# Morning all! Post your maintenance pics!



## Chrispowell (4 Sep 2016)

Morning everyone! Thought I would post a simple thread for people who like myself are doing some maintenance on their tanks today! 

image ru

Share an image if possible! I'm battling some diatoms so am manually removing bits and doing the general wipe downs. Along with a 50% water change


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## HiNtZ (4 Sep 2016)

Still looks mint! 

How come you leave the filters on while cleaning? Any particular reason?

How many heaters have you blown in your lifetime before you remembered to switch it off?  I've done two :/


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## Chrispowell (4 Sep 2016)

I sometimes turn them off but after giving everything I good scrub I prefer to leave the circulation going so I siphon up more of the waste. 

Next weekend I will be cleaning the hoses and lily pipes. Will obviously be switching them off then!! 

I'm going to get an inline heater this month, but yeah - I have blown a few up!!


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## HiNtZ (4 Sep 2016)

Chrispowell said:


> I sometimes turn them off but after giving everything I good scrub I prefer to leave the circulation going so I siphon up more of the waste.
> 
> Next weekend I will be cleaning the hoses and lily pipes. Will obviously be switching them off then!!
> 
> I'm going to get an inline heater this month, but yeah - I have blown a few up!!



I don't even run heaters anymore. The tanks never go below 23c, even in the winter. I do have a problem with heat in the summer though. 

I wonder if the inlines are more efficient. Would make sense that they were in a way.

How often do you rinse your filter out?


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## Ben Gibson (4 Sep 2016)

3 months in I've found my ideal system just about  


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## Chrispowell (4 Sep 2016)

HiNtZ said:


> How often do you rinse your filter out?



Well my setup is only a month old so as of yet I havent.. I will do a filter/hose and lily pipe clean next weekend, Im more concerned at how I will keep the inline diffusors free of lime scale. I think citric or Hydrocholic acid bath is the best way to do that. 



Ben Gibson said:


> 3 months in I've found my ideal system just about



Great looking tank Ben! Is it hard to work with or does the top come right off?


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## HiNtZ (4 Sep 2016)

Chrispowell said:


> Well my setup is only a month old so as of yet I havent.. I will do a filter/hose and lily pipe clean next weekend, Im more concerned at how I will keep the inline diffusors free of lime scale. I think citric or Hydrocholic acid bath is the best way to do that.



I suppose it depends on how hard your water is? When my tank was around 14Gh I used to clean my inline with warm water and a pipe cleaner every month. Now I'm at 7Gh I barely touch it and it still diffuses a fine mist. It's more the slime that blocks them, but that's easy enough to get rid of.

Tank looks really good considering it's only a month in.


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## alto (4 Sep 2016)

I rarely turn off the filter - I've had some fish that note the change & appear much more stressed (during water change) which is how I got in the habit of leaving it going

After a couple heater CRAAAAACK
Step 1 - UNPLUG heater
of course, now I sometimes forget to plug the heater back in afterwards .... but generally notice next day when feeding
- this morning poor Mr Betta is at 15C     but he's his usual manic self so all's well  




Ben Gibson said:


> 3 months in I've found my ideal system just about


just make sure no one borrows a book


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## HiNtZ (4 Sep 2016)

alto said:


> I rarely turn off the filter - I've had some fish that note the change & appear much more stressed (during water change) which is how I got in the habit of leaving it going
> 
> After a couple heater CRAAAAACK
> Step 1 - UNPLUG heater
> ...



I put my heater in the sump eventually, which wasn't a problem as I do tank side water changes. However, the day came where I had to clean the sump and I totally forgot that the heater was in there. After taking out the sponges the water level dropped and my friend says "can you smell burning?" - I said "yeah" not realising the sump (which is covered) was full of smoke!! The heater had burned clean through the clip but hadn't cracked fortunately. It took me 6 hours to completely clean the sump and contents worried about some sort of chemicals from the smoke getting in the water.

Why don't they make them so they know when they aren't under water? I always hated the idea of a 240v filament in a test tube in some water - not least when you see condensation in there!


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## HiNtZ (4 Sep 2016)

Done mine a few days early tonight. Nothing really special, trimmed both hygrophila a bit, hoovered up, cleaned glass and changed out 80% water.


My little Mechano scraper. Pretty good for seeing the algae and rubbing it off.


The lights can be a problem - waiting on dimmers still.


Top shot


Dirty out


Clean in


Job done!


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## Chrispowell (5 Sep 2016)

Top job! Lovely scape, how long has it been running?


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## Ryan Thang To (5 Sep 2016)

this is my maintenance for the day


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## Chrispowell (5 Sep 2016)

Ryan Thang To said:


> this is my maintenance for the day



Love the hardscape! Brand new set up? I love the kessel lights. May have to upgrade to them next year


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## Ryan Thang To (5 Sep 2016)

Chrispowell said:


> Love the hardscape! Brand new set up? I love the kessel lights. May have to upgrade to them next year


thanks you. yes it still new set up. im getting use to the kessil so far so good. make sure you get the controller definitely worth it. check out my journal

cheers
ryan


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## HiNtZ (5 Sep 2016)

Chrispowell said:


> Top job! Lovely scape, how long has it been running?



Thanks. It's been changed bi-monthly for the past year at least. Used to have slate substrate, HC canopy and other different plants. I couldn't leave it alone - was never happy. I want to build up a gravel bank on the right today and rearrange the pogostemon, then I think it'll be at a point where I'm at least satisfied and it has a proper chance at growing out without my meddling.




Ryan Thang To said:


> this is my maintenance for the day
> QUOTE]
> 
> Real nice - must have spent a fortune in wood


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## Ben Gibson (5 Sep 2016)

Chrispowell said:


> Well my setup is only a month old so as of yet I havent.. I will do a filter/hose and lily pipe clean next weekend, Im more concerned at how I will keep the inline diffusors free of lime scale. I think citric or Hydrocholic acid bath is the best way to do that.
> 
> 
> 
> Great looking tank Ben! Is it hard to work with or does the top come right off?




No the top is attached. I've heard of many peoples frustrations with the Fluval but I manage. I've got a steady hand and patience. I actually find it relatively relaxing  the whole Maintenance thing 


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## HiNtZ (6 Sep 2016)

Ben Gibson said:


> No the top is attached. I've heard of many peoples frustrations with the Fluval but I manage. I've got a steady hand and patience. I actually find it relatively relaxing  the whole Maintenance thing
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I always liked those top view tanks, but hated the idea of restricted access. I figured the only place I could have it was in a right side corner of my room, but being right handed that would have been a nightmare. If it was in the middle of a wall and I could stand either side of it I think I'd be alright.


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## Lindy (9 Sep 2016)

300l water change  
Btw, eheim jaeger heaters switch off when out of water.

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## HiNtZ (9 Sep 2016)

Lindy said:


> 300l water change
> Btw, eheim jaeger heaters switch off when out of water.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk



Jeez! I have to show my old dear this - she thinks it's just me that makes the living room look like this when I do WC on my Trigon 190 downstairs. She always pipes up when I bring the step ladders in to put the container on to siphon the fresh in 

Didn't know that about Eheim heaters - if I actually ran heaters, I'd probably opt for one as I'm a bit scatty and complacent.


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## Lindy (9 Sep 2016)

I use a pump to get the water from containers to the tank. No way I can put a storage container holding 100l on a step ladder! I don't usually do such a big wc, usual more like 100l.

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## tim (10 Sep 2016)

Hose pipe straight out the window, refill straight from the tap, much better for my back than the 15 litre bucket I used to use for a 120 litre water change 



Much easier 12 litre water change on my kitchen nano.



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## Chrispowell (10 Sep 2016)

Wow that's quite an operation you have going on there!  

Is that just tap water? If so why not run it from a tap?


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## Chrispowell (10 Sep 2016)

tim said:


> Hose pipe straight out the window, refill straight from the tap, much better for my back than the 15 litre bucket I used to use for a 120 litre water change
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Looks great Tim! Everything looks really healthy!


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## ian_m (11 Sep 2016)

90l water warmed in water butt, then pumped into tank.
Yellow bucket to collect syphoned water from tank. Yellow so you can see any fish that decide to get syphoned.
Water pumped from yellow bucket onto lawn.
Orange bucket for plant cuttings and filter foam/floss rinsing.
Controller flashing red indicating either heater or filter is off, so I won't forget.
All done in less than an hour.


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## zozo (11 Sep 2016)




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## HiNtZ (11 Sep 2016)

zozo said:


> View attachment 91222



Very interesting..... you fill up through the sump with the pump on? Any particular reason?

I tend to do my WC up top, and for a sump water change I put the hosepipe on the outlet into a bucket with the pump on then fill it back up through the overflow in the upper tank. (mine is semi-permanent covered).


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## zozo (12 Sep 2016)

HiNtZ said:


> Very interesting..... you fill up through the sump with the pump on? Any particular reason?



Not realy for any other reason than convenience..  I just fill the sump with the same capacity as the pump takes it out again. But it's a dc 6 -12 volt pump i can regulate the speep whit a controler. Depending on how much change, a 60% i still can keep full power and not disturb the substrate. If i go more then 60% i have to trotle the pump back a little and turn the nozlle a little till the level is high enough again. The fish love it, it's play time for them and always dive into the stream during the fill.. So it's kinda spectacle for both of us, i love to watch them take the weekly rollercoaster.


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## zozo (12 Sep 2016)




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## HiNtZ (12 Sep 2016)

^^^ Beautiful! I think a paludarium is my next project. 



zozo said:


> Not realy for any other reason than convenience..  I just fill the sump with the same capacity as the pump takes it out again. But it's a dc 6 -12 volt pump i can regulate the speep whit a controler. Depending on how much change, a 60% i still can keep full power and not disturb the substrate. If i go more then 60% i have to trotle the pump back a little and turn the nozlle a little till the level is high enough again. The fish love it, it's play time for them and always dive into the stream during the fill.. So it's kinda spectacle for both of us, i love to watch them take the weekly rollercoaster.



Awesome. My fish love the refill too!

I notice you got the trusty old TC420 on the wall - I would literally worship you if you have some sort of schematic for what appears to be high power led's running from it! I have 4 x 10W cobs here that I need to replace the RGBW strips with on the controller and debating between directly wiring them in with some sort of voltage/current control, or using it in conjunction with some of those LDD drivers.

Cheers


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## zozo (12 Sep 2016)

Thank you,  a paludarium is also awsome, might do that too one day... But i'm more into the open top and open air emersed growth.. 

It might appear as a high power led setup but it aint.. These are high output rigid smd strips 45 watt total, the strongest i could find at the time i builded it last year. The TC420 is a simple PWM dimmer (programmable led controller). The PSU i'm using is an ATX desktop power supply. I have yet not realy looked into the facts how to correctly drive COB led units.. So i can not say if they can be driven directly from a PWM device like this. If not it probably be the same as the 1 watt or 3 watt high powered LED, which need a constant current driver. Then it is possible to connenct a constant current driver with a DC 0-10 volt dim port to the TC420.. Then you dim the PSU and not the LED itself. 

But as said i'm not sure about cob leds and how they work on a pwm dimmer.. Didn't come to that yet.. Have all i need for now..


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## HiNtZ (13 Sep 2016)

zozo said:


> Thank you,  a paludarium is also awsome, might do that too one day... But i'm more into the open top and open air emersed growth..
> 
> It might appear as a high power led setup but it aint.. These are high output rigid smd strips 45 watt total, the strongest i could find at the time i builded it last year. The TC420 is a simple PWM dimmer (programmable led controller). The PSU i'm using is an ATX desktop power supply. I have yet not realy looked into the facts how to correctly drive COB led units.. So i can not say if they can be driven directly from a PWM device like this. If not it probably be the same as the 1 watt or 3 watt high powered LED, which need a constant current driver. Then it is possible to connenct a constant current driver with a DC 0-10 volt dim port to the TC420.. Then you dim the PSU and not the LED itself.
> 
> But as said i'm not sure about cob leds and how they work on a pwm dimmer.. Didn't come to that yet.. Have all i need for now..




Don't wanna hijack this thread too much so I'll send you a PM.

Cheers


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