Restarting a tank after nearly ten years

slytherclaw274

I had a 60-70 litre Juwel tank for a few years which I really enjoyed at the time but the maintenance became too much for family life and it's been sitting empty for almost ten years. As fish died off, I let it go but my kids are older now and I'd really like to get it up and running again.

I've just had a look through my stash of stuff and there are lots of bottles of water treatment etc which expired around 2014 and I know I will need to bin. Some filter sponges still in their boxes should be fine. I suppose the first thing is to add water and see if the pump is still alive?

Is there a recommended approach to cleaning off the (quite porous) rocks and gravel? A helpful relative tried to wash the algae off for me at one stage so they are no doubt contaminated by cleaning stuff, although they've just sat in the closed tank for years since.

When I first put my toe into the aquarium world, the concept of EasyLife (Easy Balance?) water additive, which reduces your water changes to every few months rather than weekly, was uber-controversial. What's the story on that now? It would certainly make life easier!

My experience is only with small basics, like tetras and danios. I've no intention of being overly ambitious! I'd like to get it right from the start though, and feel like I've forgotten much of what I used to know. All advice welcomed.

Gloomtastic!

You'll need to check whether your tank is still water tight. Might be simpler to just get new gravel. Try leaving the rocks outside in the sun for a couple of weeks to bleach the algae. Never heard of Easy Balance so can't comment. I switched to air filters a few years ago, cleaning is so much easier now.

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/sponge-filters-the-easiest-fish-tank-filter-ever

Stephen_Maturin

Not certain on the rocks but my thinking would be to boil them for a decently long time and then give them a good scrubbing

You are correct, be sure to check your filter and that it still running okay. If not I recommend one of these:

Eheim Pickup 160 Internal Filter https://amzn.eu/d/duI9G9d

Cheap, very straightforward to disassemble if need be and very reliable.

As a former aquarium keeper I’ll presume you’re well acquainted with the nitrogen cycle and cycling your tank fully prior to getting any fish? I know it’s a pain having to wait but if you’re going to be keeping living creatures I think it should be done right. You can “seed” the filter sponges of your filter with the squeezings of a filter sponge from an established tank if you want to speed up the process. If you’re not familiar with the nitrogen cycle and how it applies in an aquarium please research it thoroughly (plenty of good explanations on YouTube).

While the tank is cycling you can consider your “hardscape”. The interaction of gravel, rocks, wood, plants etc to produce a pleasing scape that you like the look of and that will be suitable for the tank’s inhabitants. When picking your gravel be absolutely certain it’s the one you want as you won’t be able to change it once the tank is established (I learnt this lesson the hard way as a teenager cheaping out on some manky multicoloured gravel…10+ years later and that tank still has it!)

Make sure your lights are working and if not replace the bulb. Get a simple plug timer for a consistent photoperiod, roughly 12 hrs.

I strongly, emphatically recommend that you go with some live plants in your tank. Apart from looking great, your fish will love them and most importantly they are fantastic for soaking up any free nitrate in your water deriving from the fish waste and using it to grow better as well as reducing algae growth. My own tank is very heavily planted and I probably only have to do a 30% water changes every couple of months. Go with simple stem plants like rotala indica, hygrophila, elodea/egaria densa which can be stuck directly into the soil or other likes Anubias or Java fern which you’ll attach to a rock or piece of wood. These plants are very simple to take care of however they’ll appreciate a dash of liquid fertiliser every 4-6 weeks (I recommend this one https://www.tetra.net/en-gb/products/tetra-plantamin) and maybe some “root tabs”, nutrient capsules you stick into the gravel for the roots. Both are long lasting and inexpensive.

Next is your stock - I would keep it simple at first and stick with what you know such as tetras etc. there are some very cool varieties out there to choose from, lemon tetra, Congo tetra, cardinal, ember, serpae etc. As schooling fish I’d go with at least 5 or 6

Then for something a little different I would go with some Amano shrimp too. They’re excellent for eating algae and aiding in cleaning up any little bits of uneaten food lying around. They’re fascinating to watch and cheap too, I strongly recommend.

A nice zebra nerite snail will also add another dimension as well as being good for clearing up surface algae.

DO NOT get a pleco in the hopes it will clear algae. These fish have been missold as “cleaner” fish for years - they in fact produce a huge amount of waste and can get very large and aggressive. If you want a fish that will genuinely eat algae I would recommend a single Siamese algae eater along with the above stock mentioned. Aqadvisor.com can help give an idea of how to stock your tank.

That’s pretty much it in terms of starting off a nice looking low maintenance tank. More than happy to expand on anything else you might be wondering about.

slytherclaw274

Thank you both; I'm familiar with the cycling concept.

This tank is right beside a large sliding door so gets plenty of natural light as well.

There's been a significant buildup of 'gunk' between the filter housing and the glass which I hadn't seen until today. I've never taken the filter housing out but this is gross.

Stephen_Maturin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383352#Comment_120383352

Nice one, that’ll certainly need a good clean alright!

I find white vinegar and baking soda usually answers pretty well for that kind of thing