Recommissioning semi-dormant tank

[idris]

For probably 6 months my 250L tank has been neglected. I NEED to get it back up and running properly. And as quickly as possible.

Reasonably well planted with Crypts and Anubis.
It has had a filter running but the flow has been lower than ideal. The filter has not been cleaned for months and the circulation pump died. (New one going in this week.)
Lighting has just been for about 3 or 4 hrs a day.
There are a handful of Ottos, Amano and Assassns, but realistically very little livestock for the size of tank.
There has been a huge bloom of green hairy alga (it filled most of the tank. Literally.), but that pulled out really easily and there is very little algae left.
I'd like to get a good stock of fish back in ASAP, though it will be done progressively.
The plants all look surprisingly healthy.

First job is to clean the filter and fit a new circulation pump.
Considering the low waste levels from fauna, are significunt water changes likely to be necessary before reintroducing fish?

 

[tam]

If you haven't done any water changes for six months then the water in the tank could potentially be quite different to the source water. I'd do several small changes until you've turned over the majority of the water.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Reasonably well planted with Crypts and Anubis.
It has had a filter running but the flow has been lower than ideal. The filter has not been cleaned for month

You should be fine, just change some water every day (10% would be good, but 10 litres would be fine), and then when you clean the filter give the sponge a good swirl around in the mulmy water before you put it back in the filter.

You will probably find the filter media is pretty clean (although you may have a lot of the little black bits from @jameson_uk, <"Gunk, what ....."> thread) and that the main flow drop is because the hoses have grown a good growth of biofilm.

If you need to dramatically increase the bioload I would add some fast growing plants, floaters would be best (because of access to aerial CO2), but Ceratophyllum would be another option, grown as a sub-surface floater.

cheers Darrel

 

[idris]

Thanks.

Cleaning the hoses is difficult. (They're long and difficult to disconnect and access.) Are there any non-mechanical methods for helping clear hoses?

Floaating plants aren't a great option unfortunately as light is realtively low (2x3ft T8s) and the tank is around 2ft deep.
I'm not bothered about a adding lots of fish quickly. I'm happy to do that slowly, and was considering adding stem plants of some description (though 'm not a fan of them aesthetically).

 

[MadMike]

You can buy some really long brush on a spring type things for cleaning hoses, mines about 1.5m in length. I don't disconnect to clean. Failing that, I run some hot water through them at high pressure which seems to clear most of it.

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

 

[Edvet]

Pics, we need pics !!

 

[idris]

You can buy some really long brush on a spring type things for cleaning hoses, mines about 1.5m in length. I don't disconnect to clean. Failing that, I run some hot water through them at high pressure which seems to clear most of it.

I've got some of the bushes, but they won't get round 180° / 1" radius bends. (Things I wish I'd thought of when I built it #27)
I like the hot water idea, though iven that will be challenging as I can't easily disconnect the spray bar. (Things I wish I'd thought of when I built it #28)

Pics, we need pics !!

Need pictures of what?

 

[Edvet]

Of how the tank looks now