Automated Bottom Cleaning: how to?

[scolley]

Thanks Dottie. That was a nice link. Marc Elieson seems to have made an interesting little contraption. But unfortunately it requires regularly cleaning out a sponge filter in the tank. Plus it kind of blows stuff away from the bottom, which would interfere with their eating - along with kick the food up to get caught in other filters.

Good try though. Thanks.

So I suppose the search continues. There HAS to be a great solution out there. The Mag is certainly the best thing I've seen so far. I wonder if there is something that is less maintenance (though once a week ain't so bad), and will allow me to run the waste water out of the tank, without it becoming a siphon... though as mentioned, setting the drain point higher than the tank solves that. Too bad I can't accommodate that in my current setup.

[Greg Richardson]

I know others have thought of this but no one has designed it.
Same principle as automatic swimming pool cleaners that are programed to clean your pool. For BB tanks be great if you just took it out of the water and cleaned out a filter. Oh well I can dream. Who ever does it though is going to make huge $$$.

[LizStreithorst]

Steve, If your goal is 0 maintenance you need to hire an employee (and hope that you've hired a competent one). Discus ARE NOT a maintenance free fish. The Magnum thing works and is easy. If I were you I would give it a try before you decide to do something time consuming and complicated. The easiest way if often the best way.

[scolley]

Thanks Liz. I will probably indeed give it a shot. Though I will certainly look to improve on it.

Everything about discus does not have to be high maintenance. Automation can solve lots of problems. I've already been quite successful at automating lots of things in my 180g planted discus tank. Within the norms of the hobby, I spend remarkably little time keeping it running and in good form.

Now I've got my first BB, and as I learn about how they are managed, once again I see lots of possibility for improvement. Within the 1st week I automated the water changing. That is a tremendous time saver. Now I'm tackling what appears to be the next, big time hog.

I don't seek to eliminate all work in keeping discus. But do plan on doing what I can to keep myself from being a slave to the hobby - spending time on it because I chose to, not because I have to. I spent a few years figuring out how to do exactly that with plants. Discus are next.

Thanks for the help!

[Ed13]

Now I've got my first BB, and as I learn about how they are managed, once again I see lots of possibility for improvement. Within the 1st week I automated the water changing. That is a tremendous time saver. Now I'm tackling what appears to be the next, big time hog.

Did you post any details on how you did it besides the comments in this thread?

I'm with you, time is what is important to reduce not necessarily effort.

Keep up the good work!

[scolley]

I know others have thought of this but no one has designed it... Who ever does it though is going to make huge $$$.

Wow. I wish that were true. But truth be told I've already figured out how to reliably automate lots of labor intensive stuff for planted tanks. And then looked at marketing some of it. But my time savers cost money. And this is not a hobby where people are often inclined to spend significant money for time savers. Though there are exceptions - like myself where professional travel means spend it or get a new hobby. Or breeders where it's not one, two or three tanks... but dozens or hundreds. But that market is small. Or that's what my informal poking around has indicated.

But would great to be wrong. I'd love to sell a good idea for a little do-ray-me!

Did you post any details on how you did it besides the comments in this thread?

It's so simple I didn't think it was worth posting. I'm happy to start a thread on it if it makes sense. But truth be told, this is a temporary tank for me, and I abandoned my normal strictures about automation being highly reliable and elegant. Instead it's merely pretty reliable and ugly. But it works. And for a temporary tank that's good enough.

If you think it's work a thread, pls let me know. Happy to do.

[korbi_doc]

It's so simple I didn't think it was worth posting. I'm happy to start a thread on it if it makes sense. But truth be told, this is a temporary tank for me, and I abandoned my normal strictures about automation being highly reliable and elegant. Instead it's merely pretty reliable and ugly. But it works. And for a temporary tank that's good enough.

If you think it's work a thread, pls let me know. Happy to do.

I would! need to automate something to help, gettin' too old to have to work at anything, lol....

Dottie

[Ed13]

I would! need to automate something to help, gettin' too old to have to work at anything, lol....

Dottie

Me too, except the old part

[scolley]

OK folks. It's in the works! I've written most of the text, but I just got to dig up links to the various parts. Hope to have it up tomorrow nite.

But believe me, it's no big deal.

[scolley]

OK, I've tried to describe my easy auto water change system here. Hope it helps!

[phidelt85]

That's pretty sweet Steve. I really need to get on the ball and try this on my growout tank. I'll probably go with solenoids as my fill and drain lines are already plumbed however. Although it would be much easier to drain the tank via a powerhead than finding a 1" solenoid. Much cheaper I should say.

[scolley]

That's pretty sweet Steve. I really need to get on the ball and try this on my growout tank. I'll probably go with solenoids as my fill and drain lines are already plumbed however. Although it would be much easier to drain the tank via a powerhead than finding a 1" solenoid. Much cheaper I should say.

Jose, 1" aperture solenoids are INDEED very expensive. I don't know if you looked at the link to the diagram for my 180g that I referenced at the bottom of the post... but I do use solenoids for my big tank. If you are already plumbed, it's the WAY to go. But big aperture solenoids are expensive. My little 1/8" solenoids were $50-60 a piece. So I compromise by doing 3 separate, 15 gallons each, slow drain/fill processes each night. That doesn't get you CLOSE to a 50% daily water change. But it's a planted tank, so it has it's own biological mechanisms for keeping the water clean.

[Greg Richardson]

Wow. I wish that were true. But truth be told I've already figured out how to reliably automate lots of labor intensive stuff for planted tanks. And then looked at marketing some of it. But my time savers cost money. And this is not a hobby where people are often inclined to spend significant money for time savers. Though there are exceptions - like myself where professional travel means spend it or get a new hobby. Or breeders where it's not one, two or three tanks... but dozens or hundreds. But that market is small. Or that's what my informal poking around has indicated.

But would great to be wrong. I'd love to sell a good idea for a little do-ray-me!

I'm talking about eliminating daily poop cleaning in BB tanks.
If a hobbyist had 4 tanks and you had something that TRULY cleans all the bottom like that swimming pool crawler I described why wouldn't a hobbyist spend $300.00 a tank on them?
When you add up time, health of fish, cost of fish, that is a deal!

The hobbyist market is big enough to do it.

[scolley]

Greg - I appreciate the feedback. Thanks. But I'm curious about your response. And believe me... I'm not trying to bust your chops. I'm new to the whole bare bottom thing, so I really don't know -

When you say "TRULY cleans all the bottom like that swimming pool crawler", do you mean like scrubbing it? And if so, doesn't that imply that all the other surfaces have to be scrubbed just as well also, or you just done a half-a**ed job?

And if you don't mean scrubbing it, are you just referring to cleaning everything that is visible and also not attached to the bottom? I.e. - detritus.

If you are going to try to fix a problem, you gotta know what the problem really is.

Thanks!

[phidelt85]

I don't think scrubbing would have to be part of the solution. If it just picked up the crap that's all I would ask of it to do.