Top 10 Aquarium Maintenance Tips



1) Use A Cleaning Magnet With A Scraper/inline To Clean Your Glass
Cleaning magnets are a great way to make maintenance easier. You can clean your glass without getting your hands wet. When choosing a magnet keep in mind that cleaning magnets can struggle to remove tough buildup like coralline algae. Magnets with scrapers such as the Flipper 2 in 1 Magnet Aquarium Algae Cleaners and Tunze Care Magnets make removing this hard build-up much easier.



2) Use A Self Priming Siphon
Ever gotten a mouth full of dirty fish tank water when starting the siphon for your aquarium water changer? Not pleasant. A good way to avoid this is by adding a Python Squeeze Stressless Siphon Starter to your gravel vac. The Siphon Starter will allow you to start the siphon by simply squeezing the bulb.




3) Use An Automatic Top Off To Replenish Evaporated Water
Topping off the aquarium is one of the most common aquarium maintenance tasks. Adding an auto top off such as an IceCap ATO EZ System or Tunze Osmolator will allow you to go much longer between refills. In many instances, you will be able to go a week or more without refilling your reservoir. With some careful planning, if you add a Solenoid Valve to your Tunze Osmolator, and connect it to your RO System, you will never lift a bucket of top-off water ever again!

4) Use An Auto Feeder
While many aquarists enjoy feeding their fish, when life becomes busy or you are out of town this task can be a problem. Adding an auto feeder such as a Lifegard Intelli-Feed, Hydor Automatic Feeder, or OASE FishGuard will allow you to go a week or more without feeding your fish.


5) Use A Skimmer With A Neck Cleaner and Collector
Aquarists with saltwater aquariums have to clean their protein skimmer out at least once a week to remove collected skimmate and increase skimmer performance. Using a neck cleaner like the Reef Octopus Neck Cleaner will allow you to never clean your skimmer neck again. Waste collectors like the Reef Octopus Waste Collector will let you go far longer before needing to dump out skimmate.


6) Use A Powerhead To Mix And Pump Salt Water
The directions on most salt mixes recommend mixing salt for several hours before using newly mixed salt water. Doing this by hand can be a lot of work. Using a small pump such as one of the Lifegard Aquatics Quiet One Pumps to mix your salt can save you considerable time. If you attach flexible hose to your pump you can use the pump to add saltwater back to your aquarium and avoid lifting buckets.


7) Use Two Equal Sized Containers For Water Changes
When performing water changes you need to add the same amount of water to the tank that you are taking out. The easiest way to ensure that you are adding an equal amount of water is by using two identical containers. Set your dirty water container next to your container of clean water and once the water levels are equal you can stop draining the aquarium and add the clean water to the tank. The Seachem Just Add Water 5 Gallon Water Jugs make excellent containers for water changes on aquariums up to 50 gallons.


8) Make Your Own RO Water
Using RO water can reduce algae growth and avoid adding unwanted contaminates to your aquarium. Buying RO water requires making constant trips to the grocery store or local fish store, and this can be exhausting. Purchasing your own RO system, such as a SpectraPure RO System or AquaticLife RO System, will make using RO water far easier.



9) Use RO Water To Clean
If you use RO water for your aquarium, then you have plenty of RO water to clean with. RO water makes an excellent glass cleaner and can also be used to get rid of salt creep from around the edges of your aquarium and the surface of your aquarium lights.




10) Use Citric Acid To Clean Your Pumps
Aquarium pumps can get very dirty over time. When pumps are covered in calcium deposits, coralline algae, and detritus, a simple vinegar bath can make your pumps look new again. Simply pour some white vinegar into a bucket or pitcher, drop the pumps in, and let them run overnight. Then rinse the pumps with fresh water and return them to service.