Pet Information > ASK Experts > Pet Fish > Freshwater Aquarium > Clean tank

Clean tank

23 16:32:46

Question
Hi Michael, I just cleaned my 35-40 gallon tank today b/c it was really dirty with alge build up and waste. I have 4 goldfishes and 2 catfishes. Ive had 2 of the goldfishes for about a year now and the other 2 for several months. The catfish I got about 3 months ago. There was black alge build up on the glass of my tank and on the stones/decor. I took the fishes out and put them in a bowl with the old tank water, along with two of the dirty stones. I COMPLETLY changed ALL the water in the tank and changed the filter. (I found out later about the 20 percent rule :(.) Right now the fishes are still in the bowl b/c Im afraid they are gonna die if I put them back in the AQ tank water. I cleaned the stones/decor with water only. I added some Stress Coat to the tank. My question is when do put the fishes back? Right now they are in a bowl with the old water and the thing that blows bubbles.

Answer
Latoya,
I would add a dechlorinator/conditioner and add the fish right in.
Just be careful on the feeding and you should be fine.
You may want to add a bacteria boost like Cycle or whatever brand you like.
Just go slow and easy and everything will be fine.
If you have other questions, feel free to ask.