When to wipe the tank down?

[Doug A]

How often should the tank walls, floor, etc. be wiped down? I have heard that some people do it daily while others do it once a week. I am not getting much algae or other buildup on the walls of my tank. Just wondering what the general theory is on this subject.

Doug

[Willie]

I do a wipe down weekly. This includes the heater, airline and filter components. You'll find a slimy buildup of bacteria, particularly when adults that spawn. The result is a general increase in microflora. Some people report that bushy nose plecos will keep the tank sparkling clean. I find wipe downs are still necessary, although not needed as frequently with bushy noses in the tank.

Willie

[Howie_W]

Hi Doug,

As Willie mentioned, you want to make sure all surfaces remain clean; this includes tank walls, bottom, airlines, filter parts, heaters etc.

Ultimately, you should be doing some wiping each week. During water changes I always run my hands along all surfaces (especially the tank bottoms) to make sure there is no build-up.

I agree on the plecos; there's virtually no surface cleaning in the tanks that have them, although I still check everything regularly.


Howie

[RyanH]

As the others said, the best time to wipe things down is while doing water changes. A weekly routine of wiping everything down is a great habit to get into IMO.

-Ryan

[Doug A]

Thanks for the info Ryan, Howie, Willie!
I have been wiping the tank down weekly since I got the fish 3 weeks ago. The most buildup of slime is on the airline tubing. Not much on the glass.
I haven't had luck with growing out discus in the past and I just want to make sure I am doing all I can to be successful this time around.

Thanks again,
Doug

[raymb1234]

I have a 75 gal tank with 6 discus and 1 ancistrus. The slime seems to kept down by the ancistrus. I've heard this from other aquarists as well. Later, Ray