received hand-me-down 55 gallon tank

Question
Hello Alex,

I have had several small scale fish tanks in my day and I have never been able to keep the fish alive for very long.  The longest I have had a fish is my beta that I've had for 1year in a glass vase.  I don't know how I've managed it, but I change his water when he gets lethargic and there are a lot of bubbles on top.  I put beta conditioner in the water and that's it.  

I have always wanted a big glamorous fish tank with giant slow moving fish.  I was just recently given a 55 gallon tank that has seen better days.  It still works but it has lime deposits all over the filters and top.  Not long ago I was given a smaller 10 gallon tank to "start out" with.  It had the same lime deposits on it so I used LimeAway to remove most of it.  Well, none of the goldfish survived.  The guppy did fine though.  

My question is this: what have I gotten myself into? and how do I make this beat up tank look glamorous with using chemicals that more than likely will kill my fish?

Joy

Answer
Joy,

 Sorry to hear you are having problems. I would have to say straight off the problem is the LimeAway. Household cleansers should NEVER be used inside an aquarium or on anything you plan on putting inside. When you used the LA, did you rinse it very well with boiling hot water and let it air dry? I am thinking somehow the chemical made its way into the tank, hence killing the fish. Was the LimeAway used to clean the inside of the tank? To clean the lime deposits, i would get a rag and soak it in vinegar than place the right on the deposits and let it sit for a couple of hours. If that doesn't work, there is a product called, RYDIT, by Python.


When that's all done,I would rinse that tank with very hot water. The hotter the better. Then let it air dry, when you set your tank back up, make sure you condition the water and cycle it for at least 2 weeks.

I hope this helps,