What is your maintenance schedule?

[ceekay]

Just wondering what everyone does for maintenance every week/month/etc.

My mom usually did a 50% every week and a 100% every month or so... I have done one 100% and a 90% mainly to clean the yech of minnow from the tank... I think my next will be a 75%.


- CK

 

[Britty]

40% water changes and minor gravel vac once a week. Clean the filters every 3rd water change. Once a month I do a major gravel vac where I lift out the wood and decorations and deep gravel vac underneath. Trim the plants once every 2 - 3 months.

I've never done 100% water change as part of regular maintenance. The plants keep the nitrates under control.

 

[ceekay]

Well, we had a few goldfish in a 10g; nothing special at all. Also, I could be mistaken about the frequency.

 

[fishliker]

I do partial water change every week, change 30-35 percent of water. While water is low I clean inside glass , remove most of decorations and vacuum gravel. Trim plants. In the 55 gallon, I remove one half of decorations each week to vacuum top of sand. Filters, swish in bucket of dirty tank water and bags of crushed coral, rinse them also.


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[Nils]

Clean filters once a month, do one 25% WC on my 16 every week or so. It's planted so that helps with water quality. 75% water change every weekend on my 2.5. Also planted and very little stocking. Never trim plants unless it's new growth, I love having a jungle.

 

[Slade]

60% PWC every 7-10 days with light rinse of HOB filter media.
Clean canister filters every 4-6 months.

Remove and rearrange rocks and sand every 2-3 months (or when trying to catch a fish).

 

[FishieKeeper429]

20% on Thursdays and stress coat plus every night at 8pm. Once a month, clean off the filter nozzles and check all the medias for rips. And every Wednesday check parameters and record them.


46g Red tailed shark tank
10g Betta and Ember Tetras

 

[PassengerTN]

Once a week PWC on all tanks vacuuming as I go. MagFloat to clean the junk off the glass several times a week because I think its fun. Windex the glass to remove my kids' finger prints (and lip prints!) From the outside once a week as well.

 

[ImACoolguy]

2.5g- 75% weekly because it's easy.

10g- cycling no water changes needed yet but will be planning on 2g of SW a week plus top offs.

10g- 50% weekly and vacuum

40g- 50-75% weekly. JD tank so higher bioload and plenty of vacuuming up poop.

45g- 50% weekly

75g- plants take care of nitrate so 25% weekly or 50% biweekly if I'm busy.


Caleb

 

[ScotJudd]

Hi. I water change weekly. I test the nitrates and then change enough water to bring it down to below 10 ppm. This will then prevent nitrates going above 20 ppm by the end of the week. I clean filters about every 6 weeks but I judge it on water flow, so it could be a couple of weeks earlier or later. I have noticed that nitrate levels remain lower in the couple of weeks after a filter clean, so I don't let them get too dirty.


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[lunch]

290ltr: Weekly : • 45-90ltr wc • move dw rocks plants for 50% gravel vac ( alternating sides )• filter floss rinse
Monthly : • gentle bio media rinse • filter flush • filter outflow scrub • glass scrub
Quarterly: • dismantle impeller and rinse • high pressure rinse on dw • clean out and re-organise cabinet

90ltr: Weekly: • 30-45ltr wc • 50% gravel vac
Monthly: • filter floss rinse • move dw rocks plants for 100% gravel vac • glass scrub
Quarterly: • filter and bio media flush • dismantle impeller and rinse • high pressure rinse on dw • clean out cabinet

* External glass clean as required

 

[ceekay]

....stress coat plus every night at 8pm....

^ Didn't know you could use this stuff so frequently! Guess you learn something new every day...

 

[ImACoolguy]

^ Didn't know you could use this stuff so frequently! Guess you learn something new every day...

I've never found a need to add it. Much less frequently..


Caleb

 

[threnjen]

I do 50-60% per week on my tanks except the 20L. That one is inconvenient and honestly I only hit every 2 weeks or so on that one.

I do filter/other maintenance simply as required

 

[Eddy]

You should never do a 100% water change! Ever!! Your tank needs the beneficial bacteria ! 100% water wipe all that out!

 

[threnjen]

You should never do a 100% water change! Ever!! Your tank needs the beneficial bacteria ! 100% water wipe all that out!

No, it won't. The bacteria doesn't live in the water.

That said, I wouldn't do a 100% water change. but not for bacteria reasons. That sounds stressful to the fish.

 

[Canadiver]

No, it won't. The bacteria doesn't live in the water.

That said, I wouldn't do a 100% water change. but not for bacteria reasons. That sounds stressful to the fish.

Not only stressful to the fish. I believe it would be stressful to the BB also. The new water unless pretreated will have an effect on your BB. I usually do 30-50% every Sunday. Rinse filter in tank water every 2 months that's where most of the BB is living. Never vacuum much gravel area unless there happens to be lots of debris or algae. The gravel also house a good supply of BB.


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[Dallascowboys16]

I tried to do 50% a week for a long time but got burned out as I do buckets up a flight of stairs from my outside faucet and just resorted to 10 gallons weekly on my 55. It keeps the fish healthy and haven't had a death in forever. I never test but if I did I bet the values would be fine with all the plants and the low stocking. The water is always clear too. I admire you guys doing 50% weekly on multiple tanks!

 

[sinibotia]

25-50% water change every week- depending on water test results. Basically, enough water changed to drop the nitrate down. Usually around 30% for most of my tanks.

And a good algae scrub on all the tanks with my magnet as needed!

 

[RackinRocky]

30% weekly here too. I only have to take apart and clean the filter (HOB) about every 6 weeks. If I do it sooner than that, it's hardly dirty at all. I gravel vac when I do the water changes, rinse filter pads and clean the glass. I clean the decorations every couple of months.