8-9 year old Rhino Pleco seems to be falling apart

[BOBJOESIM]

Hello all, I've had this rhino pleco ever since he was a baby (starting out when I had a stupid 1 gallon aquarium back in 2012-3), and slowly over the years upgraded his tank as i figured out what was going on (the stupid fish store owners/workers I talked to said that he was an algae eater and I wanted a companion for my betta back then that would help clean up the glass and keep him company, me being in my teens didn't know that I should have asked for specifics, especially how big he would be and what tank size is suitable after they pointed him out to us) from a 1 gallon tank that I started with him and a betta, then a 10 gallon tank after he started to grow and realized he would fit on the floor of the 1 gallon, to finally this 30 gallon tank that I bought after doing some research a couple years back as to how big he actually gets (that is the maximum tank size I can fit in this space at the moment and haven't been able to upgrade or rehome him since he's grown to the size he's at which has basically stayed at around 10 inches, which is I guess roughly how big he should be even though a time period which I assume I accidentally stunted his growth. He's been happy over the years in this 30 gallon as though he does make a huge mess basically all the time (and it was honestly a pain cleaning up after him, cleaning out the filter with all the material that gunked it up after he rummaged through the tank), I used a filter rated for a 60 gallon tank that he probably aught to reside in.

Fast forward 5 years after i got the 30 gallon tank to now, and after a few days a month ago where he would try jumping out of the tank from what I assume to be bad water conditions (this is the first time I had seen him do it in his life and after a huge water change over several days and treating the tank with salt), he seemed to have gotten better and content (afterwards I saw that there was actually an injury he seemed to sustain on his soft belly that may have irritated him so much that he tried jumping, though he may have obtained that injury in the process of trying to jump out (always kept a lid on but he would wake me up at night for days on end with him banging his lip/head against the lid). He stopped jumping for a while with consistent water changes until two days ago.

Two days ago, a few days after I did my last water change, he started trying to jump out of the tank again this time I was a lot more worried though as it didn't make any sense: he didn't seem to have any injuries, the tank water was essentially pristine (7.2 pH, 0 - 0.25 ppm Amm, 0 ppm Nitrites, 5-10 ppm Nitrates) and the temperature had been consistent (I was actually worried with the huge heat that it would impact my tank so I specifically climate controlled the room with AC for the last few weeks unlike normal to around 78 F)...I had no idea what was going on. Upon further inspection I saw that he had these reddish blisters all over his body at this point, on his fins, on his belly, on his head...his fins and really anywhere his bones would protrude started to turn white as if the skin was wearing off, his dorsal fin was frayed, his scales (not sure if he actually has them but the plates that cover his body?) were turned different colors and almost peeling off...his eyes became sunken in his head...he has trouble orienting himself and sometimes just flat out lies on his back ...I guess my question is, is there anything I can really do at this point? I looked up the life expectancy of this particular pleco and the few sparse sources I could find all seemed to agree on around 10 years, I'm just wondering is it really worth trying to medicate the tank now? I'm not sure anymore. I checked the water and besides the ammonia which either comes out higher from the tap with ammonia or the ammonia test kit just seems to never give a 0 reading, it looks to be good Any help would be appreciated and thank you all in advanced for reading this, I realize it's a bit of a life story type of thing but I almost felt like this frustration over the last few years was bubbling up to this point.

 

[Colin_T]

Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

Have you cleaned the filter recently?
If yes, how did you clean it?
If no, clean the filter.

--------------------
The red areas are probably bacterial. Cleaning the tank conditions up should have helped, assuming gravel, filter and glass were also cleaned along with the water changes.

If the gravel and filter have been cleaned, maybe move the fish into a bare tank and add a broad spectrum medication that treats bacteria, fungus and protozoan infections.

 

[BOBJOESIM]

Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

Have you cleaned the filter recently?
If yes, how did you clean it?
If no, clean the filter.

--------------------
The red areas are probably bacterial. Cleaning the tank conditions up should have helped, assuming gravel, filter and glass were also cleaned along with the water changes.

If the gravel and filter have been cleaned, maybe move the fish into a bare tank and add a broad spectrum medication that treats bacteria, fungus and protozoan infections.

Yes I clean the gravel out with a water siphon for water changes (that's actually how I remove the water to begin with). The filter I last cleaned a month and a half ago (I'm afraid of accidentally putting my tank into another cycle and so I only do it approximately twice a year, it's an eheim 2213 canister I believe, the one rated for 60 gal normally) and I tried using tank water mixed with dechlorinated tap water but all the crude that built up over the semester was hard to dislodge and I think I may have killed off a ton of beneficial bacteria last time around, what I do is put the mini pebbles and cylinders in a strainer and rinse it with the tap/tank combination, but I dont nearly have enough of that without substantially going through my aquarium's supply to squeeze out the dirt in the sponge inside that built up as well, and ended up using another bucket full of dechlorinated tap (I couldn't wait for that water to air itself out, used solely water conditioner). I do wipe the glass as well with a sponge to get rid of algae but not much else to do with the glass. To be clear, the red isn't "areas" per se. They're like blisters or pimples or tumors even all around his body...they aren't like blotchy reddened areas...as I type he can't seem to move around the tank without flipping himself over

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Hello all, I've had this rhino pleco ever since he was a baby (starting out when I had a stupid 1 gallon aquarium back in 2012-3), and slowly over the years upgraded his tank as i figured out what was going on (the stupid fish store owners/workers I talked to said that he was an algae eater and I wanted a companion for my betta back then that would help clean up the glass and keep him company, me being in my teens didn't know that I should have asked for specifics, especially how big he would be and what tank size is suitable after they pointed him out to us) from a 1 gallon tank that I started with him and a betta, then a 10 gallon tank after he started to grow and realized he would fit on the floor of the 1 gallon, to finally this 30 gallon [...]

type of thing but I almost felt like this frustration over the last few years was bubbling up to this point.

Hi, I'm sorry about the (all too common) experience you went through with getting bad advice from a fish store and ending up with a fish that needs way more than planned... it's really unfair when stores do that to new hobbyists, both for the hobbyist and the fish I just wanted to say that I get your frustration, and that it's admirable that you've committed and done your best to give this fish the best life you can! Don't beat yourself up for not knowing better when you were a teen. It makes sense to trust the advice of the fish store workers when you're new to the hobby, and you clearly did what you could to give him a good life, even if it wasn't ideal.

Poor guy looks in a really bad way, I know how horrible this is for you as well as the fish. I would follow Colin's advice and update the thread with answers to his questions - he knows fish health well, I'd do the same with the bare bottom tank and antibiotic to try to beat whatever is plaguing him, and be suspicious of some bacterial thing in the substrate.

You mentioned not having space for a larger tank though, and removing the substrate from the tank he is in while he's in there would be very bad... @Colin_T, do you think setting up a temporary quarantine tote like these ones would be best to treat him in? That way, OP doesn't have to worry about buying a second tank, or potentially stirring up any nasties in the substrate of the 30g the pleco is in while treating him. I set one up recently to house 100 young guppies in for a few days, worked brilliantly. Added my heater with heater guard (sitting on some rocks I added) their filter, an airstone and a ton of elodea and live plants, and it worked perfectly for the short time I needed it, without needing to set up another glass aquarium.

Please do keep us updated!

 

[Colin_T]

New filters should not be cleaned for the first 6-8 weeks. however, after that all filters should be cleaned at least once a month to reduce the amount of gunk in them. All the tank water goes through the filter and if it's full of fish poop, then you are simply contaminating the water with harmful disease organisms from the poop.

Use a bucket of tank water and wash the filter media/ materials out in the bucket of tank water. If the filter is really dirty, get a second or even third bucket of tank water and wash the media in those as well.

The filter case, motor, impellor assembly and hoses can be cleaned under tap water.

When the filter media and case are cleaned, put the filter back together and get it running.

--------------------
At this stage you can either move the fish into a new tank with clean water, or try cleaning the filter and doing big water change and gravel clean every day for a week. See if that helps. But the fish might be too far gone to save. However, it's worth a try.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Sorry OP, few more questions - how often do you usually do water changes, and roughly what percentage of the tank water do you change each time? For example, most of my tanks I change 50% weekly, one gets about 60-70% changed a week.

 

[BOBJOESIM]

Sorry OP, few more questions - how often do you usually do water changes, and roughly what percentage of the tank water do you change each time? For example, most of my tanks I change 50% weekly, one gets about 60-70% changed a week.

Well in this 30 gal where I have probably around 15ish pounds of gravel maybe a good 40-50%? I use two 5 gal buckets worth of water at the very least (and top it off with extra if the water doesn't reach a certain level because i siphoned out more than usual), and I do do these on the weekends, but when I get into these issues I do it every 2-3 days

 

[BOBJOESIM]

New filters should not be cleaned for the first 6-8 weeks. however, after that all filters should be cleaned at least once a month to reduce the amount of gunk in them. All the tank water goes through the filter and if it's full of fish poop, then you are simply contaminating the water with harmful disease organisms from the poop.

Use a bucket of tank water and wash the filter media/ materials out in the bucket of tank water. If the filter is really dirty, get a second or even third bucket of tank water and wash the media in those as well.

The filter case, motor, impellor assembly and hoses can be cleaned under tap water.

When the filter media and case are cleaned, put the filter back together and get it running.

--------------------
At this stage you can either move the fish into a new tank with clean water, or try cleaning the filter and doing big water change and gravel clean every day for a week. See if that helps. But the fish might be too far gone to save. However, it's worth a try.

Wow and I thought I was going overboard doing it twice a year with this canister : / people close to me actually told me that when they used to keep an aquarium they never had to clean out their filters because the stuff broken down over time and didn't really reduce the water flow for them, they thought I was doing it too much even going for it once a year but I honestly can't imagine doing it monthly given the current area where it is set up (worrying about water damage) and my time constrictions during the semesters...it takes me an entire day just to do it right (not warp the wooden furniture and floor around the dresser and the desk area where the filter is honestly precariously set up but I have no other space in the area for at this time, not until I move out anyways), I keep screwing up priming the pump or dealing with the intake/outtake pipes and the water inside, do people seriously do this monthly??? I can't understate how surprised I am, I thought the bacterial colonies were meant to detoxify that poop, alongside all the plants in the tank, I mainly just thought I was doing this to reset the filter flow rate...

Both his eyes are really sunken too...I don't know if he'll survive the night at this rate, I'm just really wondering if he's just gotten really old and it's his time now it sickens me to say this and it isn't the fish's fault that I am the one who ended up buying him and not someone who might have had the proper setup for him, but I'm also somewhat excited in being able to start again with an aquarium I used to dream about with plants everywhere and small fish/shrimp instead of this lovely, but really clumsy fellow completely ruining every kind of set up I made for him, plants and aquascaping-wise... I don't really know but I've changed the water again at any rate and added some melafix, paraguard, and aquarium salt as I don't have the heart to give up on him either

 

[Colin_T]

External canister filters can go underneath an aquarium or next to them. The main thing is to have the motor lower than the water level in the tank.

You can put the filter in a 20 litre bucket to help prevent water getting on the floor.

To prime an external canister filter, have the filter empty of water but have all the media in it. Put the motor on and connect the hoses to it. Have the intake hose in the tank.
Get a bucket and put it next to the filter.
Suck on the outlet hose to get water syphoning into the filter.
Put the outlet hose in the bucket next to the filter.
Let the filter fill with tank water and when it is flowing into the bucket, put your thumb over the end of the outlet hose. Move the outlet hose into the aquarium and put it wherever it goes.
Turn the filter on and let it run.

--------------------
The filter bacteria converts ammonia into nitrite and then nitrate. Other bacteria break down the fish waste into a fine powder that turns into mud in the water. However, the fish poop encourages bad bacteria and protozoans to grow in the filter and aquarium, and these make the fish sick.

Think of an aquarium filter like the filter in an air-conditioner. If the filter is dirty you can get sick from Legionnaires disease and other issues. If the aquarium filter is full of fish poop, the water is being filtered through fish poop and the risk of disease increases a lot.

If fish ever get sick, the first things to do include:
testing the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH
wipe the inside of the glass down
clean the filter
do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day until you know what the problem is.
increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels in the water

The reason we do these things is to clean up the water and remove as many harmful disease organisms from the water as we can. Aquariums are a soup of microscopic organisms and if we don't do enough water changes or we have a dirty filter or gravel, the organisms can build up in huge numbers and affect the fish.

 

[Ichthys]

External canister filters can go underneath an aquarium or next to them. The main thing is to have the motor lower than the water level in the tank.

You can put the filter in a 20 litre bucket to help prevent water getting on the floor.

To prime an external canister filter, have the filter empty of water but have all the media in it. Put the motor on and connect the hoses to it. Have the intake hose in the tank.
Get a bucket and put it next to the filter.
Suck on the outlet hose to get water syphoning into the filter.
Put the outlet hose in the bucket next to the filter.
Let the filter fill with tank water and when it is flowing into the bucket, put your thumb over the end of the outlet hose. Move the outlet hose into the aquarium and put it wherever it goes.
Turn the filter on and let it run.

--------------------
The filter bacteria converts ammonia into nitrite and then nitrate. Other bacteria break down the fish waste into a fine powder that turns into mud in the water. However, the fish poop encourages bad bacteria and protozoans to grow in the filter and aquarium, and these make the fish sick.

Think of an aquarium filter like the filter in an air-conditioner. If the filter is dirty you can get sick from Legionnaires disease and other issues. If the aquarium filter is full of fish poop, the water is being filtered through fish poop and the risk of disease increases a lot.

If fish ever get sick, the first things to do include:
testing the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH
wipe the inside of the glass down
clean the filter
do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day until you know what the problem is.
increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels in the water

The reason we do these things is to clean up the water and remove as many harmful disease organisms from the water as we can. Aquariums are a soup of microscopic organisms and if we don't do enough water changes or we have a dirty filter or gravel, the organisms can build up in huge numbers and affect the fish.

Do you have any links to back these claims up? The microscopic organisms that break down poop are totally different from the microorganisms that infect fish. Poop in a filter is full of them but they are harmless. Poop gets totally broken down leaving an inert residue (“mulm”). The only reason a filter needs cleaned is so that the flow doesn’t reduce. If it’s flowing well, it doesn’t need cleaned (although it never hurts).

 

[Colin_T]

No links, just personal experience and talking to other fish keepers. And I have some experience keeping fish, as do the people I used to talk to about these things.

Anyone who doesn't clean the filter regularly is putting their fish's health at risk.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Both his eyes are really sunken too...I don't know if he'll survive the night at this rate, I'm just really wondering if he's just gotten really old and it's his time now it sickens me to say this and it isn't the fish's fault that I am the one who ended up buying him and not someone who might have had the proper setup for him, but I'm also somewhat excited in being able to start again with an aquarium I used to dream about with plants everywhere and small fish/shrimp instead of this lovely, but really clumsy fellow completely ruining every kind of set up I made for him, plants and aquascaping-wise... I don't really know but I've changed the water again at any rate and added some melafix, paraguard, and aquarium salt as I don't have the heart to give up on him either

Honestly dude, from the way you described his swimming, his ragged appearance and the sunken eyes, I felt really bad for the poor plec and wondered whether using clove oil to help him pass on might be kinder than trying to treat... But personally, I'd set up a temporary (food safe) storage tote as I mentioned above, using his cleaned filter/heater/tank water, but bare bottom and medicating him for a few days. If he didn't show signs of rallying within 3-4 days, or if he went downhill further, then I'd be considering whether to use clove oil to euthanise him.

It's completely your decision of course. It all depends on your personal views on euthanasia, whether you've tried everything, if you believe an animal is suffering. I'm new to keeping plecos myself - mine are only juveniles, and I couldn't find anything on rhino plecos typical lifespans (wild or captive) when I googled last night.

Personally, I'd want him a clean set up with a cleaned (but not with chlorinated water of course) filter, and the medication to give him a decent shot. You never know, and have seen some incredibly recoveries in animals that were at deaths door. But you're the only one who can see the fish in front of you, and it's your decision. Sorry mate, it's a rough position to be in.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Wow and I thought I was going overboard doing it twice a year with this canister : / people close to me actually told me that when they used to keep an aquarium they never had to clean out their filters because the stuff broken down over time and didn't really reduce the water flow for them, they thought I was doing it too much even going for it once a year but I honestly can't imagine doing it monthly given the current area where it is set up (worrying about water damage) and my time constrictions during the semesters...it takes me an entire day just to do it right (not warp the wooden furniture and floor around the dresser and the desk area where the filter is honestly precariously set up but I have no other space in the area for at this time, not until I move out anyways), I keep screwing up priming the pump or dealing with the intake/outtake pipes and the water inside, do people seriously do this monthly??? I can't understate how surprised I am, I thought the bacterial colonies were meant to detoxify that poop, alongside all the plants in the tank, I mainly just thought I was doing this to reset the filter flow rate...

Canister filters! You sound like me when I first got one. Which filter do you have? I HATED my canister for the first three-four months that I had it. Kept getting clogged, flow slowing to a trickle, leaking, I had so much trouble priming it and getting it running again whenever something when wrong or I tried to clean it. Found some guppy fry in the damn thing when I opened it to clean it one day - scared the life out of me! The intake sponge had split, leaving a gap they got sucked through (nearly all of them survived, incredibly).

I loathed that thing and regretted buying it, but stubbornness made me persist. Glad I did, because the problems I was having were down to me being new to the hobby, not yet really understanding how canister filters worked, and just needed to get the hang of it. Once I got the hang of it, it stopped giving me trouble, did a fantastic job, became much easier to maintain, and I ended up loving it so much I bought another one for a different tank. Will share those tips and tricks I learned with you now, hope it helps!

I rinse the media in my canisters every other week or so, then strip the whole thing down for a proper clean (including running an extra long bristle brush through the hoses to remove all the gunk that collects in them, otherwise, it all blows out into your tank when you reprime the filter, yuk). Rinsing the media in the water I've just taken from the tank during a water change, then repriming the canister takes only a few minutes. To strip down, fully clean it takes 20-30 mins at most, once you have a routine.

My tanks aren't usually very heavily stocked now (they were when I was breeding livebearer though!) but I do have a lot of live plants, decaying almond leaves, alder cones etc, and I feed a lot of live and frozen foods. All that gunk ends up the filter. I stopped feeding tubifex worms when I found that most of them were ending up rotting in the filter... not good!

Main tips are to make extra sure that you've reconnected and sealed all the hose connection points properly, to ensure a good flow and no leaks. Read the manual!! Use a wide basin or tote or something to place the canister in before closing the water intake valve and unplugging it, because water will go everywhere otherwise. Have an old fish towel or two handy. I have a bucket of tank water from the water change there, place the canister inside the large basin, close the water intake valve then unplug the filter. Once it's opened, remove and rinse the sponges/etc in the bucket of tank water. If they're really gross, I get another bucket of tank water for a second rinse. I tip out and chuck out the water from the canister (plants thrive on this fertiliser BTW, for any gardeners out there) rinse out the canister and wipe it out with a paper towel, replace the rinsed media, then reconnect everything and prime it.

Once you've replaced the media, refill the canister with fresh water from the tank - and make certain to fill it right to the top before replacing the lid. To the point that it overflows when you reattach the lid. You want a tight seal for good flow, not to leave a space full of air inside the canister, that then means air bubbles in the hoses, slowing the flow and making it harder or impossible to prime. This is why you put the canister inside a bucket or something, because water will spill if you're doing it properly. Once sealed, I remove the canister from the basin, put it back on the floor next to the tank stand sitting on the old fish towel, and dry the outside of the canister so it doesn't wet my floor, and I can immediately spot any leaks when I reconnect it. (If the canister does start leaking, close the intake valve, unplug, and start over by checking all thehoses and connections are secured properly, putting it back in the basin and refilling it right to the top, replacing the lid etc.

Then plug it back in, and open the water intake valve. Prime it using the value a couple of times, but I always still see some air bubbles in the hoses at this point. Then I gently lift the canister itself to the same height as the tank; which allows the air bubbles to escape the hoses and restores full flow, and put the canister back down again. Hold the canister steady and upright while raising and lowering it; it's just to allow the air bubbles to flow down the hoses and into the canister - think of it like a spirit level.

Done. Very rarely have a problem, just a minor leak when the dog was playing and knocked into the canister once, but quickly spotted and fixed!

 

[BOBJOESIM]

He passed last night after I added medications and did a 60% water change with salt. Thank you all for your help regardless

 

[BOBJOESIM]

Canister filters! You sound like me when I first got one. Which filter do you have? I HATED my canister for the first three-four months that I had it. Kept getting clogged, flow slowing to a trickle, leaking, I had so much trouble priming it and getting it running again whenever something when wrong or I tried to clean it. Found some guppy fry in the damn thing when I opened it to clean it one day - scared the life out of me! The intake sponge had split, leaving a gap they got sucked through (nearly all of them survived, incredibly).

I loathed that thing and regretted buying it, but stubbornness made me persist. Glad I did, because the problems I was having were down to me being new to the hobby, not yet really understanding how canister filters worked, and just needed to get the hang of it. Once I got the hang of it, it stopped giving me trouble, did a fantastic job, became much easier to maintain, and I ended up loving it so much I bought another one for a different tank. Will share those tips and tricks I learned with you now, hope it helps!

I rinse the media in my canisters every other week or so, then strip the whole thing down for a proper clean (including running an extra long bristle brush through the hoses to remove all the gunk that collects in them, otherwise, it all blows out into your tank when you reprime the filter, yuk). Rinsing the media in the water I've just taken from the tank during a water change, then repriming the canister takes only a few minutes. To strip down, fully clean it takes 20-30 mins at most, once you have a routine.

My tanks aren't usually very heavily stocked now (they were when I was breeding livebearer though!) but I do have a lot of live plants, decaying almond leaves, alder cones etc, and I feed a lot of live and frozen foods. All that gunk ends up the filter. I stopped feeding tubifex worms when I found that most of them were ending up rotting in the filter... not good!

Main tips are to make extra sure that you've reconnected and sealed all the hose connection points properly, to ensure a good flow and no leaks. Read the manual!! Use a wide basin or tote or something to place the canister in before closing the water intake valve and unplugging it, because water will go everywhere otherwise. Have an old fish towel or two handy. I have a bucket of tank water from the water change there, place the canister inside the large basin, close the water intake valve then unplug the filter. Once it's opened, remove and rinse the sponges/etc in the bucket of tank water. If they're really gross, I get another bucket of tank water for a second rinse. I tip out and chuck out the water from the canister (plants thrive on this fertiliser BTW, for any gardeners out there) rinse out the canister and wipe it out with a paper towel, replace the rinsed media, then reconnect everything and prime it.

Once you've replaced the media, refill the canister with fresh water from the tank - and make certain to fill it right to the top before replacing the lid. To the point that it overflows when you reattach the lid. You want a tight seal for good flow, not to leave a space full of air inside the canister, that then means air bubbles in the hoses, slowing the flow and making it harder or impossible to prime. This is why you put the canister inside a bucket or something, because water will spill if you're doing it properly. Once sealed, I remove the canister from the basin, put it back on the floor next to the tank stand sitting on the old fish towel, and dry the outside of the canister so it doesn't wet my floor, and I can immediately spot any leaks when I reconnect it. (If the canister does start leaking, close the intake valve, unplug, and start over by checking all thehoses and connections are secured properly, putting it back in the basin and refilling it right to the top, replacing the lid etc.

Then plug it back in, and open the water intake valve. Prime it using the value a couple of times, but I always still see some air bubbles in the hoses at this point. Then I gently lift the canister itself to the same height as the tank; which allows the air bubbles to escape the hoses and restores full flow, and put the canister back down again. Hold the canister steady and upright while raising and lowering it; it's just to allow the air bubbles to flow down the hoses and into the canister - think of it like a spirit level.

Done. Very rarely have a problem, just a minor leak when the dog was playing and knocked into the canister once, but quickly spotted and fixed!

I'm reading through this and definitely will take this under advise the next water change I do, actually funny thing about that little bit about using it as fertilizer, I loved using the bucket of water filled with the gunk in the gravel for my potted plants and they seem to enjoy it as well (lots of flowering/fruiting plants that can probably take advantage of the extra nutrients haha). The part about filling the canister to the top might come really in handy, I've been really cautious about that because there's all these warning labels about not exposing the outside/top of it to water but I honestly just think it's not too much of a worry if I put it in the sink first...what I had been doing to prime the pump back up again was backfilling both of the intake and outtake hoses with water like a complete buffoon spending several hours in the process...I will mention that I can't actually have the canister at the same level as the tank, both based off the current piping and the space issue I have here but the rest of this seems like I can definitely take advantage of, thank you! I think when I eventually get back into fish (actually considering making the tank planted first now that he's you know...) I will try doing it every other month to start with when my stocking isn't too high