cleaning time...

[NuSkool]

okay, so i'm half way through cleaning out my tank and i get an anxiety attack... I've only left water out for 15 hours, do I need to add start right A and B?
What do I use to clean the glass? Isn't a normal sponge or scourer chemically treated? How do I make it neutral? Do I just rinse it under the tap, washing up detergent?
Argh! The poor fish are swimming around with no light, heater or filter on, and here i am in front of my puter.
Any help would be fantastic.

 

[NuSkool]

okay, so being on the other side of the world does not help for immediate answers needed, understandably! I called up the LFS and they gave me the advice i needed, just putting in enough start right for half the amount of water i put in, i cleaned the tank sides with the edge of the fish scoop... a method i'll have to reassess, which in turn means another trip to the LFS... and won't that be a chore!?! hehe
so i've solved my own problem, its ok, u can laugh, im an idiot.

 

[wuvmybetta]

I change out about 25% of the water once a week, one week I'll just scoop out that much water and replace it with treated water ,the next week I'll syphon and gravel vac 25% out
I'm fairly new to all of it so I'm not sure what kind of advice your looking for, the best thing I've ever bought is an algae magnet, it saves time and it's so easy because you can just slide the scrubber from the outside

 

[Fishsmurf]

NuSkool,

Hi & welcome.

The amount of water you need to change is down to the amount of NitrAtes you are showing & the species of fish you keep. Most people find approx 25 - 30% weekly does the job. By a test kit for NitrAtes & keep them between 0 - 40, after a while you will find out how much water you need to change to achieve this. Remember to condition that water with something to remove the chlorine / chloramine added by the water companies.

Also treat yourself to a gravel vac if you haven't already got one, that way you can syphon water out and clean the gravel at the same time.

For cleaning the glass you can by an algae pad (looks like a brillo pad) or the magnetix algae scraper already suggested. You should be able to get either of these from you LFS.

Never rinse anything you want to use for cleaning the tank under the tap. Always wash or rinse things in the tank water you have removed during that water changes.

HTH and if you have got any more questions shout.....

 

[NuSkool]

Thanks guys, got my system sorted, kinda. I did the 25% change and did the filter in the tank water. Got my gravel vac and will buy a magnetic thingy tomorrow, i guess i should fork out for a testing kit to check my levels of ammonia, nitrates and pH. Knowing my luck they'll all be way outta whack and i'll be back there next weekend for some remedial chemicals. Just gotta keep reminding myself not to buy any more fish! They all seem pretty happy though (fingers crossed).
Cya