Importance of having a clean tank and using CO2

[amateurfishkeeper]

I'm trying to follow the advice of experts and picked up on a few people saying how important it is to keep the tank as clean as possible. I think some of us are labouring under the illusion that having a strong filter and doing a weekly water change is enough but it seems like when people talk about having a clean tank it's really on another level.

So I'm curious. When we talk about having a clean tank is this manual cleaning of the tank every day? Should we get the smallest bits of detritus out of a tank when we see them? Should we be replacing filter media and pads etc more often than every two weeks? I've seen videos with people going round the tank with a toothbrush by hand. Is that something that needs to be done regularly? Is it so that the plants can use CO2 effectively? Will your plants not grow if you don't clean in this way? Or is it just about presentation and making the tank look pristine? Just wonder what people think about relationship between clean tank and using CO2. Just when you think you've got your head round what's needed for a successful planted aquarium (lights, flow, nutrients, basic chemistry etc) there's always a new dimension to think about. The focus on cleaning has left me thinking the fish are a menace which isn't what I expected.

 

[john dory]

Personally..I just give mine a spruce up,if i'my planning an evening in front of the fish tanks (possibly with a few beers)
We all have different levels of interest in the hobby and some like to spend more time on it,than others.
Some like their tanks pristine..others encourage a bit of "crud"

 

[Nick16]

The plants wont really mind in theres a bit of detritus in the tank.
What most people are trying to avoid is the potential for an algal breakout. If you can control and remove some of the detritus you will be keeping your tank parameters more stable, and thus avoiding reasons for the said outbreak.

Cleaning the glass etc - as per above, better to nip things in the bud early, before any issues might worsen.

As for filter pads, ive had the same filter media in my TT EX1200 for 3 years now, just wash it out occasionally in tank water and carry on. I replace my filter floss regularly as that becomes clogged.

You dont want to be washing the filter too much as you are removing portions of the 'good' bacterial colony.

Find the balance that fits your lifestyle and the tank. If you cant spare time in the day to clean the tanks and prune, then perhaps consider a low light / low tech option. Being that you are new to the game, i would highly recommend this approach so you can learn the basics and how to grown plants well.

 

[Paulo Soares]

Hello,

I only took off plant remainings. A bit of moss here and there etc.

The detrits or organic material above the substrate are needed. It´s part of the system. Some are sucked by the filter and coverted there and the remaining, cross through the substrate, through the grains and deposites under near the roots.
Plants extract amonia down there for themselves. It´s their baby food.

Of course that this will always depend on how much live stock you have. If too much live stock then you´ll have to do some cleaning otherwise it´s going to be as Nick16 said. You´ll have an outbreak or even eutrophication.

This is what balance is all about. You can´t have a planted tank with too much live stock cause it´s too hard to obtain balance. If you notice in all ADA tanks the live stock is minimal.

Even Here in Portugal where we have the Amano´s larger tank he had made in life they introduce thousands of those so called "CleanTEAM Fish " (ottos etc) and a minimal of other species.

And why? Take a guess..

Best Regards

 

[Easternlethal]

Once a week I stir my open substrate with my finger or chopstick, wave my hand around to stir up as much crud as I can, nip off dying leaves, trim, then vacuum everything up in a 60% water change. I have quite a thick substrate and lots of guppies so my tank needs it. For a co2/ei tank I dont see any reason to have detritus and I find they just cause algae so the cleaner the better imo.

 

[micheljq]

As for me I did let organic matter accumulate, I did seldom vacuum. I have the same substrate since 4-5 years, even when moving it, i did not clean it.. and now, i regret it, i am having issues.

I move my tank this weekend in the house. The substrate will be rinsed this time because i think i left organic matter accumulate too much. It's not that i have a good fish load, on the contrary, but the plant's mass is large and this too creates debris, dead leaves, organic matter, over time, accumulates. I am fighting cyanobacteria since february, mostly on the front right of the tank.

I will vacuum just over the top of the substrate in the future, in fact i began already to do it.

Michel.

 

[zozo]

It's also a bit common sense 🙂 on how big is your tank in ralation to plantmass, bioload, filter capacity and setup.. Fast growing or slow growing plants, heavy poopers or or just critters which a rather lazy then tired. All these things add up to how and what kind husbandry should be performed. 🙂 There is actualy not realy a general rule of thumb, it's about getting to know your tank by observation, getting to know what to look for and how to address it and slowly develop your maintenance shedule with the development of your tank along the way.

The only rule of thumbs i keep in repsect is do everything in stages.. Never clean to much in the same session.. Like never perform a water change and a filter clean on the same day.. Always give the tank the upportunity to keep going in a steady ballance do not disrupt the cycle to much in one go. 🙂 It's better to do a little every other day than a lot once a week.

 

[Nick16]

I have always water changed and filter cleaned in the same day for the last 10 years. Have never had an issue. Its extremely rare i would need to hoover the substrate though and thats where the majority of bacteria are (i believe)
On my larger tanks i used to run two filters which were cleaned alternately though.

I see you theory Marcel and admire the time you put in to do it on differing days!

 

[zozo]

Well Nick we all have our own experiences and ways we address it.. I did also accasionaly because of time pressure, a total cleaning session at the same time.. And verry oftenly ended up with a cloudy tank.. This indicated to me that doing to much at the same time, disrupting the biological cycle, causing this bacterial bloom.. If i wait 24 hours whit the water change after the filter clean i do not experience this.. So that's how my rule of thumb developed and keep this in respect for every tank there after..

Good to read that you do never experience this till now, which only tells me again that there indeed is no general rule and every tank is different and we should use common sense related to our own observations.

So it's not a theory for me, it's an experience i keep in respect. 🙂

 

[Andy D]

The focus on cleaning has left me thinking the fish are a menace which isn't what I expected.

Fish-less tanks can still be surprisingly dirty. I ran an experiment to test Clive's suggestion that by simply leaving a planted tank for 8 weeks that it would cycle (Unsurprisingly this worked). Even though this tank had no Fauna the filter still got quite dirty.

Just wonder what people think about relationship between clean tank and using CO2.

CO2 injected tanks produce faster growth rates and lead to increased plant waste (decaying mater, organic waste etc) and as these can be a trigger for algae. Therefore as these are produced quicker/more often the tank would therefore need a more frequent/thorough cleaning regime.

I run my tanks low tech/energy so my cleaning schedule does not need to be as thorough as an injected tank but if I don't stay on top of it the tank does suffer.

 

[Nick16]

Maybe its a reflection of water parameters. You might have different water out of the tap or RO to me, and that could affect the bacterial bloom? It is very interesting.
Agreed, common sese is a MASSIVE part of this hobby. Its very easy to observe the tank and learn what is happening just by looking and thinking.

 

[Paulo Soares]

Never clean to much in the same session.. Like never perform a water change and a filter clean on the same day.. Always give the tank the upportunity to keep going in a steady ballance do not disrupt the cycle to much in one go. 🙂 It's better to do a little every other day than a lot once a week.

There are the Most wise words i´ve read in the past months in all foruns. I do this same routine. One day i trim. Then let the tank established. On other day clean the filter and so on.
Also i never do a 50% water change. I rather do 30% twice a week for the same reasons. For not altering to mcuh the establishment.

 

[zozo]

Maybe its a reflection of water parameters. You might have different water out of the tap or RO to me, and that could affect the bacterial bloom? It is very interesting.
Agreed, common sese is a MASSIVE part of this hobby. Its very easy to observe the tank and learn what is happening just by looking and thinking.

Could be, i do not know i just changed my cleaning routine to make it stop doing that and it worked.. Could be that i still can occasionaly do both without this occurring, i also do not know. It's a what if question.. 🙂 What ever the cause is i only know it doesn't occure when i keep 24 hours or something in between. That's actualy all i need to know. If it doesn't happen today is not a garantee that it doesn't happen tomorow or visa versa.. And most likely is such a bacterial bloom not realy creating havoc in the system after all filter cleaning has weeks of interval.. I just don't like my tank to be cloudy for a number of hours after cleaning. And i experienced it can happen if i do both at the same time.. 🙂

But its indeed an interesting experience of which i can't say it's good or bad. Just in case i keep it in respect for every tank.. 🙂

 

[Guest]

I think the general principle is decaying dead organic matter = organic nitrogen compounds = algae.
Plants can absorb these, but there is no need to leave any detritus in your tank if it's being dosed with inorganic nutrients.
Further, microbial metabolism of organic compounds increases Biological Oxygen Demand
Neither is generally a problem in a well maintained heavily planted tank but could conceivably cause a tipping point if everything else is out of kilter...
That said everyone's tank is different and there are many roads to success...or failure😉.

 

[roundasapound]

For me I like crystal clear 'Evian' looking tank water. The whole cloudy lemonade tank water, oily surface scum, dirty leaves, crap blowing around is

Weekly WC of 60%. Substrate is cleaned where possible during WC. Filter media is rinsed in a bucket of tank water weekly. Algae is scrubbed from glass weekly. Filter pipes cleaned monthly.

Dead plant matter, floating debris removed, plants trimmed, etc during daily checks as and when spotted.

If I lapse from this routine more than a few days quite quickly there are issues which take more time to resolve than the general maintenance which is lots of frequent quick stuff.