how do you clean your tank?

[TropicalDude86]

I was just wondering how other people clean there tanks..and filter cleaning...i'm sure this shall be intresting..cause i usually end up with a big mess by the time i am done

 

[nc_nutcase]

siphon / gravel vac (different amounts between 20-33%)...

if necessary sponge off algae....

Swoosh filter media in 'old tank water'...

refill with buckets from the tub (de-chlorinator added to buckets)...

I usually spend more time than any sane person should planning aquariums so once they are stocked I don't do much rearranging... until the occupants are re-homed and the tank is 'remodeled' for new/other fish... and THAT'S when I make the mess...

Baby tanks (5gal and under)

siphon off half of the water...

put fish in bucket of 'old tank water'...

remove plants/decor and add to same bucket...

pour remaining water and substrate into a second bucket...

swoosh around gravel...

dump out 'dirty tank water' into bushes...

replace gravel, 50% of aquariums volume of 'old tank water', fish, plants and decor...

top off with fresh de-chlorinated water...

Not complicated at all... sometimes a pain in the rear (them buckets get heavy)... but all in all... well worth the effort...

 

[Annastasia]

On the community tanks,and divided Betta tanks, I use a Python, so it goes like this...

Unplug the heater and filter
Siphon out 25-50%, cleaning the substrate as I go
Add water, that's about the same temperature, along with decholorinator
Clean the filters off in old tank water
If I have plastic plants in the tank, I take them out and scrub them
And then start everything up.

On the smaller Betta tank I...

Take some of the tank water, and put the Betta in there.
Take out almost all of the water
Put the water back, and add decholorinator
Clean the Plastic Plants
And put the Betta back in, along with some of the tank water he was in.

 

[Tolak]

On a tank with gravel & deco's, I'll vac the bottom into a 5 gallon bucket, then rinse the filter media in that water. That water goes on the plants in the summer, down the drain in the winter. Vac gets tossed in a bucket of water with bleach between tanks, & rinsed with tap water before using on the next tank.

Having a dozen tanks in 1 room, and being a paranoid freak about spreading diseases, it gets a little complicated. Each tank has a 4' length of hose with a piece of screen on the end, it attaches to a pump, which attaches to a garden hose leading to the sump pump. Put the hose half way down, hit the switch on the switch box I built, go in the next room & watch tv. When the pump makes racket, it's done. Turn it off, switch hose ends, do another tank. I use the hose to clean bare bottomed tanks, it will suck up gravel no problem.

To fill, I have another hose hooked up to the utility sink with a Y adapter & 2 shutoffs. Set the temp at the sink, open the valve to the tank side of the valve, set the hose on the spring clamp that each tank has (paranoid) making sure the end of the hose doesn't touch the tank or water (paranoid) and open the valve at the tank end, adding dechlor every 5 or 10 gallons, and keeping an eye on the temp.

I've gotten a splash here & there, not more than 4 or 6 ounces, changing out around 200 gallons in 3 or 4 hours, depending on what's on tv.

Tolak