Gross tank

So, I've been trying to get my father-in-law for the past year to take better care of his tank. He has a 20 tall that he has a 10-12 inch common pleco, and some kind of cory cat in. Tank has been just disgusting for a long time now. I've offered several times to help him out but he keeps saying he was going to do it. Well I finally got my chance. Yesterday morning my daughter dumped half a can of food into his tank, and I offered to clean it up.

HOLY CRAP!

The gravel felt like I was pushing my gravel vac into wet cement. I had gas pockets coming up everywhere! So after chiding him a bit over it, we made a plan! Tomorrow I'm dumping everything in his tank, the gravel and the decor. He is going to try to find a home for the pleco, and his cory cat will be sitting in my tank temporarily. Once we get the tank all nice and clean, we're going to run it bare bottom until we get a nice day out to clean a bag of sand for it. I'm also going to give him my spare grech 302 canister filter. He is planning on getting guppies again, but this time only males. (He had a problem with severely inbred guppies last time, and was getting some pretty bad fish out of it.)

I went into a house I was looking at purchasing and there was a fish tank similar to the one you are talking about..... It was the smell that I couldnt bare.... poor poor goldfish inside too... Well, Im sure the pleco was happy. Glad you got it all cleaned up... shouldve done before and after pictures.

Oh its not clean yet... I ended up removing 15 gal of water out of this tank, and got maybe 1/4 of the gravel vac'd

It was so bad, I had gunk on my hand and arm from guiding the gravel vac in the water

So today I gutted this tank, threw out all the decorations and gravel. Cleaned it all up nice and pretty and got it started again. Currently its sitting with a bare bottom, planning on putting gravel in tomorrow. Got a couple holes in my fingers from the damned plec from having to reach in and pull him out by hand.

I love the way the vibrate when you pick them up.... feels crazy, like electricity!! lol.... Still waitin for some before and after pictures.

Sadly no before pictures, but I can help you visualize it.

20 Gal tall, water so brownish-green you can't see through to the back side.

Blue, light blue, and green gravel (originally) with accumulated fish food and poo on average 1/4 of an inch deep on top. Gas bubbles rising up every time you stirred the gravel up.

This tank was so bad, I didn't even realize the Cory cat was still in the tank until I started draining it.

lol. you basically repeated your first post... got the visual! lol

Yeah its been a long day lol

That was nice of you to do that dirty job. I hope he can keep the tank clean from now on.

How did the fish like the new, clean water? They probably won't know how to handle it!

I think they were stunned lol

Must have smelled great.....

I was gagging the whole time I was cleaning this tank. It was beyond disgusting.