Planted tank requires frequent cleaning - how to keep it cleaner longer?

[SkyLight]

Hello,

I have a 90G tank that’s been set up for 4-5 months now. I have several plants and the following fish in it:
9 Rainbows (8 are medium size, one is larger, but none are at their max size yet)
1 German Blue Ram
3 Hightail Swordfish
3 Pearl Gourami
2 Otocinclus
4 Amano Shrimp
5 Nerite Snails
(I know I need more Otos, Amanos and potentially Blue Rams. But this post in NOT about that)

My issue is how dirty the tank gets … it needs a thorough cleaning every week because of all the brown poop that collects on my white sand substrate.

I am using an Eheim 2217 filter with this configuration:

• Top layer (near the outlet): Purigen (that I regen every month)
• 2nd layer from top: Filter floss
• 3rd layer from top: Eheim Substrat in mesh bag
• 4th layer from top: Blue coarse filter pad
• 5th layer from top (this is the bottom layer, near the water inlet): Eheim Mech in mesh bag

I have it set up such that the intake to the filer is at the left end of the aquarium and the spray bar is at that right end. I find that the poop collects more near the spray bar end than near the intake end (that's to be expected, I guess...)

I feed sparingly - only once a day and the food is gobbled up in 60-90 seconds.

I dose Thrive twice a week and my plants are doing well. No big algae problems either.

I have a Finnex 24/7 cc light that provides a photo period of 6-8 hours.

My water parameters are good: 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrites, Nitrates get to 10-20 ppm every week and I do a 60-70% water change every week when I clean the tank. I currently clean my filter once a month and the water I get coming out of the cleaning is dark brown - filthy.

This just feels like a lot of care taking for the tank. I am happy to do it, but I've read in several forums that a planted tank is relatively low maintenance and this tank doesn't feel like it right now. What could I be doing differently ?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[dougall]

Add flow to the aquarium to keep the poop from settling, and up in the water column.

2nd filter, power head, lower the spray bar or point it down, wavemaker or whatever.

Unless you have a need for chemical filtration, you could try removing it, and moving the media around correctly to add a finer foam (I guess 1-200 PPI)


But you will really find that the amount of poop is related to the number and types of fish you keep, coupled with the amount of feeding.

 

[FreshyFresh]

As suggested, I'd feed less. The term "sparingly" can be subjective. Most of my tanks I feed 4-5x per week and an amount that looks to be eaten in 20-30sec.

 

[DefJ123]

I agree with Freshy. I only feed my tanks once every other day and only what they eat in 30 seconds. Any excess is pulled out with net.

Sand is harder to keep clean then gravel Ive found too. It doesnt allow the waste to settle in like gravel does.

I find I have to vacuum weekly to keep it clean. Been experimenting with where my spray points and found shooting it down seemed to do a better job. My hoses werent overly long so I have intake tube in center, spray bar on right and a hob filter on the left with a bunch of white filter media pressed in it.

 

[SkyLight]

Great ... I'll try to move the spray bar to point lower and hope that that changes things. Feeding fish even less feels cruel ... I have lost 3 fish over the last 3 weeks and given that my water parameters are great and that there is nothing else obviously wrong with the tank, I wonder if any of it is due to the feeding (lost a blue ram thats a lot slower than the rainbows in attacking the food!)

As for the positioning of the inlet and spray bar - any comments there? Whats the recommended setup - having them at opposite ends or having them at the same end of the aquarium?

I'll also have to think hard about a second filter or power head - additional expense, of course. Any recommendations on a good power head? What size will I need?

 

[dougall]

Any side will help, positioning of spraybar and inlet will depend in hardscape in the aquarium, I'd personally do a second filter, if your current filter gets full of crap between cleanings, then there's too much crap. either doubling the cleanings or doubling the filters would be the obvious answer.

if you insist on changing nothing and keeping the filter, I'd suggest trying the same side of the tank for the inlet and return, but use a jet, not a spray bar, and point it away from the corner where the inlet is, to create a whirlpool effect to keep everything in the water.

but really, if your filter is full of crap, I'm not sure where you expect more crap to go.

 

[the loach]

Less fish = less maintenance. Also sand is not a good choice for a tank as anaerobic spots will form sooner or later. It is hard and time consuming to vacuum. Very small sand like gravel is the best option.

 

[SkyLight]

Less fish = less maintenance. Also sand is not a good choice for a tank as anaerobic spots will form sooner or later. It is hard and time consuming to vacuum. Very small sand like gravel is the best option.

Indeed no tank = no maintenance Just kidding. Thanks for pointing me to anaerobic spots... I didn't know about them and will do more research now...

 

[SkyLight]

but really, if your filter is full of crap, I'm not sure where you expect more crap to go.

I think my filter has more capacity to take up more crap, but its just that the stuff is settling on the bottom rather than making its way to the filter. So ... trying to figure out a way to move more crap towards the filter intake...

 

[DefJ123]

The anaerobic spots arent a big deal really. Just stir the sand up every now and then. Its part of my weekly maintenance. I use a plastic rod that i just push around the sand and move it. Get little bubbles every now and then. Wouldn't consider anything else for a tank I keep corydoras in.

Since youre having issues with filtering, id look at another filter for sure. My hob is only rated for a 20g tank but seems to work for what I use it for. Just a slight extra bit of filtration and water movement. I have an eheim ecco pro 60 as main filtration.

I would also say, pick up your vacuuming schedule to deal with the load you have currently.