Annual tank clean

[John L]

Is there any benefit to doing a thorough tank clean each year? I. E removing corals, fish, rock work and syphoning through the entire substrate. I was recently forced to take my rock work out, when I cleaned through before replacing, I was schocked how much sludge I was pulling out.

 

Does anyone do this, or is it not worth the hassle?

[JR!]

i deep clean my sump every 3 or 4 months. i dont see what i can hurt really.

[Nano sapiens]

Is there any benefit to doing a thorough tank clean each year? I. E removing corals, fish, rock work and syphoning through the entire substrate. I was recently forced to take my rock work out, when I cleaned through before replacing, I was schocked how much sludge I was pulling out.

 

Does anyone do this, or is it not worth the hassle?

 

The longest continuously operating reef tank (~45+ years, check 'Paul B' and his 100g on R2R or RC) does this. He also uses a diatom filter to polish the water and an old school UG filter

 

For smaller tanks like my old 12g, I use a different strategy since the water volume is so small and waste accumulates quickly. I vacuum under one of the base rocks every 2 months or so. In a year I will have cleaned under all the base rocks and then can start the cycle again for the next year. I believe it is helpful for tank longevity.

 

One word of caution is that if you do clean under all rocks at once (and haven't done this before) you run the real risk of releasing too many noxious substances into the water column. Much safer to go piecemeal the first time you do something like this.

[flatlandreefer]

 

The longest continuously operating reef tank (~45+ years, check 'Paul B' and his 100g on R2R or RC) does this. He also uses a diatom filter to polish the water and an old school UG filter

 

For smaller tanks like my old 12g, I use a different strategy since the water volume is so small and waste accumulates quickly. I vacuum under one of the base rocks every 2 months or so. In a year I will have cleaned under all the base rocks and then can start the cycle again for the next year. I believe it is helpful for tank longevity.

 

One word of caution is that if you do clean under all rocks at once (and haven't done this before) you run the real risk of releasing too many noxious substances into the water column. Much safer to go piecemeal the first time you do something like this.

 

How do you go about this? Do you lift up the rock?

[Nano sapiens]

 

How do you go about this? Do you lift up the rock?

 

I have enough free space that I can move a base rock to a free part of the sand bed, vacuum, and then place it back again.

 

If space is an issue, an alternative is to remove the rock temporarily to a holding container, keeping it submerged if possible (to reduce stress to any organisms that may be attached).

[seabass]

Does anyone do this, or is it not worth the hassle?

Yep, I do this on my nano tanks, except that I entirely remove and thoroughly clean the substrate. However, that's harder to do on my 100 gallon tank; so I just regularly siphon the sand bed more aggressively (similar to what Nano sapiens describes).

 

A word of warning, improper disruption of a mature substrate is a common cause of ammonia spikes and even tank crashes. I do this as a tank move, taking everything out without disturbing the sand (once I disturb the substrate, I discard the remaining water).

[John L]

 

 

Thanks Nano Sapiens for directing me to Paul B s 45 yr old tank, a real eye opening article! Talk about keeping it natural, chucking seaside mud in to release beneficial bacteria, and using driveway ice melting salt for dosing calcium, amazing! Half his fish are regularly spawning.

 

The longest continuously operating reef tank (~45+ years, check 'Paul B' and his 100g on R2R or RC) does this. He also uses a diatom filter to polish the water and an old school UG filter

 

For smaller tanks like my old 12g, I use a different strategy since the water volume is so small and waste accumulates quickly. I vacuum under one of the base rocks every 2 months or so. In a year I will have cleaned under all the base rocks and then can start the cycle again for the next year. I believe it is helpful for tank longevity.

 

One word of caution is that if you do clean under all rocks at once (and haven't done this before) you run the real risk of releasing too many noxious substances into the water column. Much safer to go piecemeal the first time you do something like this.

[John L]

Thanks for the advice, I think I did have a mini ammonia spike. As a precaution I tipped in a bottle of marine colony in after I cleaned the tank, I think this helped, my tank looked a bit sick for a couple of weeks, but Has now picked up well.

 

Yep, I do this on my nano tanks, except that I entirely remove and thoroughly clean the substrate. However, that's harder to do on my 100 gallon tank; so I just regularly siphon the sand bed more aggressively (similar to what Nano sapiens describes).

 

A word of warning, improper disruption of a mature substrate is a common cause of ammonia spikes and even tank crashes. I do this as a tank move, taking everything out without disturbing the sand (once I disturb the substrate, I discard the remaining water).

[Andy73]

I only have a 20g tank, and I usally empty it out every 4-6 months and do a complete clean (glass, sand, sump etc)

Drain all the water into a large container with heater and pump, place all my live rocks, corals and fish into it, clean the tank, place everything back; 1-2 hours work and the tank looks a million dollars.

[Clown79]

How do you remove all the rocks if one epoxy's everything?

[flatlandreefer]

 

I have enough free space that I can move a base rock to a free part of the sand bed, vacuum, and then place it back again.

 

If space is an issue, an alternative is to remove the rock temporarily to a holding container, keeping it submerged if possible (to reduce stress to any organisms that may be attached).

 

You don't have any trouble with the corals that are growing on your rock work when you move them/remove them? How about getting everything back the way you want it? Seems like doing this cleaning would definitely be beneficial if done correctly!

[gmanreefer]

I think this is an excellent idea. The problem I face is just having enough containers to keep all the coral, live rock, fish without damaging them and having enough premixed new sw on hand.

 

I think the key for me would be to take water out of the system first before the sand is disturbed and putting that aside.

 

Then remove the fish rocks and coral and put them in holding containers

 

Remove all the sand and either thoroughly wash it in a bucket with tap water until the water is clear OR use completely new sand (probably better option if you have had sand for over a year).

 

I did a smaller version of this 9 months ago (minus the sand replacement) when I moved my tank from one part of the apartment to the other and I had amazing coral growth and health after this. I have been meaning to do it again since it had such a great impact and only took a few hours but the process must be well thought out and executed in order to mitigate losses and mistakes. Also its easy to bury or otherwise doom small pieces of coral in this process so an some type of inventory of coral should be maintained to ensure no losses

 

Unfortunately last time I did this I inadvertently left my pistol shrimp in an empty bucket . I guess he crawled into a live rock and never crawled back in when I put the rock back into the tank.

[seabass]

How do you remove all the rocks if one epoxy's everything?

In some cases with epoxied rockwork (or intricate stacked structures), they might not to practical to move. You just have to clean around the structures.

 

You don't have any trouble with the corals that are growing on your rock work when you move them/remove them? How about getting everything back the way you want it?

Well encrusted structures might also be hard to move. Again, you might have to resort to cleaning around these structures. In the case of stacked rock, I am never able to replicate them exactly. Sometimes I'm happier with them, and other times not so much. You either have to ignore your OCD for perfection, or just clean around them.

 

While simple aquascapes might not always be as visually appealing, they are easier to keep clean. It's something to consider when planning a new tank.

[flatlandreefer]

In some cases with epoxied rockwork (or intricate stacked structures), they might not to practical to move. You just have to clean around the structures.

 

Well encrusted structures might also be hard to move. Again, you might have to resort to cleaning around these structures. In the case of stacked rock, I am never able to replicate them exactly. Sometimes I'm happier with them, and other times not so much. You either have to ignore your OCD for perfection, or just clean around them.

 

While simple aquascapes might not always be as visually appealing, they are easier to keep clean. It's something to consider when planning a new tank.

 

Do you have any tips for cleaning around rocks that are left in place? I have a python siphon but it is probably a little big to really get close and under the rocks.

[Nano sapiens]

 

You don't have any trouble with the corals that are growing on your rock work when you move them/remove them? How about getting everything back the way you want it? Seems like doing this cleaning would definitely be beneficial if done correctly!

 

No issues with the corals as long as the rocks are put back in the same positions. I've been doing this for 8-1/2 years so I can assemble the rocks back into their respective positions in my sleep

 

I'll be doing my largest base rock this weekend so I'll see if I can take some pics of the process.

[seabass]

Do you have any tips for cleaning around rocks that are left in place? I have a python siphon but it is probably a little big to really get close and under the rocks.

My favorite siphon was made from some parts I found at Lowe's. It's just 10 feet of clear vinyl tubing with a foot of rigid tube (with the same outer diameter ad the inner diameter of the tubing). I just insert the tube into the tubing.

• The smaller ID of the tube prevents most clogs in the tubing
• The small ID of the tube prevents siphoning up snails
• The small OD of the tube makes it easy to get to tight places
• The rigid tube makes it unnecessary to stick your whole arm in the tank
• This siphon works for small and even larger tanks

[Nano sapiens]

 

Do you have any tips for cleaning around rocks that are left in place? I have a python siphon but it is probably a little big to really get close and under the rocks.

 

There are a few smaller 'gravel vacs' for freshwater that are great for a nano tank. I put a plastic valve (hardware store purchase) on mine so that I can finely control the flow:

 

 

 

This article I wrote a while back describes my maintenance strategy for my tank:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/327364-maintenance-and-the-nano-reef-tank/?hl=maintenance

 

Each of our tanks is a bit unique, but the general principles used to keep a reef tank in good shape for the long term still apply to all.

[gmanreefer]

I bought the 2 dollar siphon from ebay and it has worked better for me than any of the 20+ dollar ones I have bought from pet stores

[flatlandreefer]

 

No issues with the corals as long as the rocks are put back in the same positions. I've been doing this for 8-1/2 years so I can assemble the rocks back into their respective positions in my sleep

 

I'll be doing my largest base rock this weekend so I'll see if I can take some pics of the process.

 

This could be kind of a cool sticky in the beginners section showing how to do an annual cleaning with pics. I guess I have never really thought of doing this before this thread.

[Clown79]

I was thinking for those with certsin set ups it may disturb a lot.

 

I used egg crate cut to size and rocks placed on those, then sand. So my rocks don't sit on the sand.

 

It would be interesting moving it all out for a mega cleaning.lol.

 

I regularly vacuum my sand really well.

[asting]

This thread seems overwhelmingly one-sided. I think there are many successful reefs that are maintained without removing rock every few months, and I would hazard a guess that those that remove all their rock are in the minority.

[flatlandreefer]

I don't think anybody is saying this is a must but rather explaining how they go about their maintance routines and the potential benefits of doing some form of this on an annual basis.

[John L]

In some cases with epoxied rockwork (or intricate stacked structures), they might not to practical to move. You just have to clean around the structures.

 

Well encrusted structures might also be hard to move. Again, you might have to resort to cleaning around these structures. In the case of stacked rock, I am never able to replicate them exactly. Sometimes I'm happier with them, and other times not so much. You either have to ignore your OCD for perfection, or just clean around them.

 

While simple aquascapes might not always be as visually appealing, they are easier to keep clean. It's something to consider when planning a new tank.

 

I spent ages trying to re position my rockwotk to how i had it before, i gave up after the 20th try. maybe I'm a bit OCD )

[John L]

This thread seems overwhelmingly one-sided. I think there are many successful reefs that are maintained without removing rock every few months, and I would hazard a guess that those that remove all their rock are in the minority.

I was simply just wondering if anyone cleans their tank out annually, if of course you dont and you have great results please feel free to say!!! it seems like theres many lifetimes worth to learn about this hobby/ passion, the more i can learn from others experiences the better i hope to get, at keeping a healthy happy marine aquarium.

[asting]

Didn't mean to be confrontational, merely saying that a thread asking about a method is likely to yield responses from those who use it.

 

Some cons include stirring up crape and causing ammonia or other nutrient spikes. Some inhabitants could be stressed by a removal.

 

I've never pulled rock unless it had a specific problem, but think most people do some preventative siphoning and maintenance.