Betta died... Now what?

Question

I've mourned over my little guy's lifeless body for as long as I had him... About 7 hours... After a couple of hours searching online, I'm thinking it was the distilled water that did him in. I thought I was following the rules, but apparently that stuff is bad for them if left untreated like mine was. So here's the deal, I'll be getting a new lil buddy to replace my other one, but my new question is, how should I clean the old tank? Will dish soup and hot water do it? Or should I clean with bleach? Since I had to keep his little body over night (to take him to the store for a replacement today) it was all like jelly-ish... Like if your cereal was in the milk too long and got soggy (yep, I'm gonna look at my soggy cereal differently now). When I took him out I noticed some of this sogginess fall off him and float around the tank. I just bought it yesterday and would like to reuse it on the new guy.

Is there a time period to wait? Can I clean and go? How?

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Never want to use soap to clean anything that will go in the tank-nets, tank glass, decorations, gravel, etc. Too hard to get all the soap residue off and it can kill them. A bleach water mixture is safe to use, contrary to what some will say, as long as you rinse it well, and use a dechlorinator in the water.

I don't think you need to go to that extreme though, I'd say you could just dump the water, and use your tap water(with a dechlorinator if you're on a public water supply) to rinse it and refill the tank. Next time, just net the fish out, put it in a baggie with a bit of water and put it in the freezer till you're ready to do whatever with it :)



EDIT: And, regarding the first post....you've had the fish for 7 hours....there's no bacteria built up in there, so don't even worry about that. Here's a link that explains what they were talking about, it's the first article:



http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/startupcycle/Step_5_The_Cycle.htm



If there's no filter on your tank, then I wouldn't even worry about cycling the tank, because you'll need to be doing water changes every few days(amount and frequency will depend on tank size), to remove the ammonia that's building up-your tank won't go through the cycle process that way.

Answer 2

use white vinegar, it cleans great and won't hurt the fish even if it's not all the way rinsed out.



1.put the gravel into a strainer or colander and rinse, pour some vinegar over it and let sit.

2. rinse the tank with warm water, gradually getting hotter (so it doesn't crack). after a little while fill it up with hot water and a little vinegar, let sit.

3. rinse the gravel until it no longer smells like vinegar, set aside to dry.

4. dump out the water from the tank, add a little vinegar and wipe down the sides then rinse well.

5. dry, then assemble everything again. fill with dechlorinated tap water.

Answer 3

To keep a betta successfully, you should have a 5 gallon tank with a heater and a light filter. Use tap water treated with conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramine. Never use distilled water as it does not contain the trace minerals essential to the overhealth of your betta. Many people believe that room temperature water is fine for bettas, but it most certainly is not. Bettas are tropical and need water in the 78F - 85F range. Bettas also should have a plant (live or silk). Avoid using any plants/decorations made of hard plastics as they will tear a bettas fins. Make sure your betta has open access to the surface of the tank as this is where he/she will take in most of its oxygen.



The distilled water didn't kill your fish..... most likely it was cold water and/or the fish was diseased when you purchased him.

Answer 4

I never heard of using bleach to clean a fish tank, but use tap water instead of distilled water and put water conditioner in the tank with the fish. I have used distilled water with my fish, but they're goldfish, and goldfish are really hardy. But I also used water conditioner. Also, I believe that using just hot water and a washcloth to clean the tank will do it. Hope this helps!!!!

Answer 5

NOOO! never use soap when cleaning tanks that you are going to put a fish in, it will kill them even if you rinse it properly.. that applies to bleach too, so dont use it! it will take ages to get rid of all the remaining soap or bleach..



Just rinse everything a few times, if its glass you shouldnt wash it with hot water, it will crack



You should put your betta in regular tap water, and add water conditioner. BUY SOME!





Gosh why didnt you do research before you bought him?

Answer 6

If you tear it down you'll lose all the beneficial bacterial colonies that eliminate the wastes produced in the aquarium. For that reason I wouldn't start over, unless your tank is in extremely bad condition. With a little elbow grease and a few simple cleaning supplies your aquarium can be ship shape again. Here's what you'll need:



Algae scraper/pads



Razor blade (plastic blade for acrylic tanks)



Bleach



Water siphon



Bucket



Lime remover (made for aquariums)



Glass cleaner (made for aquariums)



Filter media



Filter brush



Old bath towels



Paper towels



I suggest cleaning your aquarium in the following order:



Inside glass



Decorations (rocks, plants, etc)



Gravel



Outside glass and fixtures



Filter



Algae Pads/Scrapers

Start by giving the glass a good cleaning on the inside with an algae scraper or pad. There are a wide variety of algae scrapers on the market, from long handled scrubbers to magnetic scrubbers. I personally like small magnetic scrubbers, but virtually any algae pad will do. Is it necessary to purchase algae pads at a pet shop instead of the the housewares department of a regular store? Although they may look the same, the housewares pads can have soap or chemical residue. That reside doesn't matter if you are cleaning your kitchen sink, but it can be lethal to your fish.



For stubborn residue on the glass, use a razor blade to scrape it off. Take care not to cut yourself. If your aquarium is acrylic, use a plastic razor blade, as standard razors will scratch acrylic.



Bleach

Once the inside glass is clean, remove rocks, artificial plants, or decorations that have significant algae growth, or are noticeably dirty. Do not clean them with soap or detergents. It's very difficult to completely remove soap, and even a trace can be lethal to fish. Usually a good scrub with an algae scraper will remove the algae and dirt from rocks and plants. For particularly stubborn cleaning problems, prepare a 10% bleach solution and soak the items for 15 minutes. Scrub any remaining residue off, rinse well in running water, and let air dry to eliminate residual bleach.



Live plants can bleached, however stem plants are not tolerant of bleaching. To bleach live plants prepare a 5% bleach solution, soak the plants for two to three minutes, then rinse well. Leave the rocks, decorations and plants out of the tank while you vacuum the gravel. That way none of the debris stirred up from the gravel will settle on them.



Tip - be sure to get a new bucket and designate it for aquarium use only. If you use a bucket that has had soap or detergent in it, you could introduce lethal chemicals to your tank.



Siphon

Clean the gravel next, by using a water siphon to vacuum away the debris. There are several types of siphons available, all of which work essentially the same. My preference is the Python, because it draws dirty water directly into your sink, thus eliminating the need for buckets. Magnum makes an adapter for the Hot Pro unit that allows you to siphon water through the filter and return the water back to the tank. Although this removes larger debris, smaller particles will pass through the filter and are returned to the tank. Be sure to vacuum the entire surface of the gravel thoroughly so that all debris is removed.



Glass and Lime Cleaners

Once the inside of the aquarium is cleaned, clean the hood, light, tank top, and outside glass. Regular glass cleaners contain ammonia, which is toxic to fish. Standard lime cleaners are even more toxic. I strongly urge using cleaners designated as aquarium safe, and rinse rinse rinse!



Filter Cleaning

Once the outside is clean, the rocks, plants, and other decorations may be returned to the tank. Now wait a couple of weeks before cleaning the filter. Why wait? The major cleaning you just performed disturbed the beneficial bacterial colonies on the plants, rocks, and gravel. Fortunately many beneficial bacteria reside within the filter media, so you haven't completely upset the Eco-system. However if you changed the filter at the same time, you might trigger a dangerous ammonia spike because there aren't enough beneficial bacteria left to eliminate the toxins.



When you are ready to clean the filter, should you clean or simply replace the filter media entirely? Some experts caution that replacing the filter media removes too many of the beneficial bacteria, and triggers a new tank break-in cycle. Other experts argue that sufficient bacteria reside on the rocks,plants, and in the gravel to prevent the tank from cycling when the filter is replaced. I believe what you should do depends on the type of filter media you use.



If you have filter media containing carbon, ammonia absorbers, or ion-exchange resins, it should be replaced if it's more than three weeks old. After a couple of weeks the absorbing qualities of the media have been exhausted, and it no longer serves it's purpose. Media that acts as a mechanical filter instead of absorbing toxins (i.e.: ceramic rings, filter fiber, or sponges) should be gently rinsed to remove debris and returned to the filter instead of replaced. If care is taken to use water that is the same temperature as the aquarium water, and the media is quickly returned to the filter, the bacterial colonies growing on them will not be lost entirely.



Don't forget to clean the filter tubing and other parts of the filter assembly. A filter brush will help clear out the sludge that invariably builds up in all the small crevices.



Ongoing Maintenance

Once you've gotten your tank in shape, make sure you clean it on an ongoing basis so it never needs a major spring-cleaning again. Scrape the glass weekly, vacuum the gravel every time you perform a water change, and clean any rocks or plants as soon as you see debris or algae on them. Clean the filter monthly, either by replacing the media, or rinsing it. While you are at it, soak your fish nets in a disinfectant solution to keep them clean and soft. With regular care, your aquarium will look beautiful all the time.