How to clean the inside of the tank?

[Marne]

Sorry for all the questions, my tank is doing great, i have been doing weekly water changes and cleaned the filter but there are some algee spots apearing on the glass, whats the best why to clean it without upsetting the fish?

You can get a magnetic squeegee type thing. Half goes inside the tank on the glass & half goes on the outside. As you move the outside one about, the inside one moves with it & cleans the glass. (am rubbish at describing it).

I thought that was a pretty good description Yes, one of these It doesn't have to be this exact one, there are different brands and sizes. One that floats if it comes off is useful though! One tip- make sure there are no bits of sand or gravel stuck underneath it because they will scratch the glass.

You can also get algae scrapers, which are a plastic blade on a long stick but I've never got on with them, you have to press really hard to scrape the algae off and it's not as fun so you wouldn't be able to con the DCs into doing it.

Thank you, i now have one but havn't tried it yet, have done a big water change and cleaned out the filter so fish are happy.

Just had to stop myself buying a huge tank that was at the tip, sadly it had no hood so no good for us (as the cat would be in it) .

Oh, you should have got it! You can buy replacement hoods, most of them are a standard size. Go back and get it

Dh might send me back tomorrow to take more rubbish , i think it was a 100ltr (or maybe 150), glass looked spotless. Its a bit big for what i want really, not sure where i would put it, was after something smaller to house a fighter fish.

I really must go to the tip! How much was it?

I'm not sure, they never ask any more than £5 for anythinig.

Freecycle is a great place to get fish tanks, there's at least one on mine every week. It's really hard to restrain myself

The bigger the tank the easier to keep generally. As for cleaning the glass you really won't upset the fish that much by putting your hand in the water and doing it with a sponge. The magnetic cleaners are good but are difficult when it comes to the corners and can be knocked off. Have you thought about an algae eater? Don't know what kind of tank you have..

Oh dear, I really need to restrain myself too. So tempting!

I dont think i have room for an algae eater as my tank is fully stocked and only 60ltr, i may have room for a few snails , i have cleaned it with a magnetic cleaner, i fed the fish first so they were busy eating and didn't get upset.

I didn't go back for the fish tank , dh said 'no'.

Do you know what sort of algae it is? Treating the cause is usually a better option than getting a fish to try and sort it out. Depends on the type of algae and current stock list. It can be tricky to find the right fish too, some are sold as 'algae eaters' when they are not.

Nerite snails are pretty good at getting rid of algae. They won't breed in freshwater but they do lay a lot of eggs which can look messy.

I'm not sure what type it is, its rather bright and dotty (if that makes sense), its probably where i have the tank near a window so its getting too much light (although i do shut the curtains most of the day), its not a huge amount of algae but it seems to form right in the middle of the glass on the front of the tank.

Dots on the glass, that's a big clue what colour is it? Does it seem furry or slimy or hairy? If it's only a few spots then there's not a problem, it's when it starts taking over that you need to worry.

Its not a huge amount, looks slghtly furry (i think, its gone now so can't remember), the filter seems to atract it too (on the plastic). Its not taking over the tank so is not too much of a problem. Is there such thing as a small algae eater that can live happily in a 60ltr tank? all the ones i see in the shop look big and black (not sure what they are called).

Otos are small but quite delicate and they're shoalers so you'd need 6+. They like soft water and need a mature tank that's been set up for at least 6 months.

A couple of nerites are probably your best bet, you should be able to get them on ebay.

Are they the yellow snails? i saw some in pets at home the other week, i think they were £5 a pair, will have a look on e-bay though .

Those were probably apple snails, they aren't great at eating algae and they shit for Britain. £5 a pair!

Oeuf- i need you advice , one of my guppies is dying (led on the bottom), this will be the first death in the new tank. Have just tested the water and NO3 is high, it says on my testing kit to do a water change but i did a big (30%) change 2 days ago.

I had a feeling we may have a death as the other guppies had suddenly started nipping this one guppy, do they sense if one is poorly?

What should i do? would the water have caused it? Water was fine when i tested last week .

30% is not such a big change, if your NO3 is high then you can go ahead and do another one. Normally anything up to 50% is a regular water change but you can do more than than in an emergency.

It's really hard to tell the cause of fish death if there are no obvious symptoms- can you see any marks, lumps or bumps? Does the fish's stomach look really hollow? Fins a bit knackered? Anything at all that looks different.

If you think it is defo on its last legs (so to speak) then euthanasia is usually the best option. It prevents any further suffering and stops the other fish from picking up whatever it is by eating the corpse. Clove oil and vodka is the humane way to do it. Here is how you do it. It's not a nice thing to do but it's quick and painless for the fish.

If you can't euthanise then try to separate the fish (hospital tank ideal, or a floating trap or ice cream tub with holes in the next best thing) so that the other fish don't eat the corpse.

Yes, other fish can sense a poorly one and will pick on it to try and get rid.

I can't see much wrong with it, if anythink it looks a bit skinny. I dont have any vodka , i wouldn't be suprised if its already dead as he was barely moving, i will fish him out and seperate him. DD1 is upset as its one of the first guppies we bought which was her birthday present . Will do another water change.

Just fished him out, his fins to look a bit scruffy compared to the other guppies but this may be due to the others nipping him, he's now in the my little net dangling in the water (i cant find a tub) but i dont think he will last long. I dont think i will replace him, will wait and see that the others are ok.

Poor guppie (goldie) died last night, i'm now worried about another guppy (my favorite one) as he keeps hiding from the others. Have done a water change this morning and will keep a close eye, i'm hoping they have not caught anything from the tetras i put in last week (although the tetras look fine now). Will just have to wait and see if any more die.

Sorry to hear about your guppy :( But going back to what you were saying about the algae, i had this problem as my tank is near a window. I just put a piece or cardboard over the side (that got the sun on it) then covered it with tin foil. The cardboard to insulate, the tinfoil to reflect the heat/light away and my algae problem is practically non-existant now.