Maintenance Guide !?!

[$e73n]

I have read some great posts on what to do and what not to do, but does anyone know of a guide or useful post anywhere that goes through the in's and out's of cleaning and maintaining your tank. I would love to learn as much as possible before making the mistakes myself at the cost of the fish. So if anyone knows any good guides etc please stick a link up here for me !!!!

Thanks in advance...

p.s what water testing kits would people recommend for a tropical tank ???

 

[Shaun]

I use a "Freshwater Master Test Kit" which measures pH, High Range pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and NItrate.

Hope this helps a little

 

[$e73n]

I use a "Freshwater Master Test Kit" which measures pH, High Range pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and NItrate.

Hope this helps a little

Thanks very much i will look into them then there is just so many to choose from. Anyone have any advice about cleaning your tank and changing the water ??? All tips are welcome

 

[Piltdownpaul]

I personally change 20 % of my water every 2 weeks and clean the filters in syphoned water(not tap water) at the same time-works for me crystal clear water-the syphon i use has a gravel cleaner which sucks up the gravel into the tube but not up the pipe into the drain bucket -very clever

 

[madmom]

I do a 20% water change weekly; Vac the sand at the same time and test my water . The first Sat of the month I change the filter cartridges, poke the sand around and clean theh sides of the tanks. Daily I check the temp and eyeball the fish checking their health. When I had gravel I'd do a deep vac every other week to clear out any debris that sank into it. Also I clean out the filter intake monthly to prevent any clogs from forming.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Maintenance does depend to a certain extent on the type of fish you keep and the setup of your tank. General principals are as follows though:

Daily
1. Check temperature of tank. Keep an eye out for broken heaters.
2. Check general appearance and health of fish. (Any out of character behaviour, not eating, hiding, visible signs of disease on body etc.)
3. Check tank for signs of leakage.
4. Feed fish.

Weekly
1. Clean algae from glass with algae scrubber, toothbrush and fingers for awkward bits.
2. Squeeze out filter floss in old tank water.
3. Gravel vac substrate. Stop once you've removed about 20% of your water.
4. Replace with dechlorinated water.
5. Wipe over and polish (optional) outside of tank.
6. Clean your light cover.

Fortnightly
1. Squeeze out filter wool carefully in old tank water. Dont go over the top though. That brown gunk is good.
2. Trim plants with scissors.

Every 3 months
1. Service filter. Completely remove and clean all parts
2. Clean all pipework. Pins, pipe cleaners and cotton buds are a great help.

Every 6 months
1. Check lighting and replace tubes.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Maintenance does depend to a certain extent on the type of fish you keep and the setup of your tank. General principals are as follows though:

Daily
1. Check temperature of tank. Keep an eye out for broken heaters, filters and other equipment
2. Check general appearance and health of fish. (Any out of character behaviour, not eating, hiding, visible signs of disease on body etc.)
3. Check tank for signs of leakage.
4. Feed fish. starve day once a week
5. Replant plants if nescessary, remove dead leaves, pest snails etc on sight

Weekly
1. Clean algae from glass with algae scrubber, toothbrush and fingers for awkward bits.
2. Squeeze out filter floss in old tank water. depends a little what filter media you using, personally i wouldn't clean every week, when i'm doing a water change i check the output of the filter, if it has dropped then the media needs a squeeze out in tank water, too much cleaning can create more problems.
3. Gravel vac substrate. Stop once you've removed about 20% of your water. 30% for me... being pedantic now sorry!
4. Replace with dechlorinated water.
5. Wipe over and polish (optional) outside of tank.
6. Clean your light cover.

Fortnightly
1. Squeeze out filter wool carefully in old tank water. Dont go over the top though. That brown gunk is good.
2. Trim plants with scissors.

Every 3 months
1. Service filter. Completely remove and clean all parts. just as a reminder, make sure when you service your filter that you leave your filter media in a bucket of tank water to keep the bacteria alive.
2. Clean all pipework. Pins, pipe cleaners and cotton buds are a great help.

Every 6 months
1. Check lighting and replace tubes.

pretty good guide jonesy.... added in my opinions in italic, hope you don't mind!