CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

I was just wondering how you all clean your tanks.  I have 1 12" oscar in a 75 gallon tank and i do a 50% water change once a week.  I only feed him about 3 or 4 times a week.  The vaccum that i have (one of the large ones from PetsMart) does not suck his mess as good as i would like.  What do you all use for vaccuming???
thanks 
and also do you add chemicals every time??? like water conditioner/de-chlorifier???

Hi, Lindsay!  We probably all have different approaches to tank maintenance.  The amount you feed is of course a big influence.  I have slightly different routines for my tanks, depending on population, filtration, etc.  On all of them I change about 70% of the water twice a week.  Yes, I do use water conditioner -- primarily for dechlor purposes.  I have two filters each on tanks over 55 gallons -- 3 on the 210.  I generally clean the power filters once a month, and the cannister filters once a quarter.  Most of the tanks I gravel vac monthly, using a Python, though I just use gravity siphoning rather than hooking it up to the faucet.  A few of the tanks don't seem to need vacuuming that frequently, so I do it less so.  Use what you see coming out as your guide.  If yours seems to need greater or less frequency, use your judgement.  With eggs or new fry present I'll let the vacuuming ride for awhile.  No point freaking the parents out more than necessary.

I have a 150 gallon, currently housing 4 oscars, which we feed a little bit, twice daily.

My fiance, he uses a Python cleaner, the one that attaches to the faucet and he cleans the tank completely, taking about 20% of the water every week.

We put water conditioner and a dechlorinator in after every cleaning.

Lindsay wrote:I was just wondering how you all clean your tanks.  I have 1 12" oscar in a 75 gallon tank and i do a 50% water change once a week.  I only feed him about 3 or 4 times a week.  The vaccum that i have (one of the large ones from PetsMart) does not suck his mess as good as i would like.  What do you all use for vaccuming???
thanks 
and also do you add chemicals every time??? like water conditioner/de-chlorifier???

Hi all -- Right now I have only one 55 running with a medium sized Red Devil (Male, full of personality!) and a similarly sized Dempsey. I have two bio-wheel power filters that I clean monthly. I do a 33% water change once a month, including a gravel vacuum. I've always thought that in my context (a home aquarium carefully fed) a monthly water change is sufficient. A weekly water change, however, is fine, and is probably necessary with a super-messy species like Oscar. With a single aquarium running, I think my total cleaning/maintenance time is about 15 minutes a week, on average. When I used to have the "West Bank" (which was 4 55s and Oscars) it was substantially more.

I only use dechlorinator if my water changes are increased in either volume or frequency beyond my monthly changes.

I do a 25% to 50% water change and gravel vac every 3-4 days with my Python on the 55 grow out tank, but will likely be cutting back as I am moving my O's to the 130 once it's up and cycled.  I will also be cutting back on the food as they are now all 4 in. and up.  It all really depends on how often and what you feed him.  If you go with a good quality food that doesn't make a big mess to start with you will do less water changes.
Stay away from stuff like Tetra Cichlid jumbo carnivore sticks,  The wife just brought a can home as they were sold out of the stuff I wanted and I have to change the water every 2nd day as it just makes a huge mess and dies the water orange
James

haha. My fiance bought those Tetra Cichlid jumbo carnivore sticks because they were sold out of the usual ones. He feeds them the Tetra medium sticks, I think. But those jumbo carnivore sticks, they are like the messiest food out there. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Most of my tanks are maxxed out so I do water changes every week, but as Dan says it depends on the tank.  Main tanks are at least 30% a week, fry tanks every couple of weeks & breeding tanks only when needed (waters tests carried out), but I do test my water regularly for nitrate (my main test kit expenditure) and pH, kH & gH in my Malawi tanks.

Every water change is carried out with a gravel vac.

Hve noticed other ppl with problems with the mess their O's make, my dither fish eat everythinghe drops 

I know i have tried those tetra sticks. . . .oh my god!! i actually think that they might not even like them and they are filtering/spitting it all out!?!?  its funny the other day i caught a moth and i fed it to him. . he loved it, he didnt spit any of it out!!  Sometimes when i find crickets and feed them to him he spits out the legs!!! But ya he gets really bummed on the days he does not get fed, he seems to get jelous of the dogs when they get fed 2 times a day!!! Thanks for your info!! I really enjoy him, i do not think i could ever have another type of fish and i think that i will always have only 1 fish in the tank at a time, i had a 12" pleco in there at first when i bought him (he was about 5" when i bought him) and he just would not leave it alone, attacking at his eyes and he just seemed so stressed so i gave him to a friend, damn spoiled fish!! His name is "Hank" by the way!!!

With oscars, I recommend using small stones to line the bottom of the tank rather than gravel or sand. Oscars tend to move aggressively when fed, as you already know. They tend to turn up the gravel/sand when they dart towards their food. When it gets turned up, the waste and excess food underneath it gets turned up too. This adds to the huge mess these fish already make.

I think the regular python won't suck out the waste that much.  I use the Diatom filter (every 3 week) to suck out all the waste, and do my water change every two or three week.  This filter is so powerfull, it will suck all the waste from the bottom subtrate.  I think the diatom is the best way to clean Oscar's waste.  Regular filter won't suck waste from the bottom tank.
LaRatta

Evening All.

My first proper post in a while eh? see if ive stopped being a snotty teen. 

Simple enough answer.

Get a tube and a bucket.
Put the bucket on the floor
Put the tube just under the water level.
Suck on the "dry" end of the tube until water gets past half way.
Gravity will do the rest.
Fatter the tube, faster the water flow.

How i clean my tank. Does your cleaning, changes your water, keeps your fish happy and, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg either!

Basically, if you need to vac more then once or twice a week, its time to add another filter to the tank. (assume that your not over feeding etc)

Clean your hang on filters once a month, canister filters whenever the flow rate slows and clean your in tank filters once a week regardless.

Always use tank water, and refill the water in the tank with cold water, ideally thats ben stood for a while.

Changing out water is never a bad thing in my opinion.

Best of luck
Craig