How To Clean A Empty Fish Tank

I'thou interested in pet fish, and I enjoy offering advice to aspiring fish owners.

This used tank is so dirty—how practise you go far clean again?

The Benefits of Secondhand Tanks

If y'all're anything similar me, when y'all started out your new hobby life as an aquarist, you bought a secondhand fish tank. Secondhand fish tanks (bold they don't leak), are an excellent pick for the newbie fish-keeper because they're less expensive than a new tank, which allows you to buy a larger one to brainstorm with.

This is ideal, because the most common cause of killing fish is having as well small a tank and putting as well many fish in it. Some professionals believe that one goldfish needs 20 gallons to itself, which means even putting one fish in the so-called 'beginner's' tanks they sell at pet stores is sentencing your fish to a short life of misery.

But How Do You Clean Them?

Merely allow'due south say yous've gotten your secondhand tank, information technology's nice and large, yous're happy with the excellent deal you got for information technology, but at present you want to wash it. You've looked around online, and all you tin seem to find are hysterical warnings to NEVER put soap or detergent in the tank (almost impossible to get out of the seals and tin kill fish over a period of months), and to never put other cleaners in in that location either.

With all the warnings out there, one could quite easily be reduced to a quivering mass of defoliation—but, never fright, you have come to the correct place. Yous tin can safely and finer clean a fish tank using the following natural (and, fortunately, quite cheap) substances.

Cleaning Supplies Needed to Wash a Secondhand Tank

• Salt
• Vinegar
• A new bucket (ane that has never been used with whatsoever household chemicals)
• Approved scrubbing pads from a fish store (Exist careful if your tank is acrylic, which is very prone to getting scratched.)

You're going to need to have a set of cleaning equipment that is only always used for the fish, as even a tiny drib of detergent in an old sponge tin can go into the h2o and commencement whacking your fish similar a silent assassin. Information technology is best to use scrubbing pads sold past pet stores because you know for sure that they have not been laced with cleaning products.

Why Use Vinegar and Salt?

Vinegar is excellent for removing hard water stains, and salt will clean out a tank nicely. Vinegar will also neutralize a lot of unpleasant fishy odors that secondhand tanks can develop if they have been siting mostly empty with a flake of old water and gravel in the bottom of the tank.

How to Clean the Tank

The bodily cleaning process is very simple:

1. Use lots of common salt (don't exist shy!) and scrub it around in the tank vigorously with the vinegar.
2. Rinse very thoroughly.
3. There you have information technology—a make clean tank.

Now, go along in mind, this is how you clean an empty secondhand tank that you haven't put any fish in yet. Don't go dumping salt and vinegar into a secondhand tank that really even so has the fish in information technology, or you will soon notice them doing the tragic upside-downward limbo of decease.

Next Pace: Check for Leaks

Once y'all have cleaned out the tank, make full it upwards and check for leaks. If there are any, you tin utilize aquarium sealant to set up them up. Follow the directions on the sealant precisely, and don't blitz things.

It is mutual for new fish-keepers to desire to rush into getting fish in the tank, but this is how fish die. The process from getting a new tank to actually getting a good for you fish that isn't going to die can sometimes take upwards to a month, but it is worth the wait. There is zero more than disheartening to going to all the expense and trouble of setting up an aquarium merely to discover that all your fish are dead.

Next Stride: Cycle the Tank

Once your tank is clean and you lot are sure it is sealed, it'due south at present fourth dimension to brainstorm cycling the tank, a process which builds up a colony of practiced bacteria in the filter. These skillful bacteria will catechumen ammonia and nitrates, which will otherwise build upwards in your tank and kill your poor fish.

This is unnecessarily well written on Baronial 03, 2020:

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Abby on July 01, 2020:

I accidentally used fairy liquid in my 2d manus tank but I am soaking my tank in vinegar /h2o/salt it is glass will my fish be ok?

G on May 31, 2020:

what is cycling your tank mean?

Erika on April 17, 2020:

what about Glo Fish ?

Pat on February 26, 2020:

What kind you salt do you lot utilise ? Table table salt

SAL on Oct 29, 2019:

give thanks you. learned a lot and laughed forth the mode/ appreciate it

Shari on October 28, 2018:

Someone poisoned my 10" goldies with an unknown odourless amanuensis in their outdoor swimming, over 2 days I lost all just 3 tiny ones. It was a plastic pond then is there a chance that it tin be cleaned to exist accounted fish condom again?

DML on October 28, 2018:

I'grand glad to know that I've been doing it Correct all these years.... Thanks for not having us go out & ownership products to use when in that location is natural things for us to utilise.

Vicki Clark on June 30, 2018:

Most helpful - thank you!

THANGARAJ.Grand on June 16, 2018:

Thank you iv u bro proceed your thought methad following

Jani johnson on Feb 24, 2018:

I just bought a 2nd hand tank I think they may have wash it with house concur cleaner to make clean information technology how practice I at present clean it out and make prophylactic for my fish

Rose Wilmot on January 20, 2018:

Thank you for the communication on how to clean a used tank, I just bought a 50 gallon one and I'k new at all of this would yous direct me to the info on cycling a tank delight? Thank you for your time.

Rhead on January xviii, 2018:

Make sure you rinse well, dry the tank and allow information technology get plenty of calorie-free

amy on January 03, 2018:

Love your advice

Susan on October 26, 2017:

Husband put bleach and Dawn dish soap in the old gross tank we got to soak overnight. Can we yet get it make clean enough to put our i fish in it? Did we mess up to where we can't utilise this tank? Cheers

carrie on October 11, 2017:

very helful it help me to knowwhat to exercise cheers

Maria Ortiz on May 10, 2017:

Cheers for the info... I am a newbie and merely bought a second mitt 55 gallon tank that is filthy. It's complete with rocks and figurines only I don't know where to begin the cleaning mission. If you lot have anymore tips please transport my manner.

Kyle Smith on March 26, 2017:

Thanks for the information very helpful.

Simply be sure when you use vinegar to employ blistering soda on all the surfaces afterwards to neutralize the acrid from the Vinegar.

maureen on December 27, 2016:

thank you and so much...Its going to exist a large task but not equally large as I thought.

Chandler on December xx, 2016:

I cleaned my fish accessories with Lysol bathroom blast. They soaked with water for 2 days they raised well and let soak for another iii days in fresh tap water. And then I permit them sit out and air dry. Can input them in the tank at present?

Janie on December 12, 2016:

How long after cleaning to outset flushing the tank

I am on my way to pet shop to get a pump and a topper

Robin on November 02, 2016:

Do I utilise regular tabular array common salt ? & how much?

Bermand on February 18, 2015:

The wood is screwed togheetr (evenly spaced) with large 6" screws designed for joining landscaping timbers. The corners are then drilled using a long wood bit and 110v drill. Also drill iii holes on long side and two holes on short evenly spaced. Hammer rebar into holes downward into ground. You may want to trim rebar depending on length and so it goes at least 2' into ground below woods.

Hope Alexander (author) on July 15, 2010:

Good luck with your fish keeping, Steve :)

stevehtcyl on July 12, 2010:

This was exactly the info I was looking for thanks. I simply got a 33gal tank today and it is an absolute country! I was wondering how to get it practiced again. thanks

doof on June 15, 2010:

dude that sucks

2k of fish

my parents limit me to barely annihilation close to that. $fifteen per petco trip

Barbara Bethard from Tucson, Az on May 14, 2010:

dont know how I missed your wonderful articles before!! I am still a newbie but mine are making babies so they are OK...at present what practice I do with them>well I give them to my neighbour as "new friends" for his ciclids lol

Silvery Poet from the estimator of a midwestern American author on April 10, 2010:

Thanks for writing this hub. I capeesh your humor--"an acrylic tank scratches if yous look at it funny."

stars439 from Louisiana, The Magnolia and Pelican State. on December nineteen, 2009:

neat ideas

Hope Alexander (author) on September 29, 2009:

Oh dearest, I can but imagine how horrible that must accept been for you. The expense and the loss of the fish yous loved. That is very practiced advice about the infirmary tank.

sooner than after on September 29, 2009:

Good information. I got started with a 270 gallon acrylic bullnose. oooooooops. I cleaned information technology well and kept it well for 2 years, only I didn't have a "sick tank" for newly introduced fish and killed everyting I had in less than a week. $2K worth of marine fish down the drain. reall sorry likewise. p.s. ever have a sick tank.

Source: https://pethelpful.com/fish-aquariums/How-To-Safely-Clean-A-Second-Hand-Fish-Tank-or-Aquarium

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