Poll: How often do you clean you glass?

GoVols · Jul 11, 2018

Welp,
I use the "Flipper" every two or three days.
It's just easy.

If I see an film build up more often and heavy, then I recharge my GFO reactor.

Surfzone · Jul 11, 2018

On my 60 I get away with once a week. I think this is due to NO3s stay at 4.0 and PO4 stays at 0.04 to 0.08. I also have a 54 watt UV running on this system. My 27 cube needs the glass cleaned almost daily. NO3 and PO4 are high and no UV on that tank

cracker · Jul 11, 2018

A Rumba for the glass . LOL Pretty cool ! I clean my glass 3-4 days usually. I have a thin film of very rough stuff. My Magfloat doesn't even phase it & sounds like sand paper as it passes over .
I have to use a straight razor to scrape it off. I need to do this maybe once a week to keep in clean ,which I don't . Anybody know what this algae is?
As I was saying about every 3-4 days for me. No probs at all on the big tank that's just every so often . I think it's because the lighting set is pretty low as it's just a few fish .
Another good pole . Still chuckling over the Rumba .

ArowanaLover1902 · Jul 11, 2018

I'm every other day to every third day. I keep my tank's algae eaters (and myself) happy by having an agreement to never clean the sides of my tank, only the front panel. Given that I don't look through the sides very often it's pretty cool. If you wait long enough some weird stuff starts growing on the algae (little feather worms and etc).

dbl · Jul 11, 2018

doughboy said:
Did you check your nitrates?
I find that the higher the nitrates, the more often you will need to clean the glass.
So you pretty much can get away with not testing for nitrates, just use algae on glass as an indicator of nitrate level.

That's the funny thing. I really don't test much any more but when I noticed this "change", I did run a full battery of tests and the NO3 was only around 5 ppm, which is pretty much where it's always been. It's not a big deal to clean the glass (all three sides of the peninsula) using the Flipper. I actually use the time to look everything over a little more carefully while I'm doing it. Maybe it's my tank's way of saying "Hey, look at me".

OceanL0ver · Jul 11, 2018

My nutrients got out of control and I recently put my algae scrubber back online. I used to have to clean every other day now with nitrates 20-40 and phosphate 0.09 I only clean glass every 3rd or 4th day

doughboy · Jul 11, 2018

dbl said:
That's the funny thing. I really don't test much any more but when I noticed this "change", I did run a full battery of tests and the NO3 was only around 5 ppm, which is pretty much where it's always been. It's not a big deal to clean the glass (all three sides of the peninsula) using the Flipper. I actually use the time to look everything over a little more carefully while I'm doing it. Maybe it's my tank's way of saying "Hey, look at me".

I think the algae on glass is a better indicator of nitrate level than any test.

Isaac Alves · Jul 11, 2018

I run NoPOX and use the Red Sea Coral Nutritional regimen. I know it's contributing to the film on the glass every 3 days or so. But it's not algae, it's a faint white film, my Trochus still eat it, just not fast enough and Tunze Care Magnet long takes care of it. It also gives me some quality time with the tank.

Dom · Jul 11, 2018

I clean as needed... usually weekly, need it or not with my water change.

erk · Jul 11, 2018

I clean my glass every 2-3 days. Tank is well over a year old now. The algae that grows is pretty tough to remove. It looks like a thin dusting, but takes elbow grease to remove. I don't dare leave it for a week or I have to scrape it off with a ton of force. The tang, blenny, angel, and any other algae eating organism loves the stuff. When it grows on the rocks, it grows like a short fuzzy covering.

ca1ore · Jul 11, 2018

Every two weeks, and then only really the bottom quarter of the front panel. If you want to reduce the frequency just eliminate the amount of light that falls on the front.

jokerman826 · Jul 11, 2018

dang, I only clean my 90 when someone comes over. even then there is barely anything on the glass. Sometimes I can go a few months in between. I guess the cuc is great. My 40 was once a day or two until a week ago when I supercharged the CuC. Now the glass is so clean. Wife's biocube is about once a week. or until I tell at her to clean it.

Yati · Jul 11, 2018

Gotta love my OCD that makes me clean mine daily!

ikolbaba06 · Jul 11, 2018

Weeks to months. It never actually gets that thick that I cannot see through it. I scraped for the first time the other day and I think it was at minimum 2 months since the last time. Or whenever someone comes over to buy coral frags or something.

vetteguy53081 · Jul 11, 2018

Since upgrading my lighting ( Kessil AP700, SB Reefs (72" across), 14 bulb T5 and (2) 72" reefbrites, every other day , I get an algae buildup

Gareth elliott · Jul 11, 2018

Chose other i stopped caring after getting the flipper if theres a spot on front glass i real quickly clean that spot. Side glass every 2 weeks or so. Back glass whenever it doesnt look like glass anymore.

Adele · Jul 11, 2018

2-3 days for me, although yesterday it seemed pretty clean and today when I got home it had a thick coat liberally marked with snail lip trails. So rather than clean it I’m going to let it go for a bit. Plus I just added pods and they seem to like cruising around in it after dark.

ikolbaba06 · Jul 11, 2018

vetteguy53081 said:
Since upgrading my lighting ( Kessil AP700, SB Reefs (72" across), 14 bulb T5 and (2) 72" reefbrites, every other day , I get an algae buildup

You upgraded from led to t5 or you have a hybrid led t5?