Where do you tank on tank upkeep?

[Idech]

I almost never did any water changes for 5 years and I had so many problems and limited success. Not only because of that but it’s a good part of it.

I just had an auto water change system installed and I feel like I am in heaven ! I do two small water changes per day and I can’t believe all I have to do is push a button on my phone (still testing the system).

I also installed dosing pumps for stability. I don’t blow my rocks usually, unless I have a reason for it. I don’t vacuum the sand either but I might disturb it once in a while.

 

[mmorrison55]

How are you all blowing off your rock? Turkey blaster, some kind of powered pump pushing water across your rock work?

 

[Dirtyshoez]

2 Tanks one is a nano. Large tank gets weekly water changes, vacuum sump occasionally, blow off rock once a month, just recently started working on sand (which I wish I would have done from the start) its a peninsula so the back/overflow I do not clean. The nano, water changes once a month and will scrub the glass from the inside and back panel when im in there. Otherwise I do nothing other than clean the sock and fill the ato. Guess which one shows to be more bulletproof . Lol

I have a 2 little fish baster, personally not much of a fan so make look at one of these icecap ones.

 

[ColorMeGone]

Check salinity everyday, 3 cups a day water changes, blow corals off everyday, and clean glass everyday.
In my book it's a must!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Water changes were the bane of my existence

 

[Dragen Fiend]

I'm pretty hands off. Besides glass scraping. That's about it. I barely water change my nano's. I stopped vacuuming the sand. I just make a mess by doing so. I water change maybe once every 3-6 months.

 

[vlangel]

I checked that I do some of these consistently. Right now my tank is about 6 months old although all the rock, sand and coral are decades old, since I did a transfer from a prior tank in Sept. 2025. Because of the disruption I am doing 10%+ weekly water changes diligently. I painted a mural of seadragons on the back glass so I keep that scraped as is needed. However, I never vacuum the sand and almost never blow detritus off rock. Mine is a mixed reef, ( predominantly softies, macroalgae with some LPS and SPS).

 

[smitten with ocean life]

i didnt even realize that blowing off the rock work was a thing!

 

[Featherweight]

Just curious where everyone stands, where do you stand as far as:

Regular water changes

Blowing out rock work

Vacuuming sand

Scraping back glass etc

I know some people claim great success never doing water changes. Some people claim blowing their rockwork out obsessively is the key to their success. Meanwhile some people haven't touched their sand since they started their tank 10 years ago. Also curious about what other "chores" people attribute to their success.

Everything but scrape the back glass

 

[landlubber]

i'm currently under-snailed and seemingly scrape down the back panel about once a month. Never could get used to the unmaintained look where everything grows on it.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Never been a fan of water changes. Rather biological process of cleaning water. Big fan of creating storms in the tank so to speak or
Blowing off rock work.

Never touch back glass , or clean sump in my cases. I like the mulm - I am about to get rid of filter socks / mechanical filtration in my new tank

 

[rrrrob]

I've been away from the hobby for several years, and started a new tank last summer. But I've been at this since the undergravel filter era (1980s).

Over the years, it seemed like disturbing the sand/gravel significantly would always lead to some sort of disease outbreak. I had a tank full of fish that had been healthy for years without any new introductions start dying after a simple tank move from one room to another.

So this time, I didn't vacuum the sand. It's not deep (maybe 1.5 to 2" deep, Carrib-Sea sand).

My water parameters: pH 7.8, nitrate ~ 10ppm, phosphate 4 ppm (very high at the time, now down to .25-.50), no amonia or nitrite.

Just before a strange outbreak without recent introductions, I inadvertently disturbed the sand during a clumsy water change. A week or so later, the fish starting acting sluggish and stressed, with reduced appetite. The royal gramma was flashing/scratching against rocks. I lost 2 clowns and a coral beauty before I saved the remaining two with Metroplex. I still have no idea what the actual parasite or bacteria was--all I know is that Metroplex cured it twice.

I bought a microscope to see if I could identify parasites, etc. (no luck but still fascinating), and I pulled water out of the sand with a turkey baster to check out under the microscope. TONS of critters easily spotted and observed.

So I have read that not vacuuming can lead to disease spread. Pockets of anerobic bacteria can form (not sure why that would be a problem, but ok), some deadly parasites can thrive in there, yada yada yada.

So while my remaining fish were in the hospital/quarantine tank, I left the display tank fallow and started vacuuming the sand every weekend during subsequent water changes (no corals, but had some starfish, snails, shrimp still in the display). The surviving fish are back in the display tank for over a month now following an 8-week fallow period. So far so good.

I recently pulled more water out of the substrate for microscope inspection, and I am finding the population of critters is significantly reduced...it's much harder to find anything swimming/squirming around.

So I guess I am leaning toward regular vacuuming after all of this...if there is uronema in there, for instance, I am thinking a tank can contain it as long as the concentration is minimal.

 

[MasterClassReefs]

If my chores arent done its because I am in the hospital or dead.

 

[mmorrison55]

I think if you vacuum the sand, or don’t, you should stick with it.

I personally do vacuum my sand bed, but maybe every 3weeks to a month. I don’t do weekly, but if your time permits, then all the better.

Same if you are in the no vacuum camp, probably leave it and don’t disturb it.

If that’s your route, I’d probably get some sand sifting stars, and possibly a sea cucumber, and sand sifting goby like a diamond goby.

I have all 3. The diamond goby is very entertaining.

 

[BryanM]

Just curious where everyone stands, where do you stand as far as:

Regular water changes

Blowing out rock work

Vacuuming sand

Scraping back glass etc

I know some people claim great success never doing water changes. Some people claim blowing their rockwork out obsessively is the key to their success. Meanwhile some people haven't touched their sand since they started their tank 10 years ago. Also curious about what other "chores" people attribute to their success.

I am a no water change guy. Recently switched to the triton method and will be doing the Full Triton with monthly ICP tests.

I do vacuum sand about every two weeks.

I scrape glass whenever I feel like it, usually once a week.

I have never blown out rockwork and have no idea what that task is even for. But I have tangs and snails and a couple hermits.