If one listened to all the well-meaning but ill-informed commentators on social media about aquarium maintenance one would be doing the following:
- Do 50% water changes every week
- Thorough gravel vacuuming every week
- Mechanical media cleaning once weekly
- Bleach brown algae off the ornaments every two weeks
- Filter media cleaning and/or replacement once a month
- Clean the algae off all sides of the aquarium weekly
- Feed the fish three times a day
This amount of maintenance is NOT needed and is such a pain in the butt that anyone doing it will leave the hobby in very short order.
In truth, with most aquariums, for maintenance, one can simply do:
- Do a 50% water change every two months
- Do NO gravel vacuuming
- Clean the mechanical media in the filter once a week
- Just let the brown algae do its thing
- Partially clean the filter media once every six months
- Clean the algae off the front and side glass once a week
- Feed the fish once a day
Probably 95% of all aquariums in the hobby are just fine with this regimen.
Maintenance in Greater Depth
For more on this topic go to this link:
18. Aquarium Maintenance
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Anonymous says
Hahaha, thanks!
Just following your advise………..(to an extreme?).
Now looking to chase my extreme hardness – GH 537 (!) ……..or, does it matter?.
Will look through your info.
Thanks again,
Eve
Dave says
In reply to Eve ….. You are not only doing everything right, you are probably doing it better than anyone I’ve ever heard of with small tank. Way to go!!!!!
Anonymous says
Hi Dave, I have some stupid questions:
Can a 10 gallon tank EVER be balanced – or is it too small?
When you say “Clean the mechanical media in the filter once a week” ……I have Poret foam in a Tidal 35…….am I wringing it out?……..I never touch it.
I have gravel substrate, UGF, Tidal 35 and a homemade K1 micro moving bed.
Right now I’m running a UV sterilizer – there is no fish in the tank. When I have a Betta it is fed a small amount of high protein food once a day (with a day off). The tank is about a year old.
The water is crystal clear – but I still feel I am doing something wrong………or is 10 gallons just too small?
Thanks as ever,
Eve Taylor
Vijay says
Nice tips for maintenance of aquarium.