Need Some Help

[chris0799]

ok, i have a 75 gallon auarium that i have been having for almost a year now. my mom got her a 10 gallon and i took all the fish i had in the 75 gallon and put them in there bc i wanted to restock my tank with some bigger fish. well whenever the tank was empty i kinda just let it go. i havent been taking care of it lately bc i have been so busy. when the water level got low i just put some tap water in there and ive been doing that for the last couple of months. but i want to bring the tank back to life!!!!
what is the fastest way that i can get the water rights so that i can restock it?????

 

[chris0799]

Anyone???

 

[gregr]

Does the tank have any sand and or rock in it? I don't know what the tap water is like where you are but if it were me I'd have to completely empty it and start over. The water here is bad bad. If you don't have sand and rock I'd say just empty it, clean it out and start over completely. Are you planning on having any coral or is it fish only?

 

[chris0799]

Yes I have live rock and live sand in it. I'm just curiouser on how to get the water back right as quickly as possible without having to go through the trouble of emptying the tank. The tap water were we live isn't too bad. Do I have any other options???

 

[Canadian Reefer]

do larger water changes with ro/di once a week for a month. if your water isnt to bad it should all work out

 

[iwishtofish]

Are you having any algae problems right now? How long were you topping it off with tap water, and did you use RO/DI or distilled water prior to letting the tank go?

One concern that comes to my mind would be whether or not your tap water is high in silica or phosphates, and whether or not those "contaminants" might have been absorbed over time within your sand or rock. Could cause you problems later.

Regardless, I agree with the above advice if you don't want to start over completely. After changing out the old water with new over time, use test kits to know where you stand with water quality. If you've had no fish or other bioload in there for a while, you may need to cycle the tank again since your beneficial bacteria colonies may have diminished. Add livestock slowly once your water is straight.

 

[chris0799]

No I don't have any algae blooms or anything right now. I've been topping it off with about a gallon of tap water once every like 4 days for the last month or so. How do I know when I can start putting fish and stuff in it?

 

[iwishtofish]

No I don't have any algae blooms or anything right now. I've been topping it off with about a gallon of tap water once every like 4 days for the last month or so. How do I know when I can start putting fish and stuff in it?

I'd imagine if your fish came out only a month ago, you probably still have a population of bacteria. I'd just do the water changes (recommended above) to clear out that tap water, and then test all your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, salinity) to get a baseline idea of what you are starting with. If your water parameters are good, I'd add ONE fish and test water daily for ammonia and nitrite. If either of those two elevate, I'd do a sizeable water change daily until levels reduce and your unexpected cycle is done. Then wait a while (month or two) to add another fish.

You mentioned above that you wanted bigger fish - how big are you thinking?

 

[chris0799]

Just a couple tangd abd stuff like that. All I had in there was 2 blows and a couple damsels.

 

[chris0799]

how often should i do a water change bc as u already know i want to get it back right as quickly as possible bc i want me some fishys

give me a list of things that i need to do and how often i need to do them plzzz.

and by the way, thanks for all the help so far

 

[chris0799]

???????

 

[gregr]

Water changes are almost always good but I think you should get the water tested for nitrates and phosphates at the least before you add fish.