r/Aquariums • u/Main_Initial_7118 • Jan 25 '24

Parents cleaned my tanks without asking :/ Betta

Came home today to this. First pic is what they put the fish in for god knows how long, last pic is my tank before they cleaned it. They told me it was bc my room looked “messy”. They are old so I don’t blame them…. But damn…

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u/OldschoolFRP Jan 25 '24

I can remember (barely) that a total breakdown, scrubbing, rinsing, and refilling was still an accepted routine cleaning method in the 1970s. It must have been printed in some older books. There’s a chance the parents were taught this in the distant past.

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u/BasicIntroduction129 Jan 25 '24

I remember washing all the gravel, and using detergent to wash the filter! I rinsed it well of course. I don't ever remember dechlorinating the tap water either. That was in the 80s. My goldfish lived for many years.

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u/DeborahJeanne1 Jan 25 '24

I’m not rational when it comes to shit like this. I would be pissed and they would know it. I don’t know how old OP is, but I would move out. End of story. Back in the 70s I didn’t know to cycle. I set up a 55g, let the water sit for a week to let the chlorine evaporate. Added fish. None died.