Wel, next time you could quarintine (sp?) by buying a cheap smaller tank for a week or two... And on keeping the current one alive, you should just chean out the tank REALLY well and call and ask a pet store/vet if it would be ok to use a 10% bleach solution. If iut is, clean the tank with the 10% bleach solution and leave it in the sun for a while before rinsing it VERY well.