Noobie Python question

[Taelen]

Hey all,

I bought one of these little wonders to clean my 38g. Generally speaking, what kind of cleaning schedule is appropriate? I currently have:

1 red tailed shark
1 striped raphael catfish
2 small silver guys
1 pearl gourami

and soon to be 1 BN pleco.

I have heard anywhere from weekly to monthly.

Second question is the previous owner of our home/fishtank did pwc with his python and refilled with a separate bucket of water that he would add treatments to. I believe the Python is meant to refill the tank as well, but what chemicals/treatments should be re-added to the tank after removing water/cleaning with the Python? Should I be re-adding the treaments with every cleaning?

Thanks.

[Devilishturtles]

Hey Taelen.

I clean my tank about twice a month. Some people like to do it weekly, some people do it monthly. With your current stock, I would think twice a month would be fine.

About the bucket, I believe (I don't use a python, someone correct me if I'm wrong) that you can simply add the dechlor while the tank is refilling and avoid buckets all together. I don't add any sort of dechlor/chemicals to my tank at all, but I also live off a well. If you have a municipal water supply that is treated with chlorine, this is the only way you'd have to add a treatment to the water.

HTH

[clubsuperduty]

I add dechlorinated as I refill and dont use buckets at all.

[Jchillin]

I do a PWC on both my tanks weekly and as mentioned, you add the dechlor during the re-fill. What % were you considering doing?

[Taelen]

Well, we have had the tank for about 1 month now, it was an established tank that had maybe been neglected a teeny bit over the last while. So I have done 3 pwc/cleanings in the last 4 weeks. Each time so far I have removed about 25% and added a bit of dechlor and a bit of the bacteria water (exact name escapes me). After reading a bit more, it seems that in this established tank I don't really have to add the bacteria as it's probably quite abundant in the tank, although the directions say an established tank should be getting some as well.

I have also changed my filter once and it appears that there is some kind of plastic cartridge alongside the filter, this seems to be quite scumy at the moment.

I guess my biggest worry is the chemical balance and making sure I'm adding the right amounts, feels like if I use the Python to refill that I'm sort of winging it?

Another thing is cleaning the sides of the tank below the gravel substrate, this is a spot that the Python doesn't really get well and can been seen from the outside. How do most of you clean this area?

[pentiumburner]

I have used a Python or an equivalent type device for many years. I'm sure others will agree as well that Prime is a economical water treatment as well as a very high quality one so you don't have to worry about dosing the water much. I have a 125 and 40 that I do PWCS on weekly and I let the Python suck away the gravel from the areas where the algae grwos then use a safe brush if it bothers me visually.

On a side note I am luck enough to have a outside hose bib close to where I can run the Python and if you can use one since the suction you get is approx 3-5 greater than any inside faucet. Just remember to remove it and reconnect to a inside faucet so that when you re-add the water your can beforehand get it to within 1 degree of the current tank temp. I use a digital thermometer for this and it makes it easy to adjust the temp to be even closer to than 1 degree difference