With a couple of reservations, I concur with what others have posted here.
@Colin_T and
@seangee are right on the mark [edit, as is
@Retired Viking who posted wile I was typing this], but I will comment on the specifics raised in post #7 by
@cupofjoel.
Do a 50% water change every 1-2 weeks and gravel vac at the same time
Partial water changes should be once a week [= "regular"] and they must be substantial. This can sometimes depend upon the fish load (involving not just numbers but species and behaviours, something many fail to realize) but the fact remains that even with only minimal fish, the more water changed the better the fish will be. We can never even begin to replicate the change-over of water in the fishes' habitats, so the more water changed the better. This leads into the "last" point so I'll respond to that...
Lastly, always test your water parameters after the water change
The more water changed, the more stable the parameters. This assumes the aquarium is biologically balanced to begin with, and not overstocked (too many fish, or too large fish, or non-compatible species combination...all of which impacts the biological system more). The parameters should be identical from week to week, permanently. The pH is a good indicator parameter (GH and KH are less likely to be significantly fluctuating, but that's another issue entirely), and if you test the tank water prior to the water change, and the pH is always the exact same or only one or two decimal places different--that is a stable biological system. I ran tests of pH on my tanks for a couple years, for several months always prior to the water change, a day or two after, and then less regular, for 2-3 years. Each tank had its own pH, but it never varied, never. That is what you want. Even though the tank pH is say 5, or another is 6.2, and the tap water is 7.0 or 7.2, the pH never varies from week to week; the water change raises it by maybe two or three decimal points, but only for a couple hours.
Nitrate, not a parameter technically but a condition, is another important test. Here again, it should never go up between water changes; if it does, there is something wrong. A stable biological system involves biological and chemistry factors that being in sync will maintain a stable system and it will respond properly to any adversity (within reason) and deal with it.
Clean the canister 1-2 days after the water change (or vice versa...the stagger approach)
I used to do this with my canister filter tanks, but more out of saving energy than real need. When I had my house with a fishroom of 8+ tanks, including the 115g, 90g and 70g, it took three hours to do the water changes alone. No problem with that, but spending an hour to properly clean the canister (including the filter hoses and media) was a lot, and this task was done later in the week and I usually did the three large tank canisters at once to avoid more mess.
The aim is to have a biological system that is stable without the filter running. The filter in my tanks is only there to move water, to provide currents either for fish, or to ensure a good surface exchange of oxygen/CO2. I never rely upon them for biological filtration. If the tank depends upon the filter for this, it is more likely not in balance to begin with. However, I do have live plants, and every tank has a good cover of floating plants, and no filter will ever equal these unless the tank is biologically imbalanced to start with.
Only use tank water to clean your media (sponges, etc.)
I have never done this, in more than 30 years of fish keeping. Same principle as above...if the tank depends upon the filter, there is likely something wrong. And if the tank can function biologically without the filter, then it does not matter whether you kill nitrifying bacteria or not. But the other thing is, that chlorine alone is not likely to kill this bacteria; chloramine might, I have not looked into that. I recall a marine biologist teelling me a few years ago that she always advises new tank owners to use tank water for the first few months, out of caution because they are less likely to recognize things, but after that, waste of effort. And here again, floating plants make this all completely irrelevant; the amount of ammonia/ammonium that floating plants can take up is considerable; Tom Barr once mentioned to me that it would be virtually impossible to overload an established planted tank with too many fish to ever cause ammonia to rise above zero. Within reason obviously.
