How to clean out tank?

[DeCypher]

It's that time of the month again! Only that a couple weeks ago, I put in sand and plants. How can I clean this tank so it will be spotless without digging up all the plants and sucking up too much sand?

 

[RobM]

Instead of cleaning a tank until its spotless, you should try to achieve a more consist cleanliness level. You shouldn't just be cleaning monthly, partial water changes alone should be done every 1-2 weeks, even with a filter! Spot cleaning of course can be done in between by fishing debris or uneaten food out with a net or turkey baster.
If you are worried about losing sand, just suck up as much debris as you want including sand, then rinse the collected sand out, then put the sand back in!

Perhaps have a read of: Caudata Culture Articles - Water Quality it will provide you with some more information.

 

[DeCypher]

I already do my water changes....I also use a turkey baster to get out dead food and poop. There's gross brown algae and some stuff I can't get at because it's under rocks or in crevices. That's the stuff I was talking about...

 

[RobM]

Ok, my apologies.
Have you tried squirting a turkey baster between the rocks to get debris out? You may not be able to get all debris out without moving the rocks to be honest. Its one of the downsides to using a substrate really and is one reason I choose to have bare bottom tanks, it makes maintenance so much easier.
If you are worried about ruining the plants, perhaps tie the plants to driftwood, then they should be easier to move around and clean around.

 

[DeCypher]

Honestly, I don't care much for the plants. They're Peacock Ferns, and I am just keeping them there until I find good plants, like Java Fern or Elodeas or sword plants, etc. Cleaning the tank is literally the ONLY downside to keeping Caudates...one reason why they're better than most pets (and sadly under-rated)!

 

[Kaysie]

Cleaning the tank is literally the ONLY downside to keeping Caudates.

Wait til you have to move! There's a reason I went from 300 something salamanders (and 20+ snakes, two over 10 feet, 2 turtles, and a cat) to 6.

 

[DeCypher]

I only have 3 so I think I'm okay. Well I am going to get an Axie soon...

I am a little scared now!!

 

[evut]

I have sand substrate too and this works for me: I use a hose without anything on the end (no gravel vacuum attachment) and hold the end between my fingers to reduce the flow, then hover slightly above the sand to pick up the mess while fighting off the newts as they're trying to help. This is ok even around well rooted plants.Your tank will never be spotless, you just need to find some sort of balance.
I also had brown algae...it's disgusting but I think you shouldn't try to eradicate it in all places or not all at once - you will be wiping off the biofilm from the surfaces which in turn might make your algae problem worse. Just leave it in places where it's not so visible. It will go eventually.

 

[DeCypher]

Thank you! I will definitely try it.

Since now my tank has tons of bacteria and good stuff in it, I want to keep it there. What's the maximum amount of water that I should remove?

 

[Kaysie]

The bacteria grow on the tank, filter, decorations, plants, etc. They're not free-floating in the water.

 

[evut]

I've seen different recommendations for water changes - something like 10 - 20% weekly (?). It's best to put the water into a bucket that you don't use for anything else so that you can put some back if you take too much out (the dirt would stay in the bottom).

 

[Kaysie]

I have a 2-bucket system: bucket 1 is the 'waste bucket'. All my water changes get siphoned into here. Bucket 2 is the 'fresh bucket'. All my water that goes into the tanks goes into here. Then I fill it up and let it sit after I've filled up the tank. Then I have appropriate temperature, degassed water next time. This bucket has a lid on it, and it's the only thing it gets used for.