Cleaning My Tank....

[MadMan-JaMeS]

Hey,

I wanna give my tank a blody good clean on friday by means of emptying all the water and washing the gravel through.

Now its 566 litres so it might take a while so just a few questions for you all biggrin.gif

1. How long will my 2 externals last for without no water going through them ?

2. How long will the fish be fine for in a big plastic bin ?

3. Will i be best washing the gravel in tank water thus keeping the benficial bacteria or will i be fine doing it in normal tap water ?

4. Its likely to take about 2-3 hours thats emptying the tank and filling it back up again is tht okay ?


Thanks

 

[Straydum]

1. How long will my 2 externals last for without no water going through them ?

if there's water in it, probably at most a day. though i wouldnt risk more than 12 hours.

2. How long will the fish be fine for in a big plastic bin ?

do it with an air stone. your fish can be in there for a long time actually. hours i'd say. but try to get them back asap.

3. Will i be best washing the gravel in tank water thus keeping the benficial bacteria or will i be fine doing it in normal tap water ?

tank water. chlorine kills the bacteria residing in the gravel. although bulk of the bacteria is still in the filter.

4. Its likely to take about 2-3 hours thats emptying the tank and filling it back up again is tht okay ?

i dont see why not

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

1. How long will my 2 externals last for without no water going through them ?

if there's water in it, probably at most a day. though i wouldnt risk more than 12 hours.

yer they will have water in them i'll just turn the taps off and disconnec them saves me taking the pipes out the cupboard and messing about putting them bk in

 

[badboy1690]

Hey,

I wanna give my tank a blody good clean on friday by means of emptying all the water and washing the gravel through.

Now its 566 litres so it might take a while so just a few questions for you all biggrin.gif

1. How long will my 2 externals last for without no water going through them ?
switch em off and prime them once tank up and running
2. How long will the fish be fine for in a big plastic bin ?
seperate the fish, your barbs will get munched (mines did )
3. Will i be best washing the gravel in tank water thus keeping the benficial bacteria or will i be fine doing it in normal tap water ?
always usewater from aquarium
4. Its likely to take about 2-3 hours thats emptying the tank and filling it back up again is tht okay ?
thats cool

Thanks

 

[cane76]

i dont see why you have to empty it and remove the fish to give it a good clean?

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

i dont see why you have to empty it and remove the fish to give it a good clean?

well i don't have to but i want to take the gravel out and give it a good wash and also i don't wanna be dodging the fish and cause them more stress by moving around in the tank !

 

[Fella]

A better way to do it would be put a divider in at one end, with the fish on the opposite side, do what you need to do, then move the divider to the other end and put the fish there while you do it.

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

A better way to do it would be put a divider in at one end, with the fish on the opposite side, do what you need to do, then move the divider to the other end and put the fish there while you do it.

actually tht is a good idea but sadly i don't have 2ft wide piece of glass or anything tht could divide my tank !

 

[connorsbala]

Good thats gonna be a job with the looks of your sig! Fire eel, oscar, polyps!!!!! Good luck mate

 

[DarkEntity]

I did mine like that recently not because i wanted to but because the Poly kept chasing my fingers

 

[Fella]

A better way to do it would be put a divider in at one end, with the fish on the opposite side, do what you need to do, then move the divider to the other end and put the fish there while you do it.

actually tht is a good idea but sadly i don't have 2ft wide piece of glass or anything tht could divide my tank !

Dividers aren't expensive, and they come in handy for all sorts.

 

[lovemyfraggies]

Your tank will have to be cycled over again by cleaning it that way. The best way would be is to clean it over a period of time. Doing water changes more ofter would help.

 

[TribeOfShroom]

Your tank will have to be cycled over again by cleaning it that way. The best way would be is to clean it over a period of time. Doing water changes more ofter would help.

Erm correct me if I'm wrong, but if he is keeping his external filters filled with water and give them some airation from time to time, then they will still have all the bacteria necessary to keep the tank healthy. If anything the tank will experience a mini cycle if some of the bacteria die off.

Yes gravel does hold the same bacteria, but I would have thought the the externals would hold the main bulk of the colonies.

 

[DarkEntity]

Your tank will have to be cycled over again by cleaning it that way. The best way would be is to clean it over a period of time. Doing water changes more ofter would help.

Not true, very little of the bacteria is contained within the water and ornaments, most is in the substrate and filter and as long as he doesn't turn off the filter bacteria food source for more than a 6 hours or so it should be perfectly fine.

 

[adamgreen240]

can't you link one of he canister filters up to the new tank you are putting them in?

That way it will keep the bacteria in the tank and filter ok