ric maniac
Active Member
A clean aquarium is the key to having your aquarium stand out from others. Here are some tips on keeping it clean
Tools you will need
- Toothbrush that is fresh out of the package
- A credit card (like those annoying ones that you get in the mail, but have no real numbers on them)
- Syphon
- Turkey baster
Areas to clean with the toothbrush.
Any areas that you see hair algae. The bristles on the toothbrush grab the algae and tear it off very well.
Brush the rocks, not so hard that you tear the coraline off, but enough to get the detritus off.
Inside of powerhead outputs. Often times algae builds up and blocks flow.
Corners of the aquarium.
The area between the glass and sand. You will be amazed at how crisp the aquarium will look with this area clean.
Areas to clean with the credit card
All flat surfaces. More specifically the glass or the black part on some nano tanks. Yes, the back should be clean unless covered with purple algae. It looks better that way IMO
Areas to be syphoned
Syphon the sand off, just enough to get diatoms, carbon that has escaped, old food, chaeto algae that has gotten loose, and the list goes on. A clean sandbed reflects more light and makes everything brighter.
Turkey baster areas
If you have some "stuff" that won't come off of your rocks, chances are that a hard squeeze with a turkey baster will suffice. They work wonders!
Other tips:
- Water changes are essential. Everything gets droopy without them
- Change your lights out every 4-6 months if you have lower powered lights, or once a year for higher powered lights like metal halides because old lights grow problem algae much faster
- Tap water. It is very controversial, but there is not a doubt that if you are going to use tap water, make sure you test it for copper and other metals. But, use RO/DI water and your algae will grow slower in smaller amounts.
- Keep an open sandbed unless it is filled with lps corals, live rock rubble and little bits of junk make things look darker and crowded
- Daily care of your aquarium, instead of waiting until it gets dirty will result in a happier looking aquarium
- Do not use tools with soap residue
- Feed only what your fish will consume, prevention is the best solution to algae
Tools you will need
- Toothbrush that is fresh out of the package
- A credit card (like those annoying ones that you get in the mail, but have no real numbers on them)
- Syphon
- Turkey baster
Areas to clean with the toothbrush.
Any areas that you see hair algae. The bristles on the toothbrush grab the algae and tear it off very well.
Brush the rocks, not so hard that you tear the coraline off, but enough to get the detritus off.
Inside of powerhead outputs. Often times algae builds up and blocks flow.
Corners of the aquarium.
The area between the glass and sand. You will be amazed at how crisp the aquarium will look with this area clean.
Areas to clean with the credit card
All flat surfaces. More specifically the glass or the black part on some nano tanks. Yes, the back should be clean unless covered with purple algae. It looks better that way IMO
Areas to be syphoned
Syphon the sand off, just enough to get diatoms, carbon that has escaped, old food, chaeto algae that has gotten loose, and the list goes on. A clean sandbed reflects more light and makes everything brighter.
Turkey baster areas
If you have some "stuff" that won't come off of your rocks, chances are that a hard squeeze with a turkey baster will suffice. They work wonders!
Other tips:
- Water changes are essential. Everything gets droopy without them
- Change your lights out every 4-6 months if you have lower powered lights, or once a year for higher powered lights like metal halides because old lights grow problem algae much faster
- Tap water. It is very controversial, but there is not a doubt that if you are going to use tap water, make sure you test it for copper and other metals. But, use RO/DI water and your algae will grow slower in smaller amounts.
- Keep an open sandbed unless it is filled with lps corals, live rock rubble and little bits of junk make things look darker and crowded
- Daily care of your aquarium, instead of waiting until it gets dirty will result in a happier looking aquarium
- Do not use tools with soap residue
- Feed only what your fish will consume, prevention is the best solution to algae
