Urgent Scary and disgusting.

Due to circumstances beyond my control (VERY long story involving a co-tenant with a separate lease), I was forced to leave my 29gal biocube FWLR at my previous apartment after an emergency move along with most of my belongings. The landlord changed the locks, so I couldn't get back in without him, and it has taken months for me to reclaim my property. He claimed to sympathize with the situation (since I was not at fault) and agreed to follow my instructions regarding tank care.

To keep this short, the tank was not maintained. It was never cleaned, never had a water change, he never even contacted me when the water got low, merely assuming the pump was supposed to be filling the tank with bubbles. So...

1. Miraculously, one of my clownfish is doing fine (along with plenty of algae and bristleworms) but nothing else. I lost another clownfish and, near as I can tell, all of my cleanup crew. My nitrates are through the roof (even after a substantial water change) but the rest of the cycle numbers are (surprisingly?) almost undetectable. I'll be doing a series of smaller water changes regularly in the coming days. What other emergency steps should I be taking to stabilize the tank and prepare it for repopulation?

2. I cannot begin to describe how upset this part makes me. It appears that, in my absence, my landlord and/or the new tenant allowed the apartment to become infested with cockroaches, and they seem to have set up a nest in my (wooden self-assemble) tank stand. We cleaned it out as thoroughly as possible before moving it, but I've caught a couple in my new place, and want to nip this in the bud fast. I can't afford to replace it with everything else that's been going on; what pest control methods would be safe to use around the tank? -I *need* to do this as quickly as possible, and I don't want to use something that will contaminate the tank.

 

Good lord. I am very sorry for your situation. That is truly awful. I'd be tempted to scrap that stand and scour craigslist for a cheap alternative. That said, I use this ant spray that is supposed to be safe for humans. I think it uses mint extract? Perhaps spraying something like that in the seams would be enough.

Glad to hear about the clownfish all the same. Good luck and stay strong!

 

ya know. I am not near as careful as some. I think a good insectiside liquid like Bayer pest control woudl work well for you at the bottom of the stand. since it is a liquid it should not have overspray to get in the tank. just keep the area well ventilated in case any fumes.

I am talking the same Bayer that we use for Coral dips. I use it around the house too.

 

http://www.amazon.com/EcoSMART-33103-Organic-Killer-14-Ounce/dp/B003BUNMBK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1416428530&sr=8-5&keywords=safe bug killer
You can also use diatomaceous earth.
http://www.amazon.com/Safer-5168-Di...id=1416428576&sr=8-6&keywords=safe bug killer

 

Good suggestions above. Also, if you haven't already, get some of those sticky traps. That should take care of some of them anyway.

 

Thanks all for the advice! I've already surrounded the base with sticky traps, and they've caught a few. Hopefully the tips here will help me finish the job.