On Tuesday I cleaned a 1000 gallon fish tank for a person here in town. It took only a few hours because there wasn’t much to do. Taking it all in, looking at the sheer beauty and size took about 20 min so factor that in the time spent there. I mean to tell ya, WOW!!! That thing made my little 75 look like a toy.
People pay to have a lot done. They’ll pay to have their dog walked or their window’s washed, their house cleaned, etc, etc. I’ve never really understood that either. Heck, I’ll clean my own house. I enjoy it, so why would I bring someone else in to do it? Now with increased depression, Lupus symptoms and a host of other things I’ve come to appreciate the value of outside help. If I had the money I’d have someone come in every 2 weeks and clean my restroom, do detail vacuuming and dust from top to bottom. That would be most helpful. I figure I could keep up with everything else but those three things get away from me easily.
Because of OCD issues I simply hate going into my restroom. I want to get in there, get her done and leave. I have to all but dissociate to walk in there so cleaning it takes more mental energy than I wish to offer. Having someone else do it would be a great mental relief. Heck, I’d even be willing to trade chores not to clean that thing.
Back to the monster fish tank…. oh my Lord, I couldn’t have that in my house because I’d never get anything done. The beauty of it was simply mesmerizing. I’d end up tinkering with it all the time, checking for tiny little spots on the glass and adjusting plant vines on the top, all to the point of annoying the hell out of the fish. I do that with my little 75 so I know I’d be at it all day if I had a thousand gallons.
This now brings me to updates on my dream home. In addition to a full room of aquariums and terrariums I think I’m going to need one of those hide away restrooms. You know how in the emergency room a stainless steel toilet bowl comes out of the counter then closes right back in? Yeah, I’m gonna need one or two of those. If I had that in my house now I could go in with no difficulties at all, no dissociation required.
The strangest thing I was ever paid to do was go clothing shopping for a man I use to know. I was given an idea of what he wanted then sent with money to pay, plus I was paid well for my time and gas. One of the best things about shopping for someone this way is that if I’m under budget I get to keep what’s left over. That’s one of the only times I’m game for left overs.
Faith
So how exactly do you clean a 1,000 gallon fish tank? We just went from a 1 gallon to a 10 gallon and I’m struggling. The 1 gallon was easy. Scoop fishie into a container. Dump fish tank, clean all parts, reassemble with new filtered water, put fishie back in.
This 10 gallon one is killing me. I think I’m going to buy an algae eating fish and hope that helps.
what kind of fish and how many do you have?
Check this Yahoo Answers entry for fish ideas and numbers for your ten gallon tank.
If you have a ten gallon only change 1 to 2 gallons of the water per week. This can be pretty easy if you take part of the air hose or even a straw and let the water drip into a bucket. A good way to get the water to come up the straw/hose into the bucket is to put a baby’s nasal cleaner at the end and suck the water up. Let it drip.
Make sure you have good filter inserts or your water will be gross. I use aquaclear ammonia remover rocks, aquaclear active carbon and aquaclear foam inserts. If you use google images you’ll be able to see the products. I have 4 tanks. One is a 75 and the other 3 are 5 gallon tanks. I use aquaclear products because they work. I also use Stress Coat for water changes because it cleans out all the issues from tap water.
The type of filter inserts where you’ve got 3 in one where everything is together DO NOT WORK. You have to change them more often and they simply don’t get the job done. I save money by using individual inserts.
Switch from flake food to pellets. Flakes will jack your water up big time and cause bacteria issues.
Last but not least, a ten gallon is too small for most algae eaters. My 5 gallon tanks don’t have them because they’re way too small. The 75 has 3 8-inch fantail goldfish, one pleco and 4 Japanese trapdoor snails. The 3 five gallon tanks have one male beta each.
Hope that helps.
As far as cleaning that guys tank went, since I’m not a professional all I did was basic cleaning. I cleaned the trap, wiped the tank down on the outside, cleaned and washed equipment. I didn’t do a lot inside the tank at all because I’m not trained to do work with that big of a tank.
I’m comfortable maintaining 125 gallons and under in freshwater but if you get much above 125 I’m a bit in over my head.
Ahh a nasal aspirator. Great idea. I have to confess to sucking on the hose the first time and then trying to guess when to stop in order to get free and clear before the water got into my mouth. I’ve been lucky so far but a nasal aspirator makes SO much more sense.