Good ole maintenance...gotta luv it.

After some not so thrilled water test results the other day, I have decided to do a major, major scape on the 45. The TDS reading was up to 445! The interesting thing about it though, the shrimp are still breeding very well and thriving. But...it's still a ticking time bomb that needs to be diffused now.

So, I'm uprooting all the plants and trying to do a good gravel vac. Water is very dark brown in the jugs. Ewwwww! lol

After the first 10% WC yesterday, the TDS dropped just about 80 pts to 379. I'm in the process of doing another section which will put me at 1/2 way of tank. It's another good 10% vac.

Will take another reading tomorrow to see what this one lowers it to. I want to keep it consistant with my others tanks and get around 150.

And, this has been a little difficult today. My hand was getting covered with shrimpies. It tickled pretty bad. :o) Wonder if thats what it feels like with the fish doing the pedicures.

I just love major cleaning! Ya Right!

If you have any houseplants, let the brown water settle, and water them with the cleared fish water!

I need to do a deep clean in a few of my tanks as well.....

So how do you vac without getting little tiny shrimplets?

Fern wrote:

I need to do a deep clean in a few of my tanks as well.....

So how do you vac without getting little tiny shrimplets?

Very, very carefully. I still managed to suck up a few. I used a coffee filter to rescue them and get them back in the tank.

As for the water, in the summer time, we just dump in on the garden. Not many house plants to take advantage of the goodies.

I have mine with dirt under gravel so there is no vacuuming. I put like 4 layers of panty hose over the end of the siphon to do water changes though... seems to work.

I have a small tree out side near my fish room that benefits from the fishy water.

After (3) 10% water changes, TDS has only dropped to 349. Was kinda hoping with heavy vac it would have dropped more. Just finished #4 today. Shrimpies are lovin all the goodies that are being stirred up.

More water changes in the coming days. We'll get it down there eventually.

sounds like a lot of hard work!!!

Oh it's fun! :o)

Pulling out all kinds of goodies from the substrate.

Thats why I don't use substrate. Lots of work!