Monthly tank maintenance

[MoparORnoCAR]

First off, dont be scared. If your willing to drive arround in some deathtrap dodge, you have the courage to deal with this (GMC IS 4 ME!!) MY routine is to test the water twice weekly. I tend to do water changes between 20-40ppm of nitrate, or if the levels are not there after 2 weeks (rare) I do one anyways. I always gravel vac as much as I can, then use the old tank water to rinse the filter media and replace it. If there is algae, which isnt often, I will scrape that off first so the vac, and filter will get most of it out of the water column.

I will second (or third?whatever) that carbon is not needed unless for those specific purposes mentioned above. But it can be a bed for bacteria, so if its in there already, leaving it wont hurt.

I dont have experience with canisters, but Ive read more than one thread where some eety beety springloaded part flies off into the abbismal nowhere, so be careful with that.

If you would call this a "deathtrap dodge", then yes, I am guilty....It's actualy a Plymouth

back on subject, So I don't have to change the carbon, eh? thats good...I'll probably chnage it every other month or so just to be safe. The guy I bought the tank from showed me all the tiny parts like you said that like to fly off and get lost so I will take my time with that for sure!!

So pretty much I just rise everything off in tank water?? Thats it?

I will remember to let the bio wheels float around in the tank while the filter is off. How long can you have the filter off before the fish are effected?

anything else I should remember or watch out for?

 

[SnowHeart]

This is helpful. I was getting tired of buying replacement foam (sponge) media inserts.

Mopar: Lots of people here don't use carbon at all given the associated long-term expense. For myself, I've only got a 29g and a 12g, so I figure a new carbon filter once a month isn't that bad... you can never have "too much" filtration, after all. Plus I worry about minerals and stuff in my local water supply, so... (But, I suppose if I had a lot of tanks and the expense started to add up, I'd probably skip it too.)

 

[sumthin fishy]

You should be ok with it off for at least an hour. Seems like youve got all the bases covered. You should really get a test kit if you dont have one already. Make sure not to change out too much water, as rapid changes can affect the fish, even if its a change for the better.

And my gosh, a plymouth? Even worse!! J/k man, is that a fury? I like all musclecars, compitition improves the breed. Hey, at least your not a ford guy.

 

[MoparORnoCAR]

You should be ok with it off for at least an hour. Seems like youve got all the bases covered. You should really get a test kit if you dont have one already. Make sure not to change out too much water, as rapid changes can affect the fish, even if its a change for the better.

And my gosh, a plymouth? Even worse!! J/k man, is that a fury? I like all musclecars, compitition improves the breed. Hey, at least your not a ford guy.

HAHA, No f*rds for me, I can't even type the word :laugh: My baby is a 1974 Plymouth Scamp.

I Have the test strips which I have come to learn are not very good but I bought them the day I got my tank so I'll just use them up and get a better one next time. At least it tests for Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, Hardness, and Alkalinity

as far as water changes go, I've been doing 25-30% about every other week, I am not very heavily stocked at the moment so I don't think larger changes are required.