Multi tank Maintenance

[bmoraski]

It takes me about 2-3 hours for my 3 tanks, water changes, and trimming plants. I do them all on the same day. I rarely test them now, however. Every now and then I'll test my nitrates, to see if I should be dosing some, or if my fish are providing enough wastes to create them. All of my tanks are heavily planted, but now that I got rid of most of the weeds that take up most of my time in trimming, it may take me less time.

I'm hoping to get a saltwater tank up and running.... sometime in the near future, after the summer.

i guess eventually ill need the challenge of planted and more exotic fish
there are so many options ! Geeeeeez
i can see how tanks with plants need more maintenance trimming etc. but my understanding is the trade off is better water quality
thanks and good luck with your current project

 

[unwritten law]

I do mine the same day, I probably should keep a log but I dont, I know some of my tanks can go a few weeks without changes but I usually do them anyway. I use a python and for 7 tanks it takes about an hour or 2 depending on if I have to scrape the glass. My planted tanks just get water changes no gravel vac so that makes it quicker.

I understand that if your planted tanks have sand/soil you don't want to vac them but doesn't poop end up on top of the sand and you need to vac that out? That's what I do, trying not to vac out any sand, and I'm just wondering if that's right. Also I vac out any dead plant debris.

 

[brian1973]

I understand that if your planted tanks have sand/soil you don't want to vac them but doesn't poop end up on top of the sand and you need to vac that out? That's what I do, trying not to vac out any sand, and I'm just wondering if that's right. Also I vac out any dead plant debris.

I use soil/gravel so no it doesnt build up. I leave everything in the tank, including decaying plant leaves. This adds to the nutrients in the tank. I imagine using sand it would be easily visible and unsightly but using the combination that I use you cant see it.

 

[unwritten law]

yeah my fish like to pull apart my java moss so it pretty much goes everywhere... Until my tank gets fully planted this summer I can still see the stuff laying at the bottom of the tank and its annoying.

 

[emmanuelchavez]

i guess eventually ill need the challenge of planted and more exotic fish
there are so many options ! Geeeeeez
i can see how tanks with plants need more maintenance trimming etc. but my understanding is the trade off is better water quality
thanks and good luck with your current project

If you have slower growing plants, it's not too much of a hassle. I chose to go with nutrient hogs since school keeps me busy, and I sometimes go 2-3 weeks before I can do a water change and didn't want to risk a big algae outbreak. I had to drop a couple of courses this semester, so now I have more time for my tanks, and took out most of the nutrient hogs/very fast growers. My biggest problem, is sometimes forgetting to add the needed ferts. In theory, you would have better water quality, in the sense that the nitrates are being used up by the plants, instead of collecting in the water. Good luck with your endeavours, there are so many choices out there. At first, I had a difficult time choosing what fish I wanted, but now I'm not so worried about the fish, but more-so about my plants.... There are so many to choose from, and I want to try them all!

unwritten law, back when I had sand, I had to vaccuum it, since my tetras left poop everywhere. The poop now blends in with the black ADA AquaSoil, from time to time, I have to swish it off some of the plants though. I typically take out the decaying leaves though, they float around everywhere and become annoying. Hit me up around July 2nd, or some time after August 10th if you need/want plants. I'll be coming back home to overgrown tanks after being away for 6weeks, only to leave for another 6 weeks in July...

 

[unwritten law]

thank emman... I'm getting a pressurized CO2 system this summer.. or in a few weeks cause I got my tax refund check in the mail... So I do plan on filling it out but I doubt I'll wait that long cause this summer I'm gonna be stuck at school and it'll be a ghost town so I'm gonna be obsessed with the tank. But I probably will ask for some cause I want it to look packed.