# Anyone else have the Tank of Doom?



## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Our first tank was a 30g with an undergravel filter and AC30HOB. The fancy goldfish lived in there until their 100gallon was ready for them, it's now the crayfish tank. 

It seems that ever since the goldfish left, the tank has had a hate for fish. Anything finned that goes in there gets sick and has to be pulled out, even though the water tests out fine. It's like the stupid tank is cursed or something!! The crayfish are fine, but I swear that they're really just animated rocks.



I've finally had it.

I'm going to break the whole damn thing down this week or next, toss the ug filter, scrub down the tank, replace the HOB filter media and basically just start the whole thing again from scratch for the crays, since they can't go in with anyone else.

Anyone have decor ideas? I'd kind of like to shoot for a stream/lakebottom biotope for the crays, which means I'll be reusing the plants, natural rocks etc. already in there, maybe putting in a black background.

Are there any tankmates that would work with crays who wouldn't get eaten?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I think that's a wise idea. I would personally bleach the tank with a 10:1 solution and then rinse out.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

I've seen alot of ppl using branches/driftwood or something in their aquariums....maybe that would look interesting?  do crayfish climb on branches?


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## Death's Sting (Apr 21, 2010)

bingerz said:


> I've seen alot of ppl using branches/driftwood or something in their aquariums....maybe that would look interesting?  do crayfish climb on branches?


Mine climbs on everything, from the heater to the prefilter sponge.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Yeah, ours climb on the rocks/driftwood. They haven't climbed the air hose/heater cord to get out yet, as the lid is pretty tight, but I've heard stories about people who found Mr. Cray in the middle of the living room or something.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i still have a missing 3" mr bamboo shrimp somewhere in my room i even pulled everything away from the walls and swept under the baseboards... it totally pulled a houdini
i think Gary's idea of bleaching the tank is wise


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

i got the 5 gallon tank from hell it seems. it just hates me


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## Keri (Aug 2, 2010)

I was using my 8g nano tank as a QT tank for new saltwater fish and the last 2 or 3 fish I tried to QT died, I chalked it up to the stress of travel as all parameters were good.... and then one day I was touching my metal sink with a wet hand and my other hand was in the tank.... zzzap..... just, you know, startling.... so I repeated it.... two more times.... tried unplugging my heater and it wouldn't do it - heater had a short  
It's too bad, I feel terrible for those fish, the inverts I put in there did much better but maybe they are made of tougher stuff (I had ended up letting it sit fallow for a few months and when I pulled it apart I found exactly 2 live bristleworms lol) 
It's funny I never felt it while doing water changes but I guess I never made the "circuit" happen?


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Keri said:


> I was using my 8g nano tank as a QT tank for new saltwater fish and the last 2 or 3 fish I tried to QT died, I chalked it up to the stress of travel as all parameters were good.... and then one day I was touching my metal sink with a wet hand and my other hand was in the tank.... zzzap..... just, you know, startling.... so I repeated it.... two more times.... tried unplugging my heater and it wouldn't do it - heater had a short
> It's too bad, I feel terrible for those fish, the inverts I put in there did much better but maybe they are made of tougher stuff (I had ended up letting it sit fallow for a few months and when I pulled it apart I found exactly 2 live bristleworms lol)
> It's funny I never felt it while doing water changes but I guess I never made the "circuit" happen?


Pipes are grounded, so you completed the circuit. I'm glad it wasn't anything serious like lighting, that could harm you big time.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

My old 29 Gallon Tall wouldnt accept any new fish =\ No matter how well I tried to accilmate them and all the fish already in there were fine -.-


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## CanadaPleco (May 13, 2010)

Ive had a tank like this as well.. Bleech it and everything in it and it will be fine again.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

ohhhhh yeah! I've got a 20 gallon that has been nothing but weirdness. It might have been the species of fish (a small, colourfull livebearer (picta) with fussy water requirements), or there's something in that water... Either way, it's been an isolation tank for for the last year and a half.

The picta have had a problem with white fuzzy fungus from the first week in, then developed a strange face-eating thing. It starts with the lips and carries on along the head, dissolving the face. The fish also get deformed along the spine. Oddly, it has not affected the bristlenoses that shared the tank initially.

It didn't come with the picta, since the breeders I got my stock from don't have this problem. It also doesn't hit all the fish at the same time. It's been over two years of various treatments, tank revisions and incense burning. A UV sterilizer runs full time. 

It's down to 1 picta, now. I'm giving up on the species. And that tank!


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

Elle said:


> Our first tank was a 30g with an undergravel filter and AC30HOB. The fancy goldfish lived in there until their 100gallon was ready for them, it's now the crayfish tank.
> 
> It seems that ever since the goldfish left, the tank has had a hate for fish. Anything finned that goes in there gets sick and has to be pulled out, even though the water tests out fine. It's like the stupid tank is cursed or something!! The crayfish are fine, but I swear that they're really just animated rocks.
> 
> ...


How long has the aquarium been running? I love a challenge.....What are the water parameters in there? When the fish get sick, is it parasites?


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Oh, boy. Tank has been running maybe a year, it was fully cycled and stable. It had a brief ammonia spike at one point after the goldfish moved out, but water changes brought it down and it was all normal...or as normal as this tank is, I guess.

The fish that got sick actually develop something remarkably like what Storm described in his post - fuzzy white fungus.

I'd have to check the params again, but honestly, I am past trying to fix this...it's all getting broken down, disinfected within an inch of its life, rescaped and restarted from scratch.

Anyone have advice on disinfecting live plants and driftwood?


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Personally, I hate under-gravel filters. They're just big storage pots full of pathogens waiting to strike. Turn off the power and out come the nasties.

Depending on what type of plants you have, I'd suggest a bleach dip, since you don't know yet the underlying cause. My experience is that a bleach dip is most effective against microorganisms and pathogens. Delicate plants such as Pennywort, anubias etc will melt, but regrow. 

A 10 -15 minute dip in 10% bleach solution, followed by thorough rinsing and a soak with a dechlorinating agent. 

Rinse the wood under running water and boil in a covered pot, or bake in the oven (wrapped in foil).


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

The u/g filter came with the tank...first tank, we didn't know any better. It's going bye-bye for good during the upcoming Great Disinfecting, but the tank has to be broken right down to do it, which is why it's still there.

The plants are all java fern/windelov, so pretty sturdy. They've survived goldfish and crays, so they have to be!


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## josephl (Apr 21, 2010)

I have two tanks that are 'semi tanks of doom'

The first is a 240 gallon that is great for all discus and plecos except Heckels and gouramis of any kind going into the tank are doomed. They thrive and color up really nicely for about a month then just go belly up.

The second is a 72 gallon hex that for some reason is doom for domestic discus but is great for Heckels and gouramis.

Same water changes, same water treatments, same food, same filteration

I've just learned to live with it...


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

be prepared when you lift up that ug filter its going to be a huuge mess, when i got back into the hobby i got a 20g tank off craigslist that came with one and i used it for several months but got frustrated becuase the cichlids kept digging it up and i didnt think it was very effective, when i went to take it out i was shocked how much fish poo was trapped underneath that thing it was crazy.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

Depending on how long the aquarium was running, the UG filter may be the source of your problem. Contrary to what many hobbyists will say they are high maintenance and store an incredible amount of waste. Most people disinfect with a salty solution, although any bacterial issue will likely die without a host regardless. Enjoy the tear down! Hope everything works out for you.....


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

> be prepared when you lift up that ug filter its going to be a huuge mess


Yeah, the U/G filter is like the junk vacuum under the bed, or the sock eating dryer - takes all, gives nothing back.

Everything live and/or movable in this tank is getting pulled out, then I'm taking it outside and running the hose in it when I take out the gravel and u/g filter. And then the u/g filter is going to the plastic recycling place, and the gravel and everything else is getting bleached.

I think the only thing that kept this tank going for so long was the HOB and 80% water changes.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

*Tank of Doom no longer!*

Well, the Great Disinfection is done! 

I actually replaced all the gravel with fresh stuff as well as disinfecting everything else. It looks a LOT better now, and hopefully after a month or so I might end up evicting the crays and introducing fish. I'll try to post a pic on the Tank Journal thread.

The crays had produced babies at some point, so obviously they weren't too upset with the tank, and damn, those little suckers are really hard to net when they're small! I put them back in the tank, because I really do NOT need another small tank just for craylets. Anyone know how fast they might grow? They're about 2mm long right now.

The crays are also a lot more active now...looks like they appreciate the housecleaning. :lol:


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