# What do you do when you see a neglected tank?



## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Have any of you ever run into this situation? Yesterday, I went to someone's house on an errand. There were a couple of aquariums there, in terrible shape. 

By terrible, I mean that the water was dark and scummy and had evaporated about a third of the way down the tanks, leaving a rind of minerals above. The glass was green. One of them had a working heater that was sticking out above the water line by quite a bit. I wondered why it hadn't broken.

I thought, well, they're not beautiful but maybe the fish are doing well. So, I looked in the tanks -- there were fish, but there were also a couple of fish corpses and quite a bit of food coated in fungus in one tank, and in the other tank there was a dead plecostomus -- but only part of it. In that tank, some of the fish had fin rot that looked quite advanced. In the first tank, the fish had no visible illnesses.

Have any of you ever run into anything like that? The tanks belonged to the son of the person I was meeting, and the parent had no interest in the fish. 

I have adopted fish from friends who couldn't care for them in the past, but I don't know this family very well. I asked if the son wanted to go to the free aquarium session that WCAS is offering at a couple of community centres in February, or if I could give him some tips, but these suggestions were brushed off with a laugh and I didn't push it.

What would you do?


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Well, I've offered to take neglected fish home, and have done once or twice. Something like that, I would likely point out that the tanks were in really bad shape and offer to rehome the fish for free (or cheap). I don't know if I would have been able to stay polite though. Animal cruelty/neglect p*sses me off more than almost anything.


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

I would tell the parents that a neglected tank like that where fungus are growing can't be good for the people living in the home as well, if they couldn't care less about the inhabitants of the fish tank. I would then ask them if they would be willing to give the fish away so they can empty and store the tanks away. Injecting "fear" usually results to quicker action unfortunately.


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Sounds to me like it's the end of his fish keeping very soon. I'm sure as they all die off the tanks will be shut down and thrown in the garage or basement. 
I've had a few parents bring in tanks with a couple of fish left and say the kids aren't looking after them anymore. 
It would be tempting to scoop the fish and bring them home.

---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.275001,-122.835493


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

*OK Rant time!!!*

I could not have been as polite! I would have asked the son why he keeps these sess-pools running at all. And make them aware that animal cruelty is an offence that can be reported. I'm with you Elle that P----s me right off. To think the parents let it continue  shows what is being taught by some parents to the up and coming generation, scarey isn't it.


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## clairel (Apr 22, 2010)

*tanks*

in my experience....all you can do is 'smile and wave'.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm with Laurie on this one. It's like when someone makes a bigoted comment, I really can't let it pass. No need to be rude - you can send a strong message without being a jerk - but cruelty, however unintentional, is still cruelty.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

as you dont know them well, the best is to let them know that water left light that becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria that can get transfered to other surfaces around the house. Oh and insects as well, scummy water = more bugs 

other things you can do is offer floating plants to atleast absorb the nitrogen and put a bag of crushed coral in the tank to stop a ph crash. Hopefully the bacteria comment will get the parents harassing. Ultimately though, i think its the parents fault for letting the kid get so lax on the tank care, their home their rules. I'd have rehomed the fish much sooner when it became apparent my kids cant keep fish


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

i kinda think if you phoned the SPCA and reported fish were being kept in horrible conditions they would kinda laugh at you and hang up . because simply there not animals. it is not nice to see them kept in that manner but all you can do is bite your tongue and walk away .


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## Athomedad (Oct 8, 2011)

FYI if he actually laughed that means he knows he's doing something wrong, but his pride is keeping him from admitting it. You did the exact right thing & you may have planted a seed to do the right thing. 

If he just dismisses you than he doesn't care & you could tell him he could make $50 selling it & they could save the energy cost. 

If he had reacted with anger than he would disagree with you & it would be really tough to convince him of anything. 

With any luck you started this person on the right path. If you had reacted angrily you would have made him angry & nothing good would come of it.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

I would just let them know about the health hazard posed for the household leading to respiratory problems.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Very interesting thread. And tough question to answer. To be honest, I don't know what I'd do. It's not so easy. I can see all the points of view given thus far. I think what you did on the spot was really good, and as others have said maybe it'll be enough to plant the seed. Perhaps I would visit them again or call them back in a few days telling then that you know of a fish forum where they could probably sell this tank for X dollars if they're not interested in fish keeping any more. Maybe even give them the X dollars yourself and then clean and sell the tank back on here? If you save only one life, that's something to feel really good about.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you, everyone. I have been troubled all day by this issue and I appreciate your input very much. I'll give it a couple of days and try a couple of your suggestions.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Introduce them to BCA


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Morainy said:


> Thank you, everyone. I have been troubled all day by this issue and I appreciate your input very much. I'll give it a couple of days and try a couple of your suggestions.


"on the spot" can be awkward, and let's face it, we're not always up for the debate. The fact that you're still bothered by what you saw says a great deal (positively) about your character. Best of luck, however you decide to proceed.


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## a7neu (Jan 20, 2012)

You may find if you go back that he's cleaned it up already. If you can take his fishes (especially if don't need his tank), and can talk to him without being emotional (which it sounds like you can), I think the best route is just be open with him. If you make it too serious or judgmental of him, he probably won't want to cooperate (he'll get defensive or want to drop the subject ASAP). But if you can say something like "Hey, I thought I should ask... do you still want your fishes? Because I noticed the tank has kind of... seen better days, and I'm really into fish-keeping so I'd be happy to take them off your hands if aquariums aren't really doing it for you anymore..." he might be more willing to go "haha yeah the tank is pretty bad, why not let the fish person have them?"

That's what I'd say, but then again I'm not exactly known for my social graces lol. Good luck!


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## neoh (Apr 22, 2010)

I've run into this issue on more than one occasion. It's actually the reason why I got into fish keeping in the first place. 

The girl I was dating had a 10g tank sitting in the corner of her living room in almost the same condition. I asked her what was in there (it was pretty ugly.) and she mentioned she had about four five in there. I offered to clean the tank for her, I scaped it all nice and spent the rest of the day educating myself (and her) on proper fish keeping. The fish ended up surviving, and I still have two of them to this day.

Another instance of the same was walking into a friends parents place and noticing the same thing. I offered to clean the tank for them and scape it. They found a new appreciation for the hobby and is still being maintained properly.

Sometimes people don't educate themselves before diving into this hobby, and has been the downfall of way too many fish. Perhaps he was not educated enough on the subject to care.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

im sure most of us had humbling beginnings, here was my first tank 2 weeks before it turned into green pea soup


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

just some random thoughts about the thread so far...

The algae in the tank that M spoke about isn't really the problem; unsightly, perhaps, but green algaes soak up a lot of nitrates and may actually be helping the tank in question. It's those dead fish and built-up feces along with the fungus/bacteria etc they generate that makes this so disgusting;

It's not really feasible to take home every animal in need you come across - we can't all operate shelters. I suspect many of us have taken in animals in need, but in the end that doesn't solve the overall problem, which is one of human attitudes towards other life;

a7neu makes a good point: it's natural to act defensively when you're told, however nicely, that what you're doing is "wrong". That doesn't mean you don't take it to heart and change the behaviour later.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate your thoughtful replies. A nice range of views here. And some touching stories, too -- like Neoh adopting a couple of fish from an unloved tank, and helping someone else to fall back in love with the hobby. And Neven's tank pic, just before it turned green. 

I agree with Storm that the green water isn't the problem. For me, the problems were mainly the rotting food and corpes, and the severe tail rot. I completely understand how tanks go wrong and how hard it is to figure out what to do, if the fish are sick.

I was in the area today and popped by, so I have an update. As April suggested, the fish in one of the tanks all died and the tank has been packed up and put away. I offered a hand with the other one (although the 17 year old tank owner did do almost all of the work) and it's looking alright for 25 minutes' work. I've offered some plants, and suggested the free aquarium courses at Dunbar and Kits community centres in Feb. 

Your ideas really did help me figure out what to do. I've adopted sick fish in the past, in particular a corydora that had every disease I'd ever heard of (apparently), which became one of my favourite fish (ugly and personable). But I think the young man will get the hang of it with this tank now. 

I felt a bit awkward at first, offering to help with the tank. After all, I don't really know them and it's not like I would run into their kitchen and do their dishes. But it turned out to be kind of fun, siphoning out fish bits and food grunge, and I got a cup of tea in return, maybe made some new friends. 

Thank you for the advice.


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

what an inspiring thread


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## Tazzy_toon (Jul 25, 2011)

So happy to hear that it all turned out. You handled it well and should be very proud of yourself.

My daughters friend had a 10 g tank full of guppies just breeding and being neglected, they started getting bad bent tail and it was frustrating for me. I did take some of them of their hands, but in the end they where just too far gone. I still have one of the babies tho that is quite pretty and so does my daughter. So at least I was able to save some of the fry. 

They finally gave up and put the tank away. Glad you had more success.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Great to hear, Maureen. Well done.


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

There should definitely be more people like you morainy.


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## InfraredDream (Jun 24, 2010)

I am so glad to read about the happy ending! Great that you motivated and helped save this tanks and the fishes!


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words. Today, the young fish owner came over with a bag of fish! They were sick and he didn't know what to do with them. It's clearly ick, only the second time I've ever seen it (the first was at a pet store not long ago). Luckily, I have a spare tank and some ich meds. Only one of the fish is very covered in it, the others only have a couple of spots. 

But, I was saving the plants in that tank for the school's aquarium. Now that there are fish with ich in that tank, will it be too risky for the school's tanks if I take the plants (wisteria) over there? (Once the fish have recovered, of course) Or are these plants doomed? They are brand new, still with their weights and root wrappers.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

the plants arent doomed, but you may want to dip them in a mild bleach or potassium permamaganate (sp?) dip before transfering them.

I'd be happy to lend you my UV sterilizer, if you'd like. It will help with the ich treatment. My sister is coming out my way from Vancouver tomorrow - she'd be happy to pass it on to you.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi, Storm! That's so thoughtful of you!

I'll give the meds a try for a few days, but if the ich starts to look worse rather than better, I'll take you up on your offer. Only one of the fish is really covered in it -- the rest, I wouldn't notice if the one fish didn't look so obviously sick. There's 5 gallons of water per fish in this tank, so I hope that if I keep it clean, the ich will disappear. Then, I'll empty and sterilize the tank.

I didn't even notice the ich on the fish when I was over there helping the young man clean the tank. The fish in the other tank were all sick with severe tail rot/fin rot and fungus, etc, but these fish, though one had a bit of fluffy stuff on its mouth, didn't look overtly sick. I wonder if they got ich because of the water change? (I tried to be careful, but maybe it was still too much of a difference?) Or if they already had ich.

How much bleach can I put in the water (2 gallon pail) when I add the plants? How long should I leave them in? And, I sure don't want to spread this to any other fish, I wonder if I should just buy the school another couple of bunches of wisteria? (Or maybe I should just start bringing them tossed salad -- their crayfish have had babies and they go through plants like coleslaw!)



Ursus sapien said:


> the plants arent doomed, but you may want to dip them in a mild bleach or potassium permamaganate (sp?) dip before transfering them.
> 
> I'd be happy to lend you my UV sterilizer, if you'd like. It will help with the ich treatment. My sister is coming out my way from Vancouver tomorrow - she'd be happy to pass it on to you.


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## dsouthworth (Nov 21, 2011)

Same problem. I'd love tom help a friends tank. 
If anybody has old gear she'd be glad to take it.

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-equipment-classifieds-27/lf-help-24599/


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Charles and others have mentioned in various threads that the ich parasite is ubiquitous in home aquariums. The premise is that, under certain conditions, it flares up and becomes noticeable. If that's true (and it does make sense, as this is true of some other aquarium diseases) then 'your' fish were already exposed to the parasite and the stress of the water change may have triggered the flare-up. Chances are, though, that they were already at the infected stage and moving them just made it easier to spot the problem.

UV sterilizers work by killing the parasite in its free-swimming stage, when it's moving through the water column and infecting new hosts. I prefer the sterilizers to medications because, well, as a general statement, I dislike throwing chemicals into my tanks. Some of the meds, like malachite green (a Class II Health Hazard in Canada and a risk to pregnant women), pose a health risk to users.

As for the bleach, try a ten minute dip in a ten% solution. Remove, rinse in a bucket of fresh water, then immerse in a solution of fresh water and a water dechlorinator. Rinsing in fresh water alone is not enough for delicate plants, as the leaves will still melt. Water temperature should be consistent across all three immersions so as to not additionally stress the plant.

Hope this helps cheers, Storm


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

With respect to and in addition to what Ursus Sapien talked about, I have experienced and learnt that ich break out if your fish are stressed in which there is something wrong with the aquarium environment. 

Before going ahead and wasting money in medication, it's always beat to assess the tank conditions and ask yourself what could be stressing the fish. When you catch the ich, there's already a highly likelihood that the infected fish may not survive. 

I found that if you have the right conditions for your fish, then they will I overcome most common ailments simply with more frequent water changes but in small percentages of 10% or so every day or two. Almond leaves have helped improved the health and well being of the fish in my tank. 

Sent from my Samsung Mobile using Tapatalk


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I appreciate that info, jobber604. And I agree completely. I'm not exactly sure whether the neglected tank was responsible for these fish having ich, or whether my encouraging the teenager to clean the neglected tank was responsible, but now the fish are at my house in clean water, with lots of space and a good filter and heater. I keep emergency meds on hand so I'm trying them out, gambling that getting rid of the ich will be helpful to them .. But I'll try to make sure that they aren't over medicated. I haven't treated ich before, so I don't know how long it will take to respond. So far, no visible difference that I can see. Fish are eating well, though (possibly because I didn't feed them the first day).

My worst nightmare for this situation is that after convincing the young man to clean his tank and take better care of his fish, I end up actually killing all of them! From meddler to murderer in one week! Reminds me of the time I killed my friend's goldfish when I was eight or ten, while looking after it.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

"from meddler to murderer" lol sounds like an Agatha Christie novel


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

You have to keep an eye out for the fish when you swap them from a "neglected tank" to a really "clean" tank. That in itself is also stressful for the fish as the fish has adapted to the "negated" tank environment, they may be not be as adaptive to the "cleaner" tank. So in hindsight, this may stress the fish leading to the ich outbreak. See how it goes. Great job for finding a new home for them, hopefully they'll be happier in the their new surrounding.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

In my limited experience (2 or 3 cases I think) with FW ick kill fish, I found it kill fish faster. I also has luck with the SERA brand, two treatments and usually gone. So I usually treat as soon as I see them.

In SW, ick always seems to be there especially if you have a couple of tangs. I observe if it is serious, if not I will just let the fish ride it out. Just treated my entire 250g system with 2 bottles of Ick-X because it is spreading. So far seems like the battle is almost over but still monitoring.

Otherwise, I am with Storm, don't like chemicals in general.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Good luck with this, Maureen. And keep in mind that even under the assumption that the ick outbreak is related to the change of tanks (which isn't certain), and even if you do lose a few fish to it, you are still giving them a chance. According to your description of the original tank, every single fish in there was doomed if it weren't for you.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks, everyone. The fish are looking pretty much the same -- one sick one, the others not really showing much in the way of symptoms.

Just to clarify -- the fish showed signs of ich in their own tank, but after we cleaned it. The young man brought them over to my place because they were sick. It's possible that they had ich before we cleaned the tank (the fish in the other tank were all sick and dying when I went over) but I suspect that cleaning the tank stressed them. So, now I realize that they were probably double stressed by the cleaning and then the subsequent move to my house. I hope they survive. 

The only upside is that if the young man hadn't brought them over, the boy's mother was going to euthanize them like the other tank's fish. She's quite freaked out by sick fish. So, at least they have a chance, even if I'm possibly killing them with love.

I hope that the young fish keeper attends the aquarium workshop this weekend at one of the community centres (Dunbar and Kits). Or joins BCA!


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