Whats Your Cleaning Routine

[BLUFOX]

sorry for all the post lol just interested

whats your cleaning rountine.

i normally clean my tank every thursday.i clean the inside of the glass with an algae sponge.then i remove 50% of the water whilst syphoning 1/2 of the gravel every other week.i then take out the plants and rocks 1 by 1 and clean them in the tank water.i give the filter a good clean inside out every 4 weeks.then i clean the outside and the hood.then fill it back up.i then test the water.


so whats your routine.

 

[the_lock_man]

I generally change 50% of the water in each tank on a Wednesday, only cleaning the algae if I've got any, which thankfully isn't too bad at the moment. If the rocks in my smaller tank need a clean, they'll get it too.

The filter is cleaned roughly once every 4-6 weeks.

 

[fluttermoth]

I do a 50 or 60% change every week on all my tanks.

The messier fish (our rescued oscar and big cats) get their gravel cleaned every time, the other gravel tank gets it done a once a month or so, as it only has green neons, hatchets, glass cats and a couple of BNs, so it doesn't get that dirty.

All the other tanks are sand, so they get a light going over.

Most of the tanks have external filters; they get done once a month, although they could probably go longer. The internals have the media swished in some old tank water every week, and I might change the floss if it's starting to go 'clumpy'.

As I have such a lot of large tanks, and my back and knee won't allow me to use buckets, I use a hose to syphon out and trickle back in the new water, adding the dechlor (enough for the whole tank volume), before I start refilling.

I clean the front glass when it looks like it needs it with a (new!) cheap washing up sponge; I'm lucky in that I don't get that much algae, except in one tank that has quite high lighting and no plecs (must do something about that!).

I usually do them all on the smae day, once I've got the hose, buckets and towels out it sems silly to just do one!

 

[Blubble37]

evey sunday it's a 50% water change, every other sunday its a gravel vac as well and once a month i clean the filters out

 

[HayzH]

if i have time i do all 4 tanks on the same day.
algea magnet the sides, sand/gravel vac out about 50% once a week, wash fake plants/rocks if green.
Clean filter out, clean propeller etc once a month.
Wipe front of tank glass when needed.

 

[Akasha72]

First I put my 30 litre storage box on top of the table set up I've done (coffee table + folding table on top means it's higher than my tank yay!) and fill with temp matched de-chorinated water and put my new algard syphon in there. And switch off the heater and filter - I leave the lights on so I can see what I'm doing. Dangerous I know

My fish are famous for hiding things under the bogwood - usually bits of algae wafer that they've pushed under there and can't get to to finish so taking that out and dumping it on a towel is the next thing. Then I do a gravel vac round syphoning about 30 litres of the water. Clean any algae off the front glass panel (I want some more oto's so I'm letting algae develop on the sides and back) and set my other syphon going to re-fill ... all on a Sunday afternoon. I clean my filter sponges about once a month or so - depends if I remember lol

I then stand back and look at all the bits of algae I've missed and watch the fish doing huge poo's and think "ah stuff it, it be right!"

 

[Clarousel]

I clean my tank every week on Tuesday. Wipe algae off the glass if there's any, gravel vac every 2 weeks. I brush off any algae on my ferns with a toothbrush and clean the filter media about once a month.


Was wondering for a planted tank where you can't gravel vac too much, what can you do about the gravel getting slightly dirty with debris?

 

[fluttermoth]

It doesn't matter that much, as long as the debris is poo, not left over food. You just have to do the best you can.

 

[jbrock]

Sunday and Wednesday a 25%-40% water change depending ontime, Clean the glass, vac the gravel i can get to and remove any dead leafs.
Test the water prams once a wee.
Clean the filter probably once every 2 months or so.
Cut back any plants that are out of control as and when.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Every weekend a 50% water change & sand clean. Filter maintenance when it visably slows output.


Tom