Astrivian
08-20-2007, 11:37 AM
So TR ferrets, i have a show idea.
How about a roundtable discussion regarding tank maintenance (daily, weekly, monthly)?
I am thinking of outlining it as follows
1. Schedule
I am thinking of starting with a basic question of "What do you clean on a daily basis," " ...weekly basis," and "...monthly basis." Where do your water changes typically take place? Do you siphon sand or rocks or anything? Do you dose trace elements during these times? How often do you replace carbon?
2. Techniques
Then, we can progress into the details of exactly how people clean each of the components. Do you use vinegar, bleach, pipe cleaners, brushes, etc? Do you try and scrape off everything, or to you skip some crap (like coraline on the outside of a PH)? Skimmers: do you completely disassemble and sterilize them, or do you just give them and the pump a rinse? Closed Loops: How do you maintain the pump? Do you clean the lines as well? Return: What do you do with the pump here? Do you replace parts, or wait until it breaks? Powerheads: Do you do these all at once, or cycle them? What do you clean on them and using what chemicals? Substrate: do you clean the substrate at all? If so, how?
3. WHAT-IF
Then, i can get into WHAT-IF scenarios and "exceptions to the rule." I imagine no-one really keeps a lock-step schedule with cleaning and maintenance, so what happens if you have to skip a step? Have you ever skipped a maintenance schedule? If so, what happened to your tank?
4. Advice for newcommers.
Closing remarks and advice for newbies (such as myself).
If anyone is interested in having a mic at the table, let me know.
How about a roundtable discussion regarding tank maintenance (daily, weekly, monthly)?
I am thinking of outlining it as follows
1. Schedule
I am thinking of starting with a basic question of "What do you clean on a daily basis," " ...weekly basis," and "...monthly basis." Where do your water changes typically take place? Do you siphon sand or rocks or anything? Do you dose trace elements during these times? How often do you replace carbon?
2. Techniques
Then, we can progress into the details of exactly how people clean each of the components. Do you use vinegar, bleach, pipe cleaners, brushes, etc? Do you try and scrape off everything, or to you skip some crap (like coraline on the outside of a PH)? Skimmers: do you completely disassemble and sterilize them, or do you just give them and the pump a rinse? Closed Loops: How do you maintain the pump? Do you clean the lines as well? Return: What do you do with the pump here? Do you replace parts, or wait until it breaks? Powerheads: Do you do these all at once, or cycle them? What do you clean on them and using what chemicals? Substrate: do you clean the substrate at all? If so, how?
3. WHAT-IF
Then, i can get into WHAT-IF scenarios and "exceptions to the rule." I imagine no-one really keeps a lock-step schedule with cleaning and maintenance, so what happens if you have to skip a step? Have you ever skipped a maintenance schedule? If so, what happened to your tank?
4. Advice for newcommers.
Closing remarks and advice for newbies (such as myself).
If anyone is interested in having a mic at the table, let me know.