55g Rebuild

[CassCats]

So, for those who aren't aware, I had to completely gut my 55 gallon due to hand sanitizer contamination, wiping out some of my fish.
Husband helped me Scrub the tank, rinse it all out, get it all cleaned up.

New filter, new filter media, new substrate, new heater, new driftwood, and new rocks.
A cycled sponge filter from another tank will be added once my fish return to it. Right now the fish are in a tote with said filter and carbon.

After sitting all week in a tote of water and carbon and being washed, my plants are moved back. Now I've got the tank all re set up, im going to let the filter run to clear out the cloudy sand water, let the plants adapt to the change, and maybe if all is well, later this week I can add my surviving fish back.


I plan on putting the heater and sponge filter in the far right corner, with a rock stack around it as an accent to the left side of the scape. Perhaps a few anubias in it too.

Close up of the hardscape.
Rocks stacked around with driftwood (elm root) and moss on top. Formed a natural cave im hoping my BN pleco will enjoy.

 

[itiwhetu]

Looking good, sometimes less is more, I like this look

 

[CassCats]

Looking good, sometimes less is more, I like this look

Just gonna add only a small piece off on the right, at most maybe some small anubias species just for some colour, but nothing crazy

 

[itiwhetu]

Just gonna add only a small piece off on the right, at most maybe some small anubias species just for some colour, but nothing crazy

Love it

 

[CassCats]

Some close ups of the rocks and the cave made using the rocks.
Rocks are those collected at my local freshwater river, all vinegar tested and washed. Have used same rocks from this place in my tanks prior to this.
Driftwood are elm stumps and elm branches, also from local riverfront. Elm is very common along our river, forming shrubs that grow a lot like mangroves with their roots in the river itself.

 

[CassCats]

Added my corner accent. Just a tiny bit of moss and baby java ferns on one rock, a little pile with natural caves, and a piece of driftwood. The sponge filter will be going right behind this spot.

Bonus, the heater is totally black so you can't really see it. I dont need to hide it behind stuff anymore lol

 

[AquaBarb]

Just seen your other thread Really sorry to see the problems/losses youve suffered but it looks like your back on track now and your new scape is looking good.

How are your surviving fish doing now?

 

[mcordelia]

Wow, that's beautiful! Also just read up on the other thread and that must have been a blow to the entire family, how did you address it with your kids? I'm sure they were crushed

However, to focus on the positive: this tank looks stellar and I can't wait to see more pictures!!! What kind of water do you have?

 

[CassCats]

Just seen your other thread Really sorry to see the problems/losses youve suffered but it looks like your back on track now and your new scape is looking good.

How are your surviving fish doing now?

I had one jumper in the tote, weren't happy with the space, cleared 6 inches above the water line too

But otherwise good. Ive moved my cherry barbs and melon barbs back to the 55 yesterday/this morning and so far is good, gonna start moving everyone else back in tonight.

Wow, that's beautiful! Also just read up on the other thread and that must have been a blow to the entire family, how did you address it with your kids? I'm sure they were crushed

However, to focus on the positive: this tank looks stellar and I can't wait to see more pictures!!! What kind of water do you have?

Addressing it with my son, he knows he did wrong, I explained and showed him. He was sent to his room when he initially stuck his hands in the tank the night before the worst happened. But after the worst, I showed him the fish and the losses and explained to him that it was forever they wouldn't wake up and that he has to be really careful and only ask mom or dad before doing anything with the fish. Didn't yell (as much as I really wanted to, I was soooo angry), I tried to stay very calm, but he saw how sad I was about it and he apologized and was really upset about that. He's kind hearted and he didn't mean any harm either, but he didn't know his hands had something on them that would cause harm.


As for my water type...
Soft water. GH 89.5ppm pH 7.2-7.8 range KH 143ppm.

 

[CassCats]

Fish have been all added back by this evening. They've already trashed the sand like I expected, but theyre sooooooo happy to be back, my pleco has finally eaten for the first time since the incident!
Going to keep the bag of carbon (fresh brand new carbon refilled) in the tank for a bit just to play it safe, but im thinking so far all is good.
Before they started mess making.

30 min later

Brats

Happy pleco, he found the cave i made for him

 

[Ch4rlie]

You don’t know how happy this makes me to see and read about this after everything you and the tank has gone through.

Simply wonderful!

 

[Retired Viking]

Sorry you had issues and lost some fish but the tanks is looking good and the fish seem to be doing well (fingers crossed) hope it all works out well.

 

[CassCats]

It could have been a whole lot worse.
I only lost 6 cories out of 33 directly because of the hand sanitizer and 1 melon barb indirectly related for jumping out of the emergency tote.
So im really grateful it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Ive also got 3 babies left in my nursery from the 6 cories I lost, so there's some bittersweet news regarding that at least. Hoping they grow and I can add them in to the 55 where their parents should have been.

But im so happy to see them dig through the sand and swim like crazy cories in big groups all around the tank. This whole time in the tote they just huddled there so pale and stressed out and barely ate much because they were so stressed out. So to see them dig and trash their new sand is rewarding for me.

 

[Retired Viking]

I am happy that they are happy now, I have been thinking of having more corys myself. Hang in there and hopefully you will not have to deal with something like this again.

 

[CassCats]

When I went to turn off the lights.
Thank God tomorrow the polishing pads should be coming in the mail to help clean that up