Stress When Doing Full Cleanout

[nay27uk]

I was looking for some advice as to the best way to not put my fish in stress when i do a full cleanout every 6 mths. i find the little sods so hard to catch in the net and find that this stresses the fish. last time i did a full cleanout i lost 5 fish. how can i catch them all pecefully without stressing them

 

[funkyhoney]

Drain it halfway, remove everything and use two nets to catch them without chasing. That's about all I can think of unless you can do it without draining it 100%

 

[Tolak]

There is really no reason to do a full cleanout every 6 months unless you are running ugf. If you are running ugf, now is the time to switch over.

What are you keeping the fish in while you do the cleanout, and what are you using for heat & filtration in their temporary home? Draining he tank down to a couple of inches helps with catching, try using a large clear sinking container such as a glass jar with some sinking food in it. When the fish swim in, remove the jar fish & all.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Agreed. A full clean out is only ever needed if you've had some sort of contamination in your tank or a major outbreak of certain diseases. It's not needed as part of regular maintainence. The only thing you really need to do as part of your routine every 6 months is a really good clean out of all pipes, spray bars etc. as well as taking your filter apart and cleaning the insides + impellor really well.

 

[Marshall..]

Yep just look after your filter (I rinse mine in aquarium water weekly) Do a 10% water change weekly cleaning the substrate as you do it and keep your glass clear of algae and your tank will never need a full cleanout and therefore no stress on your fish.