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Can anyone give me an out line of a tank cleaning routine for a 40 gallon indoor set up. Im still new to this and haven't got a got routine for dealing with the tank cleaning and water change.

I keep getting that smokey bacteria colony thing, and how often do you clean the rocks and all, and what about the crap that falls to the bottom? how often do i do all this?

I think i need a step by step...

Look up "Python", it will help drain and refill your tank Cleaning out the filter is up to you, what kind of media you're using, what kind of filter and how often your are doing partial/complete water changes.

Yup, Pythons are awesome! I'm planning on buying a second one soon. If your tank is new, also do a google search for 'new tank syndrome'. It might help you figure out what's normal as far as bacteria growth.

What kind of rocks do you have? If you have gravel, take it out as soon as possible! There have been many cases of turtles ingesting it and becoming sick or even dying. If you must have rocks in there, make sure they're larger than your turtle's head. And remember that there's nothing wrong with a bare bottom tank, it makes the filter's work easier and makes cleaning a lot simpler.

If you don't have one, get a test kit for ammonia, ph, nitrates and nitrites, that'll help you determine how often you need to clean. You can probably get away with just partial water changes, so long as the tests come out good. Here's my routine:

I clean my tanks weekly. I start siphoning the water into a bucket, take out the filter and wash it in the tank water. I have a baggie of carbon in my filter, I change the carbon once in a while, maybe once a month. I think it's actually supposed to be every 2 weeks but it doesn't seem to make a difference in my water quality. I scrub down the sides of the tank, the basking dock and my river rocks to get rid of algae, then use the siphon to pick up all the crud that settles at the bottom of the tank. At that point you can start refilling the tank if you're only doing partial changes. I usually do full changes just because I'm paranoid and I like to see it sparkly clean. I measure out my water conditioner and ph adjuster (I have really alkaline water) then start refilling, making sure the water temperature is right. And that's about it! Make sure you unplug everything before you drain the tank, if your heater is left on out of water it could break.

Hopefully this helps, and I'm sure others will fill in whatever I've missed!

I've heard nothing but great things about pythons. I personally use a hose which works great in the summer, but in the winter I'll probably get a python.

*Starchick*

thanks. your step by step is what im looking for. one question....
Whats a python?

It's a special kind of syphon that hooks directly to a faucet, so you can empty and fill the tank without hauling any buckets! Here's a link: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... catid=3910

Don't be daunted by the price (the link I gave you is to the cheapest one I know of) It's totally worth it. You can do tank changes with a normal syphon and a bucket but I can tell you that it takes me an hour and a half to clean my 30 gallon with the bucket, and about 20 minutes to do my 45 gallon with the python.

but the 'python' does the same job as a regular gravel vac? is it realy that much better, or just faster and easyer?

It's completely different from a regular gravel syphon. A normal syphon just drains the tank, usually into a bucket unless you have a sink close by, then to refill the tank you have to fill a bucket and dump it in over and over. With a python, you screw it onto your faucet and it sucks the water out of your tank, then you flip a switch and clean water flows from your faucet, through the hose and into the tank. No buckets! Much much less work.

but its just an easier way to do the same job?

Essentially, yes.

Thanks !