Posted by Courtney on February 24, 2004 at 15:55:

Yesterday i cleaned out my 10 gal tank after having it sit in the garage for six months. I used a vacumn hose and lots of water to get it clean then set up filter, heater, pump, light etc. what do my ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels need to be before i can put fish in? also does the tank need to be cycled if gravel has been used before and if so for how long?
(*note: when stored in garage i left the hood on and duct taped it shut and then covered it with a trash bag so there was very little dirt when i got to it yesterday.)
any help will be greatly appreciated

Posted by Stacey  on April 30, 2004 at 19:51:

In Reply to: basic water chemsitry posted by Courtney on February 24, 2004 at 15:55:

Your tank should not be in that bad of shape. To make sure its clean and live-able for the fish clean it good with a baking soda and water mixture, this will neutralize the pH and safely clean any bad stuff away. When refilling your tank make sure you add a chlorine remover to the water. Wash your filters good. And you should be set to restart your fish tank again. If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

Thanks!

This Topic was moved here from ASAP: Seance by Claire Voyance.