Keeping tank clean

[daveabbott]

Anyone got any advise on keeping tanks clean

No daft comments like clean it please

I have recently got a tank 4 ft by 1.5 ft is the size near or there

Got a common about 7 inch , 2 sturgeon and a small koi

Got couple of mirrors on there way

Is there any fluid you can buy to help keep water looking clean?

Someone reccomended algie fish??

any advise would be good

thanks

[Dj13]

Your filter should keep the water clean dude..
I used to have a magnetic cleaner brush that you could work your way round the inside to clean the glass. I had 6 paranahs so couldnt realy just give it a quick wipe with a cloth.

Not fancy a cat aswell??

[daveabbott]

yeah got two pumps so that should be enough

not give it enough time really just wondered if there was anything i could use

Its just gone quite merky after a week or so, going to take a water sample to be tested tomorrow to make sure all is fine then just clean the gravel and use the magnet cleaner see if that helps.

A cat hey not really had enough of them in france

[Dj13]

Yea could be the ****e of the gravel. Tbh my fish were dead hardy like so I never really worried about it.?? I did used to get it tested every now and agin at the pet shop.

That cat in trafford looks the nutz . Altho they are prity ugly I had a leapord pleck that was an ugly git!

[basil]

First of all, make sure you've got a decent filter. If your keeping larger fish such as yourself then a decent external canister filter is what you need. Eheim and Fluval are both very good.

This will serve 2 purposes - it will build good bacteria that will help to control nitrate and ammonia levels preventing algae growth and it will also remove any debirs from the water helping to give it a polished look.

You also need to site the tank away from direct sunlight, otherwise you'll be getting lots of algae growth as the tank will be receiving too much light.

Don;t go over board feeding the fish - don't give them more than they can eat in a couple of minutes once a day. Any uneaten food will cause ammonia spikes in the tank which is very bad for fish - and also promtes algae growth.

Weekly 30-40% water changes are a must - I would recommend adding 'tap safe' to negate the chlorine levels of our tap water.

Hope this helps!!

Basil.

[Dj13]

Don;t go over board feeding the fish - don't give them more than they can eat in a couple of minutes once a day. Any uneaten food will cause ammonia spikes in the tank which is very bad for fish - and also promtes algae growth.

Weekly 30-40% water changes are a must - I would recommend adding 'tap safe' to negate the chlorine levels of our tap water.



Basil.[/quote]


Yea thats the trick aswell I found the more exotic the food the more it stank.
I used to try and watch them eat but parahnahs believe it or not are pritty shy! So I had to feed them at nite and scoop the left overs up in the morn.

Tap safe also ...tip of the tounge.lol

[baitman]

you can get a syphon type of tank cleaner, just a hose with a large clear plastic tube (similar to a silicone tube).
syphon aroun and in the gracel, sucking out the crap, but not drawing the gravel up the pipe.

[aiming430]

Originally Posted by daveabbott

Anyone got any advise on keeping tanks clean

No daft comments like clean it please

I have recently got a tank 4 ft by 1.5 ft is the size near or there

Got a common about 7 inch , 2 sturgeon and a small koi

Got couple of mirrors on there way

Is there any fluid you can buy to help keep water looking clean?

Someone reccomended algie fish??

any advise would be good

thanks

your biggest problems with keeping the tank clean is the fish you've got and the size of the tank (amount of water)

those types of fish are very messy and need big tanks and big external filters with loads of biological filtration
if you cant get a bigger tank then think about upgrading the filter to something that can cope with the amount of waste those fish produce ... something like a fluval fx5 would be ideal.

if i was you i wouldn't add anymore fish until you have the water sorted out,
more fish will only add to the problems

also you need to be doing weekly tank maintenance to keep on top of things, water changes, gravel vacs and scrubbing the inside of the tank with a course sponge to remove the algae.

personally id be doing at least two 30-40% water changes per week, (using dechlorinator)
this will keep the water alot cleaner and there will be less time for the excess nutrients to build up the water which causes the algae and dirty looking water.

also get some filter floss for inside the filter.... this stuff is brilliant, its very course sponge like stuff that collects all the fines particles and gives the water that polished appearance.

dont be tempted to buy off the shelf products (usually chemicals) to try and keep the water clean and algae free.... water changes and scrubbing the glass is a much better, healthier and cheaper way of maintaining the tank

[Stig]

Originally Posted by daveabbott

Anyone got any advise on keeping tanks clean

No daft comments like clean it please

I have recently got a tank 4 ft by 1.5 ft is the size near or there

Got a common about 7 inch , 2 sturgeon and a small koi

Got couple of mirrors on there way

Is there any fluid you can buy to help keep water looking clean?

Someone reccomended algie fish??

any advise would be good

thanks

Keep an eye on your stocking levels you can have a lot less inches of fish when keeping cold water species also as you have no heater your biological filter will not work as well even if it is something as simple as an under gravel sheet .When i kept native coarse fish i invested in an external dustbin type filter that also heated the water . You could also leave things how they are put a heater in and get a Plec

[daveabbott]

Water is lovely now thanks chaps