All fish in the tank "tanked"; I've taken out EVERYTHING in the tank but need help.?

What is the best way to clean the fish tank itself, the little artificial flowers %26amp; bridges, etc. before starting over with new fish? Tks. p.s. one by one the fish began to die - 11 of them in a 10 gal. tank.

All fish in the tank "tanked"; I've taken out EVERYTHING in the tank but need help.?
take out all decorations and scrub them with as hot of water as you can stand. do the same for the inside of the tank and the filter.





now, when you start over, do it the right way :





http://www.firsttankguide.net/





this will explain step by step how to set up a tank. it was written by professionals ( hopefully ). dont skip any steps.





hope this helps





tom k
Reply:Just clean the tank items with hot water - no soap. You need to drain 1/2 of the water out of the tank. Fill the other 1/2 of the tank w/ water from the sink. Turn on your filter %26amp; let your tank run like there's fish in it for at least 24 hrs. Then buy a few gold fish to "dirty" up the tank. After 1 wk of having goldfish, you can buy other fish %26amp; put them in. Just make sure that all the fish are compatable with each other - have an aggressive fish tank or a non-aggressive fish tank - don't mix the two. Also you should have 1 fish per gallon - so no more than 10 fish in your tank. Feed them only a pinch of food once a day.
Reply:in a new set up you never put fish in till water has set 24 hours. de clorinate city water and use a heater and thermometer. never put more than 2 to 3 in at a time and wait at least 2 to 3 weeks before adding more and never over two at a time.ammonia builds up in your tank and kills when adding so many. never clean and scrub the tank with hot water .you kill all the good bacteria they need to live. always use cold water. the plants can be dipped in a mild bleach solution but must be rinsed very well. u need to read up on fish and start out with a cheap goldfish or two to build up good bacteria in the tank. see if they live. only change one quarter of the water every 3 weeks and do not over feed. make sure water you add to tank is same temp as water you removed. read more or go to tropical fish.com and learn how to care for fish
Reply:There are many factors that could have caused this. Position of the tank in regards to sunlight, water quality, water temperature, type of fish and so on. Water has to go through a chemical change before it can support fish safely. Freshwater should be left alone for a few days, pump running, to get rid of chlorine. Saltwater needs certain fish to help it get through the change. I would recommend you buy only 2 or 3 to start with. Buy healthy fish. Check the water quality with a Ph test kit. Good luck.
Reply:Scrub and soak everything with really hot salt water. I mix sea salt with boiling water and start soaking and scrubbing things. Don't put the plastic plants in the water that's to hot, it could deform them. Sounds like you had some ammonia problems with your fish dieing. 35yr aquarium exp.
Reply:You had 11 fish in a 10 gallon tank? No wonder they died. Your tank was extremely overcrowded which most likely made the ammonia levels go way too high. Also, you need to clean the tank once every two weeks and only change 15%-25% of the water. Make sure you have a filter, heater, and use water conditioner and bacteria supplement with every routine change.


You cannot use any soap products on the fish tank or decorations so just use hot water and scrub them with a brand new sponge.