[jimbain]

Hi, my 90yo mom decided she wants her 75gal (all glass) tank cleaned and setup. She tried to find volunteers, but I guess I was volunteered. Anyway, besides algae everywhere, there is this white stuff floating on the surface. I've had lots of aquariums, but haven't ever seen anything like this. So, (1) what is it? (2) can the tank be cleaned to safely introduce fish? (3) clean it with? or maybe (4) get a new tank? Thanks for your help

 

[NearMeBettas]

That is so sweat! I hope she enjoys it!

Check your parameters (nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia.) Did you cycle the aquarium? Scoop all of the yuck off of the top, then proceed to do a 50% water change. Monitor the tank for a week or 2. If the yuck appears a second time, repeat the process. If it is gone and your parameters are safe (ammonia and nitrite at 0 and nitrate at 0-5.) Then add in your fish. What did you clean it with? Soap, vinegar, water or??? As for the algae, make sure the tank has no direct sunlight. Only have the aquarium light on for 6 hours a day- you can get a light switch timer for that. Do daily 5% water changes for a week if possible.

 

[jimbain]

Thanks for the reply.
I guess I forgot to mention that everything in the tank had been dead for a while. And, everything was thick with algae. So, I pumped the water out-- I almost needed a hazmat suit. Even the gravel was covered in algae, so I removed it too. I'm about to clean the tank with H2O2 to try to kill any leftover stuff and safely clean it. If I survive that (haha), I can start getting it setup with everything new.

 

[NearMeBettas]

Thanks for the reply.
I guess I forgot to mention that everything in the tank had been dead for a while. And, everything was thick with algae. So, I pumped the water out-- I almost needed a hazmat suit. Even the gravel was covered in algae, so I removed it too. I'm about to clean the tank with H2O2 to try to kill any leftover stuff and safely clean it. If I survive that (haha), I can start getting it setup with everything new.

You are welcome, I'm sorry it was so late. I missed the post. No one is really on here, I made my own forum. You are very welcome to join. It is family friendly, only a few members so far but it is active. Id love to see the tanks progress and how it turns out. I am the only person really active on here. Its not family-friendly, you will get some weirdoes causing problems every once in a while. That's partially why I made my own.

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