maintenance
Routine maintenance
A tank maintained a little every week is far more stable than one given an occasional overhaul. The overhaul itself — a very large water change, a full filter clean, a deep substrate disturbance — is a common trigger for the problems it was meant to prevent.
Short answer
A weekly partial water change with a substrate vacuum, a monthly filter rinse in tank water, and regular observation. Consistency matters more than intensity.
A workable routine
| Frequency | Task |
|---|---|
| Daily | Feed, count the fish, watch for anything unusual |
| Weekly | 25–50 % water change, vacuum a section of open substrate, wipe the glass |
| Weekly or fortnightly | Test nitrate and pH; trim plants |
| Monthly | Rinse mechanical media in tank water; test KH and GH |
| Every few months | Clean the impeller; check heater accuracy against a thermometer |
| Annually | Review stocking against adult sizes; replace ageing heaters |
What not to do
- Do not clean everything at once. Water change, filter rinse and substrate vacuum in a single session is a large biological disturbance.
- Do not rinse media under the tap.
- Do not remove the fish to clean the tank.
- Do not deep-clean a substrate that has never been touched — do it in sections over several weeks.