best way to clean the inside of a bare bottom tank?

[Ilovediscus]

I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to clean the inside wall of bare bottom tanks. I have 3 tanks and recently I notice that there are a thin layer of white, milky stuff covering the inside glass of the tanks. I have used paper towels to wipe them off, but the discus don't seem to like this technique too much and sometimes the hand movement of cleaning scared the heck out of them. ???

By the way, these white and milky layer(doesn't look like algae to me) tend to come back after a couple weeks after I wipe them off. Is this normal? Anyway I could prevent them from developing?

Thanks everyone.

Current setup:
Bare bottom tanks with basic sponge filters
Temp: 84
PH: 6.5
Ammonia/nitrite:0

[Mike_T]

hello!

i use an aqua clear sponge to wipe mine down.

clean your filters, squeeze your sponges out in some tank water. you're probably feeding a little too much at a time. beefheart will do this faster than anything else ime. if you are feeding beefheart make that the feeding right before the water change.

-mike 8)

[Howie_W]

The safest way to wipe down your walls is with clean white paper towels...use the ones that are solid white without any designs (free of ink). This is something that should be done very regularly during water changes...all four sides and the bottom must be wiped down. This eliminates bacterial build-up that is harmful to your fish. All other equipment must be wiped as well...hoses, thermometers, heater cords etc... In addition, never transfer a cleaning impliment from one tank to another. Toss the towel and use a new one.

When wiping down and cleaning your tank it's best to move your hands around slowly so as not scare your fish...fast movements and banging noises against your tank will scare the fish. Once the fish get use to your movements, cleaning is not an issue.

When I'm done cleaning and changing the water the fish get fed...this helps as well as they know what's coming as soon as I'm done. I often have a hard time cleaning my tanks, not due to stress, but because the fish are constantly in my way and pecking at my arms for food. :)

Howie

[Dave C]

Plecos.

[Howie_W]

Yes...I forgot to mention that! :)


One way of reducing your cleaning regimen is to use plecos in your tanks...bristlenose do a great job of keeping your glass clean...you will still need to wipe cords, hoses etc. regularly.


Howie

[Ilovediscus]

I did use paper towels to clean the inside of the tanks. But I was just wondering that when I wipe the glass with paper towels, the dirt/algae seem to get stirred up with the water that discus live in. Wouldn't that be bad for the discus?

I understand that if you were using a conventional filter (such as "hang at the top of the tank" type), it would filter out the dirt. But what if you were only using a sponge filter? The sponge doesn't seem to filter out the dirt/ algae that I stirred up fast enough, and this is the main reason that I'm always afraid of wiping the glass.

Thanks again for your input on this issue.

[Howie_W]

If you are wiping down your tank regularly you will not have algae build-ups that large. Reducing your lighting also helps.


Howie

[Condor]

The dirt and algae will not harm your discus. Wipe it off the glass, wait for a little bit to let your filters suck up the debri, and then squeeze out the sponges in some tank water. Both sponge filters and hang on filters do the same job in removing stuff from the water. Hang on filters can do it a little faster, depending on the size. If your sponge filters don't suck up all of the gunk, just do another quick siphon off the bottom.
That said, I also have a question to add. Discus slime: does the slime that they produce to feed their young stay in constant production, or do they only produce it with the presence of babies? How does this affect the bioload/ overall upkeep of the tank?

[JeffreyRichard]

Tricks and tools
I like to use an Aquaclear filter replacement sponge to wipe down the sides and bottoms of of tanks ... they don't need to replace, are abrasive enough to remove algae and gunk, and can be rinsed out

One DIY tool that really works for me is a home-made syphon extesion ... I use 3/4 diameter PVC tubing to create a vacuum extension that can scape the bottom as you are syphoning ... removing all the bottom detris as you do your water change. You'll need a 12 inch piece of of PVC pipe, a 3/4 inch "T" connector, a 3/4 inch threaded female connector, and a male barbed nipple attachment for attaching a syphon hose (use 1/2 or 3/4 inch depending on diameter of syphon hose). You'll need to sand off about 1/2 of the top of the T connector ... think of it as the TOP of the tee. This gives you an open wide intake which can be used to scape up gunk as you are syphoning ... like a vacuum cleaner attachment. Glue the connectors to each end of the 1 inch pipe, thread the barb into the female connector, and attach the hose to the barb. Now just use this as your syphon. These are great vacuum attachments.

[kpix99]

Plecos + W/cs

[Carol_Roberts]

Normal bacteria/slime build up. I use a sponge on a stick.

[Tad]

Tricks and tools
I like to use an Aquaclear filter replacement sponge to wipe down the sides and bottoms of of tanks ... they don't need to replace, are abrasive enough to remove algae and gunk, and can be rinsed out

I do something similar,
I buy the pond sponge replacements, cut them to size (they are about the thickness of an AC300 sponge, a little bit more dense), one for each tank..they do work well to remove all the buildup on the sides and bottom. I would not recommend them for acrylics however!

Tad

[Cosmo]

Acrylic's "require" a special material that provides enough abrasion for removing any buildup while at the same time being soft enough to not scratch the acrylic - something that is supposed to be very east to do. I use paper towels only to remove any leftover food at the water line - not sure they'd scratch if used for a complete wipedown, but not willing to take the chance and find out.

Most mfg's of tank cleaning devices (scrapers, pads, etc) also sell varieties that are acrylic safe so obtaining the tools is not a daunting task.

Jim

[tony1313]

I like using a sponge or paper towel. If you get pleco's just be careful what meds you use. If your treating for flukes some meds will kill pleco's and other bottom dwellers!

hth,
Tony