how often do you clean your tank?

[kamuii]

so for the past week or so, my mom has been saying i need to clean the heater and wipe the filter and thermostat down. and i'm curious, do you clean your equipment? and if you do, how often?

but another thing i'm confused about is, wouldn't you kill the beneficial bacteria off of the heaters and filters/whatever else you have?

 

[BlueCursor]

If you have rock/substrate then the amount of bacteria on the equipment is very minimal and won't impact any significant amount of bacteria. A clean sponge does wonders. If you have calcium deposits or coralline on them, you have to either put up with it or dip them in white vinegar then rinse very very well.

 

[Salty1962]

I clean mine at least every 6 mths. to assure proper operation, especially pumps

 

[jrwoltman]

I clean my pump inside and out one a month, heater maybe once a year, powerheads practically never. Also, what BlueCursor said about losing bacteria is correct.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I clean mine at least every 6 mths. to assure proper operation, especially pumps

This is what I see most commonly. Replace heater every year and clean your pump(s) and powerhead(s) every 6 months.