Help! I need to help a fish

[TextsFromParrots]

Our work has a fish tank in back and lately the person in charge of it just hasn't been cleaning it. This has been going on for a while. At times the tank gets down to a third empty before he puts more water in. Now the entire thing is about a half inch to an inch thick with algae. The last time I asked about cleaning it he told me not too because I didn't know how. Since the tanks gone unnoticed cleaning wise I've been making sure to feed him on my nights at work since I'm paranoid they're not.

Seriously I know NOTHING about fish. My first instinct is to pull some of the water out, with him and then empty the whole tank and scrub it down. Apparently I can't since it'll be too much new water. How do I get rid of all this mess and get it into a happy home again? It really depresses me this little guy is stuck in there. Yesterday he was literally hiding in an entire fist sized bunch of algae. I don't want to kill him off while trying to help him. I'm not even sure WHAT type of fish he is. I think a fire mouth something? Someone mentioned a gravel vaccumm last night, but I don't think we have one. We have a bucket and a long clear hose in back and that's it.

 

[Sunnyside]

Kristen, that clear hose is the gravel suction(er). Man, that looks horrible. Ask that person that is supposed to be taking care of this poor fish if he/she would like to live in that? If their answer is no, ask them how they think that poor fish feels? Terrible!!
Carole (Waterfaller) has a ton of experience with fish! I would definitely ask her. But, I do believe the clear hose with the bucket that you are seeing is the gravel suction. When I had a fish tank I know you need to buy a stabilizer for the water and a chlorine remover. And I remember suctioning while my fish were in there, I never removed them but they were large.
Thank you for helping that poor fish if I were closer I would help.

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Okay..silly question but how do I use it? It's just a clear hose. Is it like siphoning a gas tank? Where you'd suck one end briefly to get the flow going and then let it drop down into the bucket? (Really I know how to do that because my dad works on cars. Your gas is safe from me.)

The weird thing is the person in charge is VERY prissy when it comes to cleanliness. Things have to be JUST so. I'm not sure what's going on. I work third shift so I see next to no one during the day. Hopefully if I get some good info I can go in tonight and set aside some time to make the tank something he'd want to live in again. Hopefully Carole sees this and has some advice as well as other aqua-roadies. M"lady suggested we pick up some snails afterwards to keep the tank clean, but I seem to recall someone saying the type of fish we have is aggressive. Not sure if he'd do any damage to snails if I got them.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Aw poor fish. I commend you for taking initiative to help this little one out. I don't know much about fish except for bettas. Hopefully someone with more fish experience can help you.

 

[Sunnyside]

Okay..silly question but how do I use it? It's just a clear hose. Is it like siphoning a gas tank? Where you'd suck one end briefly to get the flow going and then let it drop down into the bucket? (Really I know how to do that because my dad works on cars. Your gas is safe from me.)

The weird thing is the person in charge is VERY prissy when it comes to cleanliness. Things have to be JUST so. I'm not sure what's going on. I work third shift so I see next to no one during the day. Hopefully if I get some good info I can go in tonight and set aside some time to make the tank something he'd want to live in again. Hopefully Carole sees this and has some advice as well as other aqua-roadies. M"lady suggested we pick up some snails afterwards to keep the tank clean, but I seem to recall someone saying the type of fish we have is aggressive. Not sure if he'd do any damage to snails if I got them.

Yes, you suck on the one end and get a suction going and drop the one end of the hose in the bucket and the end that is in the tank you use to get the algae and muck out. It won't suction up the rocks, just the filth. They do have algae fish, they suck on the sides of the tank and I think they are adorable . What you need to be careful about is the water you put back in the tank. It needs to be balanced. I hope Carole see's this, I am sure she will.

Tell the pissy individual to •••• off....and clean that tank.

 

[TextsFromParrots]

If she doesn't I'll send her a PM when I wake up. I have no idea about balance and stuff. My knowledge of fish extends to Finding Nemo.

CURSE YOU AQUASCUM!

 

[Birdiemarie]

Thanks so much for wanting to help this poor fish. Before you do anything make sure you know what you're doing because the fish could die from 'clean' water. Look around and see what stuff the lady has. There should be:
~ A water conditioner such as Seachem Prime that will neutralize the tap water chemicals so they are not toxic to the fish.
~ A tank sponge or scrubber brush to scrub the algae off the sides and bottom of the tank.
~ Two buckets. With how dirty the tank is I would get one bucket to empty and fill the tank with and another bucket or big bowl (depending how big the fish is) to put the fish in with some of the dirty tank water so it will be out of the way and safe while you clean the tank. If it's a big bowl then make sure you put something on top so it doesn't jump out.
~ Check to see what kind of filter is on the tank (hanging onto the back of the tank or a canister). It needs to be shut off properly before emptying the water to avoid burning out the filter and getting water all over the floor.

In my opinion that's what you will need to start. But you need to know the steps before you start.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I know little to nothing on fish too. But, I know there are these magnetic brushes. It helps get algae off the tank itself

 

[Love My Zons]

Oh my! You rarely see that color algae in freshwater. It's not good- where is the fish? What kind of fish? A tank breakdown is what looks like needs to happen. But shocking a fish into a clean tank won't be good to do. Wow, some People have no clue about keeping fish!

 

[Birdiemarie]

The magnetic brushes are good (I have one) but the tank may be too dirty for one. If she has been using one it will be attached somewhere on the tank (one half is in the tank and the other half is outside the tank). They magnetically stick together and as you slide it around slowly is wipes the tank. You have to be careful not to get any sand under it or it will scratch the tank. And if you move it over something it can detach and you'll have to retrieve the part that has not fallen to the bottom of the tank.

Here's a video of how to use the siphon. My tube is longer than the one shown and I can't get it to start his way. I suck on it and then when the bucket is full I put my thumb on the end of the hose and put the hose in the tank so it stays filled with water while I empty the bucket. Then I retrieve the hose and again put my thumb over the end and put it back in the bucket and it starts flowing water without having to suck on it again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge0m7365dXk&feature=related

 

[TextsFromParrots]

I believe he's a fire mouth chiclid (sp?). If you look he's to the right of the white thingy. He's just kind of floating there looking depressed. The horrible part is the guy in charge of this HAS fish. He's also been really knowledgable about fish in general. When we first got the tank it was beautiful and was that way for a while. Now it's like that and every time I go back there I just feel sad for the little guy. I guess the novelty wore off and he just doesn't care anymore.

Okay I know there's conditioner of some sort, I remember seeing it last night as I tried to figure out just HOW to get the tank clean. The tube seems pretty easy. Now I just need to figure out how much water I need to keep so he doesn't get a shock from cleaning it. And anything else that might be helpful.Hmm I'll need another bucket as well since we just have the one. But that shouldn't be too hard. My coworker said I needed to 'cycle the tank' because that's what his brother does for his tank. If not the new water is too much of a shock. What does 'cycle the tank' mean? If I can figure all this out I'm just going to take care of him from now on. There's no reason any living creature should live like that!

 

[waterfaller1]

Ok, it's just black beard algae. At this point, the algae is keeping the tank clean for the fish. It just looks bad.
Take the fish out of the tank with some of the water that is in the tank, to a bucket. Drop an airstone into the bucket, attached to an air pump.
Take all decorations out. Clean them with a mild bleach solution. Use the water conditioner to dechlorinate the decor, and rinse rinse rinse...
Take the tank down 50% to 75%, by siphoning it.
Have this amount of new water prepared to go back in the tank. Use Seachem prime in the new water to dechlorinate and/or remove chloramines.
Scrub down the glass while you are siphoning with a scrub pad, and use paper towels to remove that debris. Use the python to clean the gravel also.{That is the siphon tube,just do half of it this time}
Add new water to the tank.
I need to know what kind of filter the tank has, and what media is in it. It will need to be cleaned also, but not too much all at once.
Return the fish to the tank when the water is replaced, and nearly the same temp as it was. You should get a plastic bag. Put the fish and the water from the bucket into the bag. Float him on the surface of the tank for 20-30 min. take a net and get him out of the bag and release.
Repeat the steps, except for taking the fish out, or cleaning the filter, every week on or near the same day.
Get back to me on what kind of filter we are dealing with.
Leave the light OFF for a minimum of four days...after this water change.

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Thanks Carole!! I'll figure out what sort of filter it has on it tonight at work. Will it be okay if there's light around the tank? It's in our backroom which always has a light on, I can turn the light on top of the tank off, but the rest will stay on. I'll check tonight to make sure I have everything I need when I start breaking it down and cleaning it out. I'm off three days after that but I'll leave a big note on it to keep the light OFF.

 

[waterfaller1]

Just go easy, not too much all at once. In the next few weeks, with each successive tank cleaning, we can get it back on track. You don't want to upset too much of the bacteria, or it can get a bloom.{turn cloudy, or green} Or break the current balance. Cycling the tank, I can explain later, and find you some links to help you understand. But basically the fish produces waste{in this case one fish makes very little impact-harmful in large amounts} in the form of ammonia. Then in a cycled tank, this quickly converts to nitrite{harmful to the fish}, then to nitrate{the final product} By doing water changes, you reduce the nitrates. It is important to keep the nitrates below 20 ppm. Test kits will help you know what each value is. For cichlids, the PH should be kept high. I am not certain exactly what for this particular fish, but I am guessing there should be some crushed coral in the filter.{I can find out} The filter pad{should be white} may be really spent and need to be replaced. In a normal water change on a clean tank, you would remove this pad, and swish it around in the water that has been removed from the tank{dirty water} and just replace. I like to use API test kits.{american pharmaceuticals} They are titration test kits. The strip kind are garbage and useless. The fish should also be fed sparingly, as he adjusts to the change. The light in the room is fine. I would suggest that he allow you to take this tank home with you. That way he doesn't have to worry about it any more.

 

[Birdiemarie]

Kristen, cichlids are very hardy fish so that's a big plus. Something to be clear about...don't use any soap to clean. Just plain water and/or the bleach solution like Carole said. Do you think the lady will give you any trouble relinquishing the fish to you?

 

[TextsFromParrots]

I'm not SURE on if they'll give me trouble or not. It's the store's fish since we started the aquarium to boost morale, relax us and just have something nice. I believe my manager even used the company card to buy the set up and the fish and everything that went with it. I think I'll see how it goes keeping him at work and I can take over caring for him there. It might be easier. I haven't until now because I truthfully have no idea what to do when it comes to fish. Yesterday was the first time in a while I had enough time to really look at him and decided to fix it up. I'll keep you guys posted tonight, hopefully with the folks who know fish here, I'll be able to get everything to rights without hurting the little guy.

 

[Birdiemarie]

I would have loved to have had a fish tank at work. So relaxing. I hope they'll let you take over his care....btw, does he have a name?

 

[TextsFromParrots]

He doesn't have a name just yet. I may name him Duncan though. Boy he's gonna be giving me a whacky look when I start bugging him at night.

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Well I did a cleaning on it. It still isn't perfect and spotless. The algae is so hard to get off. I got the worst of it off and now I'm waiting for the heater in the tank to get the water back up to temperature to put him in. It was so disgusting! Giant hanks of it. The waters cloudy as well, not sure what to do about that at all, hopefully the filter has enough unf to clear some of it away. Next week I'll clean it again and hopefully will have enough time to put a real dent in it.

 

[waterfaller1]

Any idea on the filter type, or can you take a photo of it? Is it a hang on the back type filter? Does it have a brand name visible? How is the fish?
Make sure you are unplugging the heater first, as you do these water changes. I will go and look for some fire mouth cichlid info..