# Maintenance of a tall tank - help!!



## LouStar (Aug 12, 2009)

Hi all, hoping some of you might have some words of wisdom for me...! Hope I have posted in the right place - if not please feel free to tell me where to re-post!!

My local Doctors surgery are moving to a new building and have had a beautiful display fish tank installed. Its small, but quite deep - deeper than I can reach in - what a great design, lol! 

Anyway, im wondering where I can get/how i can make a gravel cleaner that will reach to bottom of the tank - and if there are any other issues that I may come across that I havent already thought of!

The tank was set up by a company who usually charge to come and do maintenance on the tank but the surgery is NHS and therefore doesnt have a budget for this, hence I got the job! But other than my own tank (which is easily accessable compared to the surgery's tank) I've never looked after anything like it!

I'll grab the list of fish in the tank and describe it below just incase you guys can spot any issues I havent already!

Fish: 
4 Melon Barbs
4 Albino tiger barbs
4 buenos aires tetra
1 sailfin plec
4 loach (2 striped, 2 spotted)
1 otocinclus
(I have kept none of these before so I'm about to go research!)

A list of stuff I think I'll need (feel free to add to this if you think theres anything I've missed!)

A gravel cleaner that reaches the bottom of the tank
Rubber tubing for syphoning water off
2 buckets - 1 large, 1 small (opening to tank is quit small!)
tap safe
microfibre cloth for glass front
thermometer
long handled net (maybe telescopic if available?)
containers for taking samples for testing (gonna use a local aqua shop free testing)

I dont have any pics yet, I was hoping to take some when I went to see the tank, but the practice manager didnt seem keen so I didnt push it. Might make a 'spot the fish' feature for the kids (its in the kids part of the waiting room - not sure if thats a good idea really but there you go!) so hopefully will get to take some next time I go


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## MediaHound (Jul 19, 2006)

I have 24" tweezers that are a must-have when cleaning my reef, they might come in handy to move around decorations and set up the layout easily.


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## JIM (May 27, 2009)

the items you listed are all great tools to have as well as the items Mediahound mentioned. I would just like to add that, i persoanly use the Python cleaner with the long tube, i hook this to a wash-sink in my fish room, with a waterbed syphon/ refill apparatus, that usually comes with the python, and it makes cleaning and re-filling a breeze.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I agree with Jim on the python, I wouldn't get very far cleaning out the 220 without one. The tank is 30 inches tall. I also use the 24 inch tweezers for planting the tank and it has an attachment to use for trimming plants also. I need to pick up the magnet for cleaning the glass also as I can't reach near the bottom any other way.


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## drhank (Aug 3, 2009)

Many of the online aquarium supply houses have equipment that can be of great help in maintaining a tall aquarium. One thing that I think is a must is a magnetic algae scrubber. There are several brands but I've personally found the "Mag Float" to be one of the best. There is even a blade scraper called an "Easy Blade Scraper" that can be super glued to several of the magnetic scrubbers that make algae cleaning a breeze. I use one on my reef tank and it even makes short work of tough coraline algae.


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## LouStar (Aug 12, 2009)

Thanks everyone, you've been really helpful! I'm popping out to get the stuff later today and I'll see if I can find any of the things you've mentioned 

I'll let you know how i get on, and hopefully will be able to take some pics 2mo and post them up!


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