Habitat - Indoor :: Tank cleaning

[steve]

How long does it take you to completely clean your tank (including filters)?

I had to do an emergency cleaning today and it took 3 hours. I might have finished sooner but it got dark an hour into it and my water was partially frozen. This is a 125 gallon tank with about 65-70 gallons of water and I have a XP3 and an Aquaclear 110 as well.

[daredevilgirl013]

Mine takes about an hour. But I just added a bunch of stuff and he now has two little snails that must have came in on his anacharis plants...so it'll take longer now.......darn snails!!!

[ellman605]

takes me less than an hour , my snails dont do that haha!

[cam722]

Depends on if I have an algae growth .. that takes much longer.. hours and hours. I've limited the number of rocks in my tank because of it. Odd I never had algae until the cold weather. With the python and ripping everything apart it's about 2 hours that's emptying and filling and back up and running. I have very poor water pressure if it was better it wouldn't take as long I'm sure. But you have to realize we all have different sized tanks.. mine is 75.. probably filled with about 70 gallons of water.

[butterfly]

Mines take about 2 to 3. The filter is really what causes it to take that long. Apart from the three medias I have to clean, I also have to open the whole thing and the motor to clean the small parts. Its tedious work. I also have to scrub off all of the slime coating from the inside of the tank and it actually takes time. Its all worth it though after I see how nice and clear it looks afterwards!

[juicedgt02]

what do you guys use to clean your tanks? I have used a little bit of soap and warm water but i know it's not the best way. I have tried "search" and didn't really get much.

[daredevilgirl013]

I wouldn't use soap if I were you. It might kill the turtle. I just use really warm water and a baby bottle cleaning brush and just use it to scrub the sides really well with the water in it that's clean and stuff.

[cam722]

You should never use soap in a turtle tank.. use either plain hot water, white vinegar or a very weak bleach solution. Like 2 oz to a gallon of water would be fine. 2 oz is a quart of a cup btw.. I also have a scrub brush put aside just for cleaning the tank and basking dock. Nothing I use to clean the turtle tank gets used on anything else. I keep separate buckets etc too.

I've also used baking soda as an abrasive to clean fish/turtle tanks.. it's an all natural product and rinses out very easily. I just use a lot of hot water when cleaning/rinsing tanks.

[marisa]

I'll just speak for the largest tank (110-gallons). With vacuuming, cleaning corkbark, plastic plants, rocks, filter, etc. (i.e., absolutely everything), it takes well over 3 hours (it has at times taken up much of the day). Since I've done it only 2x this year, I don't mind putting the time into it.

How is it your water was partially frozen???

[steve]

The water from my garden hose was partially frozen so I couldn't take breaks or the water would freeze. Right now I'm considering some sort of motorized pump so I can pump out the water faster and spray the inside of the tank and basking area.

[Spookster]

It only takes me about 45 minutes to clean my tank. It's a 90gallon and i'm using the XP3 filter. I just hook up the python and suck the water out and while that is going on I pull the filter out and clean it and replace media as needed which only takes about 10 minutes. By the time I get that done and get the filter put back in place, the water level is down low enough for me to clean the tank. Once I have all the yucky stuff cleaned out I start filling the water back up and while that's happening I hook the filter back up and give it time to prime itself and then I plug it in and wait for the water level to get back to the top. I do this once a month with 30% water changes every week.

[steve]

Unfortunately I do not have a faucet that would accept a Python. If I ever do build a new tank/pond, I would probably install a stainless steel sink right next to it.

[marisa]

I have the same problem with the python. I bought a 75-foot one almost two years ago and have yet to use it.

[reslvr]

I have been using a turkey baster to suck any larger stuff that floats in the tank or is just lying at the bottom,, I do that daily and it helps to keep the tank pretty clean, I also take around 2 quarts of water out and then replace it..

[marisa]

I use turkey basters for smaller turts (poop is small), but once a turtle gets to be bigger or you have a larger tank with a lot of water, the turkey baster just doesn't cut it.