Your GO TO tools and TIPS for making it easier to keep your glass clean!

How often do have to clean your aquarium glass?

  • Every Day

    Votes: 82 9.9%
  • A few Days a Week

    Votes: 247 29.8%
  • A Couple Days a Week

    Votes: 242 29.2%
  • Once a Week

    Votes: 195 23.6%
  • Every 10 or so Days

    Votes: 49 5.9%
  • Every Couple of Weeks

    Votes: 35 4.2%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 10 1.2%

  • Total voters
    828

revhtree

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I recently saw the following video from BRS about the BEST glass cleaners of 2019 and I thought it would make a great topic for today's discussion and poll! Us reefers have different reefing styles, methods, equipment and so forth. But the one thing we have in common is that we all CLEAN THE GLASS and it can sometimes get quite annoying if we don't have the proper tools or the proper access to the glass we're trying to clean! So let's talk about that today!

1. What is your go to cleaning tools when it comes to cleaning the glass?

2. Do you have any tips or special methods that make it easier to clean the glass?



 

Crabs McJones

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I really like the Flipper scrubber. I use that to clean the inside of my glass. Now the outside of the glass I use ro/di water to wipe down. I have a three year old who LOVES looking into the tank and puts her dirty hands on the glass.
 

SPR1968

No, it wasn’t expensive dear....
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I use the Flipper Max and replace the blades around every 3-4 months when they start missing bits of growth on the glass

i always used to take it out of the tank, because I didn’t like to see it, but it’s actually much easier if you leave it in which it’s designed for.

So I keep it hidden in a corner and then clean the glass around every 2 days, because, well, I’m obsessed like that! Lol

I wipe the outside glass with just water and micro cloths when needed

I just always like it looking nice.
 

stanleo

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I usually do it everyday because I am obsessed but I HAVE to do it about 3 days a week or so. i use the MagFloat on it. I only scrape it every other week with a water change. The outside I use hot water and wipe it dry. Windex or similar always leaves streaks which I hate.

I almost bought the MagFloat scraper attachment the other day but the package says that you can't leave it in the tank. Is that true?
 

Barnabie Mejia

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I use a flipper to clean my glass, and i'm having a ghost nitrate issue right now that leads me to clean a little more often than I would like to. for the hard to reach places, I will take a new razor blade and do it manually, but that is once a week. I throw the blade away after use, because I am paranoid of letting it sit and accidentally using it again! I like having the glass clean but its an indicator that I have a nitrate issue.... as of now i'm testing and I get a 0 - traceable reading but the glass and algae tell me different haha. vibrant better do some work, if not I'm throwing it across the street!

for the outside I use RODI water to wipe it down with a microfiber to dry, and its always clean.
 

mfinn

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I have had the same Algae Free magnet cleaner for nearly 20 years. I just replace the pads every once in a while.
I recently bought a medium Flipper, and I have to say it's pretty nice for the price.
 

WVNed

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I have a Kent long handled scraper. If you clean more often it is easier to get off. New tanks need it every day then every 2-3 days. I dont clean the back glass. Things eat there.
Match your magnetic scrapper to your glass thickness. I have an old Magfloat for small tanks, a Piranha for the 75 and a Flipper Max for the 240.
 

Schnizzle

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I have the flipper max and it works quite well. Occasionally I get the harder bits by hand using the flipper's scraper. I need to get a scraper on a stick because ol' foxy makes me nervous.

I do the same @WVNed , gives the hungry critters a spot to graze.
 

SDK

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I have a small Two Little Fishes Magnet Cleaner that stays out of sight behind a powerhead in the tank.

My two tips are to do it often and make it easy to do.

The magnet scraper makes it easy to do both. I usually sit down next to my tank for a bit after dinner to relax. It's so simple to just grab the magnet and give the glass a 30 second wipe while I'm sitting there. This is also when I take a close look at everything. I like to nip problems in the bud.

The tank always looks great and the stubborn, harder to scrape stuff never gets a chance to get started...
 

vetteguy53081

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I HAD NO CHOICE ON MY BIG TANK BUT TO GET THE " MIGHTY MAGNET " !!!
Very expensive BUT covers a wide area quickly and without scratching acrylic.

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1576260582455.png
 

lilgrounchuck

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I've got an acrylic so I put a thin slice of magic eraser on each side of a magnetic cleaner and it wipes everything right off, no scratching. Sometimes I have to get my arm in there to apply a bit more force on the subborn coralline down by the sand bed with the magic eraser, but it's not tough to get off.
 

nkyreef

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I used to have to clean it every 2-3 days but after starting my carbon reactor back up it's more like every 5-6 days. I really don't like cleaning my glass that often ever since I scratched my glass with the flipper.
 

Dr. Jim

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For the outside of the tank, I found that a squeegee (10" blade) works real well and is quick. It has a sponge with nylon meshing around the sponge on the opposite side of the holder which I wet with tap water, sponge on glass, flip over the device and use rubber blade on other side to wipe/scrape off water.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 70 37.4%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 63 33.7%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 13.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 28 15.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 1 0.5%
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