Questions about using tank after goldfish have been in there !

[sammie68]

Hi everyone,

Well the goldfish have been re homed and I'm ready to get the 3ft tank set up for my axie (Taco). I will be clearing out all the gravel today and putting that on my garden, should look good lol.

Anyway I have a pile of questions, so here goes;

One of my goldfish had fin rot which eventually covered his whole body before he died, while this was happening I took him out of the tank to treat it. My question is: Can the water still be harbouring the fungus that caused that infection?

Can the ornaments in the tank be harbouring the fungus ?

Because of the fungal infection on the fish, should I empty the tank completely and start again ? or could I keep the filter running in a bucket using the tank water that Taco is already in while I empty out the 3ft tank, then add Tacos tank water plus fresh water before putting him in the 3ft tank ? (sorry I hope that question makes sense).

To sum up my questions basically are,

Can I use the same ornaments that were in the tank with the goldfish ? Or would they be hiding the fungus ?

Should I completely empty the tank, then add the tank water Taco is already in plus top it up with fresh water ? (after making sure ph, amonia, nitrate and nitrite are all good)

Thanks again everyone
Regards Sammie.

 

[carsona246]

How long has it been since any symptoms of fin rot have been found in the tank?

 

[sammie68]

Hiya Carson,

It's been about 3 weeks since any symptons of fin rot have shown in the tank. As soon as I saw the early signs (tatterd looking fins) I removed the fish and treated him in a small holding tank, he just never got better only worse. Obviously I was doing something wrong. Also none of the other fish showed any signs of sickness.

 

[carsona246]

hmm, that's a tough one. 3 weeks is pretty close to the quarantine period that usually allows you enough time to make sure nothing harmful's in the tank. Most illness also needs a host to survive in the tank. So without any goldfish in the tank, even if it was present in the water it may die off without any hosts. I'm not 100% sure though, might want to wait for someone else to chime in

 

[Kaysie]

When in doubt, clean it out!

Empty the tank, and clean everything well in either a 1:10 bleach solution (one part bleach to 10 parts water), or with vinegar (safer than bleach).

 

[oroxine]

When cleaning out something for my tank (or a tub to store my axies in while I put a miss wall up) I use a mixture of salty water and vinegar because I'm terrified of harming them with chemicals!

I agree with when in doubt clean it out though, better safe then sorry!! Also if you transfer water, ornaments and the filter from the old tank cycling shouldn't be too much of an issue....

 

[HappySkittles]

Can I use the same ornaments that were in the tank with the goldfish ? Or would they be hiding the fungus ?
-If you clean then well you can use them


Should I completely empty the tank, then add the tank water Taco is already in plus top it up with fresh water ? (after making sure ph, amonia, nitrate and nitrite are all good)
-Yes...start fresh. Don't use the water the gold fish were in.

 

[sammie68]

Great advice - Thanks a bunch everyone.