What's your maintenance schedule?

Bill Stock wrote:
I've read about people spending half an hour a week (or less) maintaining
their planted tanks. I simply don't frickin believe it! Either they live in
a perfect world or they're doing an awful lot of daily maintenance that's
not being included in the weekly total.

I spend about 45 minutes a week on the GF tank alone, which does not include
the monthly filter cleanings. Just the basic algae scrub, gravel vac and
water change. The planted tank is probably about half an hour, but it should
be a lot more and it's starting to show. If I ever tear it down and build a
real aquascape, I could see spending two hours a week on it.

Today for instance, I did the algae scrub, extended gravel vac (BGA
outbreak), filter clean and larger than normal water change. This probably
took an hour or so. Then I spent another hour disinfecting the floating
plants in Permanganate and doing the same for the large Pagoda (Loach
hideout). This time doesn't include any plant maintenance, other than
scrubbing off the BGA before the gravel vac. Then tonight I'm walking past
the basement door and hear one of the pumps cavitating. Damn, go to check it
out and notice how dirty the glass canopy has gotten. I can't believe I
didn't notice it earlier, so I grab the scrubber and attempt to remove the
white crap. It wouldn't touch it this time. OK, time for the vinegar. Half
an hour later I had the glass pretending to be clean again. But the damn
pump is cavitating again...

So what's your REAL maintenance schedule and tips.

P.S. This post is somewhat tongue in cheek for the humour challenged.




Depends on the tank....the smaller tanks (2 5gall and 1 7.5 gall) take
around 15 mins a piece including filter clean, gravel vac and plant culling.

The 15 gall takes around 15 mins as well but doesn't have an algae issue
but needs plant maintenance to see the surface of the water each week.

The 4ft Malawi tank takes around 30 mins - does have an algae problem
but quite easy to scrape off but needs to be scraped twice a week - I've
included the double scrape in the overall figure.

The 4ft Community Tank takes around 30 mins to do the water, gravel vac,
filter maintenance (then a further 10 to get the Fluval 404 primed again
- grrr :-( ) The algae scrape can take up to 45 mins to get the green
spot algae off the front of the tank depending on how diligent I've
been. Plant cull adds a further 10 mins including taking any decent
cuttings.

The 30 Gall takes around 30 mins as it is upstairs.

Water changes are all done using a syphon/gravel vac and buckets. I do
15/20% on each tank once a week unless there is a problem that needs
addressing. Generally I spend two half days doing it. Polishing the
outside of the glass only happens when either the watermarks start to
annoy me, I remember, or I'm trying to photograph the fish....

Time spent on NG takes up around another 2 hours a day. Then add in
research or general surfing and that's another 1 hour or so...lol

Gill

"Gill Passman" wrote in message
.. .
Bill Stock wrote:

Depends on the tank....the smaller tanks (2 5gall and 1 7.5 gall) take
around 15 mins a piece including filter clean, gravel vac and plant
culling.

My 10 gallon Betta takes about 15 minutes as well and he's fighting a
serious Algae problem. No plants other than a Java rock.


The 15 gall takes around 15 mins as well but doesn't have an algae issue
but needs plant maintenance to see the surface of the water each week.

The 4ft Malawi tank takes around 30 mins - does have an algae problem but
quite easy to scrape off but needs to be scraped twice a week - I've
included the double scrape in the overall figure.

The 4ft Community Tank takes around 30 mins to do the water, gravel vac,
filter maintenance (then a further 10 to get the Fluval 404 primed again -
grrr :-( ) The algae scrape can take up to 45 mins to get the green spot
algae off the front of the tank depending on how diligent I've been. Plant
cull adds a further 10 mins including taking any decent cuttings.

Those are pretty amazing times for the 4 footers.

Speaking of Fluvals. I decided to clean the 75 gallon GF tank today
(Thanksgiving here) and clean the two Fluval 304s. There is always one
that's hard to prime and occaisionaly leaks. Although it's been pretty good
the last few times. But today it started ****ing all over the carpet and
wouldn't stop. I found a piece of coral in the groove after taking the top
off twice. It still leaked though, even after two more disassembies.
Normally I can just press the top on with my hands to force the rubber seal
into place. Not today, so I took my rubber mallet and gave it a few gentle
taps. (Very tempted to give it one BIG tap) Still leaking I took the top off
one more time. I think it had gotten too full of water, preventing the top
from making a good seal. I dumped out a little water, closed the handles,
pressed down of the top and this time it held.

This little problem turned a 90 minute job into a 3 hour job. I may just go
back to a couple of HOT filters, much less work.





The 30 Gall takes around 30 mins as it is upstairs.

Water changes are all done using a syphon/gravel vac and buckets. I do
15/20% on each tank once a week unless there is a problem that needs
addressing. Generally I spend two half days doing it. Polishing the
outside of the glass only happens when either the watermarks start to
annoy me, I remember, or I'm trying to photograph the fish....

Time spent on NG takes up around another 2 hours a day. Then add in
research or general surfing and that's another 1 hour or so...lol

Gill

Bill Stock wrote:
"Gill Passman" wrote in message
.. .

Bill Stock wrote:

Depends on the tank....the smaller tanks (2 5gall and 1 7.5 gall) take
around 15 mins a piece including filter clean, gravel vac and plant
culling.


My 10 gallon Betta takes about 15 minutes as well and he's fighting a
serious Algae problem. No plants other than a Java rock.



The 15 gall takes around 15 mins as well but doesn't have an algae issue
but needs plant maintenance to see the surface of the water each week.

The 4ft Malawi tank takes around 30 mins - does have an algae problem but
quite easy to scrape off but needs to be scraped twice a week - I've
included the double scrape in the overall figure.

The 4ft Community Tank takes around 30 mins to do the water, gravel vac,
filter maintenance (then a further 10 to get the Fluval 404 primed again -
grrr :-( ) The algae scrape can take up to 45 mins to get the green spot
algae off the front of the tank depending on how diligent I've been. Plant
cull adds a further 10 mins including taking any decent cuttings.


Those are pretty amazing times for the 4 footers.

Speaking of Fluvals. I decided to clean the 75 gallon GF tank today
(Thanksgiving here) and clean the two Fluval 304s. There is always one
that's hard to prime and occaisionaly leaks. Although it's been pretty good
the last few times. But today it started ****ing all over the carpet and
wouldn't stop. I found a piece of coral in the groove after taking the top
off twice. It still leaked though, even after two more disassembies.
Normally I can just press the top on with my hands to force the rubber seal
into place. Not today, so I took my rubber mallet and gave it a few gentle
taps. (Very tempted to give it one BIG tap) Still leaking I took the top off
one more time. I think it had gotten too full of water, preventing the top
from making a good seal. I dumped out a little water, closed the handles,
pressed down of the top and this time it held.

This little problem turned a 90 minute job into a 3 hour job. I may just go
back to a couple of HOT filters, much less work.






The 30 Gall takes around 30 mins as it is upstairs.

Water changes are all done using a syphon/gravel vac and buckets. I do
15/20% on each tank once a week unless there is a problem that needs
addressing. Generally I spend two half days doing it. Polishing the
outside of the glass only happens when either the watermarks start to
annoy me, I remember, or I'm trying to photograph the fish....

Time spent on NG takes up around another 2 hours a day. Then add in
research or general surfing and that's another 1 hour or so...lol

Gill







I guess the answer is a little bit of rock music on the stereo when you
are doing the algae scrape....gets the pace going great and you don't
notice the time going by.... :-)

Works the same with ironing which doesn't happen any near as much as the
tank maintaince - afterall we all have our priorities - lol. Ironing has
to happen soon as the mountain is about to collapse and it will take a
hell of a lot longer than algae scraping the tanks - the only advantage
being I can set it up with a great view of any of the tanks and just
watch the fish while I do it :-)

Hey, I know what you mean about the Fluvals though...last time I did
maintainence on the Malawi tank a baby Yellow Lab dropped out....worth
checking the chambers before rinsing/chucking the water. We actually use
a door key to break the seal but as yet (fingers crossed) have not had a
problem re-sealing it since the first learning curve - very wet floor
:-( My main bug bear is I worry about not switching it back on after
maintaining it and sometimes do it before filling the tank again - it
coughs for 5 mins and gives up and then once I get the water level back
up again it is the 10 mins hard labour on the primer (still got a
blister from the last time)...

My smaller tanks don't get too much natural light so algae isn't too
much of an issue hence the quick maintainence times...

To be quite honest the main 4 foot community tank is everyone's
nightmare...it lives in a Conservatory with a glass roof as well as
glass surround - although it is against a brick wall and we have
blinds...a combination of hard graft (my 45 mins algae scrape which
would be less if I did it weekly or more often than that), some good
algae eaters (Plec, Ottos, Flying Foxes) help keep it down and a hell of
a lot of plants (I don't have a CO2 unit in the tank but add plant food
every week). I think really it is a matter of creating a natural balance
and accepting that there is some work to do and that I need to leave
some for the algae eaters...Some algae is quite pretty afterall and adds
to the natural balance of the tank - I know have some great purple
blooms on the ocean rock in my Malawi tank but also have some hideous
bright green stuff that needs to go - everyone to their own taste....:-)

Gill

Mid posted.


"Gill Passman" wrote in message
.. .
Bill Stock wrote:
"Gill Passman" wrote in message
.. .

Bill Stock wrote:

Depends on the tank....the smaller tanks (2 5gall and 1 7.5 gall) take
around 15 mins a piece including filter clean, gravel vac and plant
culling.


My 10 gallon Betta takes about 15 minutes as well and he's fighting a
serious Algae problem. No plants other than a Java rock.



The 15 gall takes around 15 mins as well but doesn't have an algae issue
but needs plant maintenance to see the surface of the water each week.

The 4ft Malawi tank takes around 30 mins - does have an algae problem
but
quite easy to scrape off but needs to be scraped twice a week - I've
included the double scrape in the overall figure.

The 4ft Community Tank takes around 30 mins to do the water, gravel vac,
filter maintenance (then a further 10 to get the Fluval 404 primed
again -
grrr :-( ) The algae scrape can take up to 45 mins to get the green spot
algae off the front of the tank depending on how diligent I've been.
Plant
cull adds a further 10 mins including taking any decent cuttings.


Those are pretty amazing times for the 4 footers.

Speaking of Fluvals. I decided to clean the 75 gallon GF tank today
(Thanksgiving here) and clean the two Fluval 304s. There is always one
that's hard to prime and occaisionaly leaks. Although it's been pretty
good
the last few times. But today it started ****ing all over the carpet
and
wouldn't stop. I found a piece of coral in the groove after taking the
top
off twice. It still leaked though, even after two more disassembies.
Normally I can just press the top on with my hands to force the rubber
seal
into place. Not today, so I took my rubber mallet and gave it a few
gentle
taps. (Very tempted to give it one BIG tap) Still leaking I took the top
off
one more time. I think it had gotten too full of water, preventing the
top
from making a good seal. I dumped out a little water, closed the
handles,
pressed down of the top and this time it held.

This little problem turned a 90 minute job into a 3 hour job. I may just
go
back to a couple of HOT filters, much less work.






The 30 Gall takes around 30 mins as it is upstairs.

Water changes are all done using a syphon/gravel vac and buckets. I do
15/20% on each tank once a week unless there is a problem that needs
addressing. Generally I spend two half days doing it. Polishing the
outside of the glass only happens when either the watermarks start to
annoy me, I remember, or I'm trying to photograph the fish....

Time spent on NG takes up around another 2 hours a day. Then add in
research or general surfing and that's another 1 hour or so...lol

Gill







I guess the answer is a little bit of rock music on the stereo when you
are doing the algae scrape....gets the pace going great and you don't
notice the time going by.... :-)

Works the same with ironing which doesn't happen any near as much as the
tank maintaince - afterall we all have our priorities - lol. Ironing has
to happen soon as the mountain is about to collapse and it will take a
hell of a lot longer than algae scraping the tanks - the only advantage
being I can set it up with a great view of any of the tanks and just
watch the fish while I do it :-)

Hey, I know what you mean about the Fluvals though...last time I did
maintainence on the Malawi tank a baby Yellow Lab dropped out....worth
checking the chambers before rinsing/chucking the water.

I use those sponge prefilters that I talked about on this newsgroup before,
to prevent any fry from getting into my fluval 104 in my bedroom.

We actually use
a door key to break the seal but as yet (fingers crossed) have not had a
problem re-sealing it since the first learning curve - very wet floor
:-( My main bug bear is I worry about not switching it back on after
maintaining it and sometimes do it before filling the tank again - it
coughs for 5 mins and gives up and then once I get the water level back
up again it is the 10 mins hard labour on the primer (still got a
blister from the last time)...

My smaller tanks don't get too much natural light so algae isn't too
much of an issue hence the quick maintainence times...

To be quite honest the main 4 foot community tank is everyone's
nightmare...it lives in a Conservatory with a glass roof as well as
glass surround - although it is against a brick wall and we have
blinds...a combination of hard graft (my 45 mins algae scrape which
would be less if I did it weekly or more often than that), some good
algae eaters (Plec, Ottos, Flying Foxes) help keep it down and a hell of
a lot of plants (I don't have a CO2 unit in the tank but add plant food
every week). I think really it is a matter of creating a natural balance
and accepting that there is some work to do and that I need to leave
some for the algae eaters...Some algae is quite pretty afterall and adds
to the natural balance of the tank - I know have some great purple
blooms on the ocean rock in my Malawi tank but also have some hideous
bright green stuff that needs to go - everyone to their own taste....:-)

Gill