep it stable.
<Will if nitrite is an issue, but not for nitrate.>
Many thanks again.
<Welcome>
<Chris>
Re: Bio Balls or ceramic rings, 3/14/11
Hi Chris
I meant Nitrite not Nitrate.
Thanks for your help.
<Then I would go with some added filter material, can't
hurt.>
<Chris>
