Aquarium, stagnant water & driftwood questions

[Karen B.]

Greetings!

Here are 3 questions:

1) I moved fish from one aquarium to another about 1 month (ish) ago. I unplugged the aquarium filter, heater, etc. but left some rocks in it, as well as a branch and the substrate.

I want to restart the aquarium - I am changing the substrate, will empty/change the water, but was wondering if I should sterilize the whole aquarium because it was left with stagnant water for over a month or would a quick rince be ok? Can I leave the rock in it or it has to be sterilized as well?

 

2) I am soaking 2 somewhat big roots to have them sink for a futur aquarium. So far I was replacing the water in the bucket every 3-4 days. I won’t be able to do it for 2 weeks during Christmas. What should I do? Leave them in the bucket with the stagnant water as no aquarium can house them right now. Or empty the bucket and let them to dry? If they dry for 2 weeks, will they start floating again? They are eucalyptus roots. 
 

They are a bit slimy ish, as maybe I should have changed the water on a more regular basis? There is nothing visual, it’s just if I touch them or the glass container that keeps them at the bottom that I can feel some slimy stuff. Will it be hurtful for my futur fish? I have boiled/sterilized the wood already. Must I do it again or just rincing would suffice?

 

3) I have this 10 gallons that have been running for 3 months. I used it for quarantining plants that all ended up pretty much melting. I haven’t touched the aquarium so the bottom is full of yucky mulm/melted plants, etc. However I left a sponge filter run and did add water here and there. Can I vacuum the mulm and yucky stuff, plant the aquarium and consider it cycled? Or should I remove/replace all the water? It wasn’t stagnant as the sponge filter has been working but the quantity of detritus at the bottom is disgusting and I wonder if it could have spoiled the water quality?

[Guppysnail]

Let everything stay soaking. Once you are ready to use it give everything a rinse with grocery store hydrogen peroxide and hot water. Then you are good to go. 
The tank with the sponge vacuum it and do a huge water change. After just throw in some fish food (the amount you I tend to feed what you put in it daily). Test for a few days. As long as you see no spikes you’re cycled held from consuming what was released from decaying plants and detritus. Keep feeding until it stabilizes and it should be fine. 

[lefty o]

i myself would not sterilize it. id might give it a quick rinse, but unless you know you had something bad in there, id not go crazy.

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/10/2022 at 9:15 AM, Guppysnail said:

Let everything stay soaking. Once you are ready to use it give everything a rinse with grocery store hydrogen peroxide and hot water. Then you are good to go. 

I would take a potato scrubber to the wood or something, but yeah, this is what sounds like the right path.  A good healthy rinse in a hot shower or something, Clean it as best you can because you don't know what's going on with the stagnant water and organisms in that water.

 

 

On 12/10/2022 at 8:36 AM, Karen B. said:

2) I am soaking 2 somewhat big roots to have them sink for a futur aquarium. So far I was replacing the water in the bucket every 3-4 days. I won’t be able to do it for 2 weeks during Christmas. What should I do? Leave them in the bucket with the stagnant water as no aquarium can house them right now. Or empty the bucket and let them to dry? If they dry for 2 weeks, will they start floating again? They are eucalyptus roots. 

Add an airstone, cover the lid (no light) but leave an air gap, and just let them sit.  Barring that, dry them out and just let it be what it is going to be.  You'll likely have them with water somewhat and possibly sink if it's short enough time between no water and more water.  Whenever I soak wood I either cover it, or have an airstone. Safest way is to have both just for the sake of it.

[Flumpweesel]

When I soak wood for my aquarium it just goes in a bucket outside and I only change the water if I'm managing tannins,  I would leave the wood in the bucket and put straight into the aquarium when ready, that slime is the biofilm that will return when it's in the aquarium even if you scrub it off .