​END OF YEAR CLEAN-UP

 

It is important to clean the tank set-up at the end of each year to preserve the life of your equipment and prepare for a successful following year. The directions below lead you and your students carefully through all the steps needed for a successful end of year clean-up.

 

A. DIRECTIONS FOR FINAL CLEANING OF THE TANK

1. The air pump, chiller, and filter should have been turned off when the fish were removed for release. Empty the tank almost all the way by your usual method. Many people like to use the siphon to do this work. Remove the gravel; a plastic or rubber dust pan can be used to scoop the gravel into a bucket for cleaning.  Finish emptying the tank. 

2. Disconnect and remove the filter hoses (see D, 1. below) and air pump tubing from the tank.

3. Using a solution of 1 tsp. unscented Clorox to 8 oz. water or a 2 oz. solution of white vinegar to 10 oz. water, wipe down the interior and exterior of the tank. Use a soft sponge (dedicated to this use only) and scrub hard to remove scale and algae growth. Scrape off stubborn scale/algae by careful use of a straight-edged safety razor blade. 

4. Rinse the tank to remove any chlorine/vinegar and wipe dry with clean cloth or paper towels, or let air-dry.

5. Wash the gravel and dry it by spreading on a cloth or towel in the sun or a ventilated area. The gravel can also be sterilized using the Clorox or vinegar solution, but then it MUST be rinsed with tap water and completely dried.

6. Put the gravel inside the tank, cover the tank with a dust-proof cover, and store in a safe place.

 

B. DIRECTIONS FOR FINAL CLEANING OF DROP-IN CHILLERS

1. Using the bleach or vinegar solution described above and a dedicated sponge, wipe off the stainless steel chiller coil

2. For hard-to-remove plaque, use a small plastic scrub brush. Never use a wire brush on these tubes.

3. Remove dust and lint from the cooling fins on the intake side of the chiller unit. Loosen dirt with a stiff paint brush or tooth brush. Use a small portable vacuum cleaner to collect dust. The chiller will run more efficiently after removal of the lint and dust. This also protects the compressor from overheating. NOTE: Keep hands away from these fins, as they are sharp.

 

C. DIRECTIONS FOR FINAL CLEANING OF FLOW-THROUGH CHILLERS

The chiller has two main parts, the chiller unit (a cube about 22” on a side) and a pump or “power head,” which normally sits on the floor of the tank and pumps water out of the tank, into and through the chiller, and back into the tank.

 

The cleaning process involves these steps (It’s not as complicated as it looks):

1. Fill a five-gallon bucket with three or four gallons of water.

2. Add a quart of white vinegar to the water in the bucket.

3. Put the power head and the end of the outflow hose into the bucket.

4. Plug the power head in and run for about half an hour. This will push the vinegar-water mix through the chiller. You don’t need to plug in and turn on the chiller.

5. After half an hour, unplug the power head and dispose of the vinegar-water.

6. Fill the bucket with three or four gallons of clean water.

7. Return the power head and the other end of the outflow hose to the bucket. Plug the power head back in.

8. Run for another 15” to flush out the vinegar-water residue.

9. Use an air compressor to force air through the chiller to remove the water that’s still in there. You might want to do that in both directions, that is, pushing air through from the input side and then, after you’ve done that, pushing it in through from the output side.

10. If the tubes are grungy, it’d be good to force a rag at the end of a stiff wire through the tubing a few times (assuming that you don’t have an appropriate-size brush). If the interior of the tubing has a greenish tinge, this probably means algae has been growing in it. Then, it’d probably be best to clean the interior of the tubing twice, once with a dilute vinegar-water mixture and then with clean water.

 

D. DIRECTIONS FOR FINAL CLEANING OF THE AQUACLEAR FILTER

1. Unplug the power cord and remove top cover.

2. Remove BioMax, Chemi-Pure, and the foam block from the filter cavity. Discard spent Chemi-Pure. The foam block and the BioMax must be thoroughly rinsed in a bleach or vinegar cleaning solution (1 tsp. unscented Clorox to 8 oz. water or a 2 oz. solution of white vinegar to 10 oz. water) followed by a fresh water rinse. The foam block, specifically, will require many cycles of soaking in the cleaning solution and rinsing to remove all black material. (This effective cleaning will reduce transferring unwanted ammonia or nitrite generating materials to next year’s tank.)  Spread these materials on a towel and place in the sun or a well-ventilated area to dry. 

3. Scrub the plastic parts clean, including the intake tube screen, with the bleach or vinegar cleaning solution described above.

4. Thoroughly air-dry entire filter apparatus.

5. When all components are dry, re-assemble the filter and store inside the tank. (Be careful NOT to misplace the filter “foot,” the small plastic piece used to level the filter on the aquarium.) 

 

E. DIRECTIONS FOR FINAL CLEANING OF THE FLUVAL FILTER

1. Remove the hoses (unscrew them from the connector), the intake strainer and the outflow nozzle.  Clean these parts in the bleach/vinegar solution. A long-handled bottle brush will be needed to clean the hoses. Rinse all parts in fresh water.

2. The BioMax and pre-filter foam material can be discarded or used for two years, but both must be thoroughly rinsed in a bleach or vinegar solution followed by a fresh water rinse if you plan to reuse them. Spread these materials on a towel and place in the sun or a well-ventilated area to dry. Many teachers choose to discard the pre-filter foam, as this material tends to get slimy and smelly.  All bags of Chemi-Pure should be discarded.

3. Scrub the plastic parts clean with the bleach or vinegar solution described above.

4. Thoroughly air-dry entire filter apparatus.

5. When all components are dry, re-assemble the filter and store inside the tank.

 

DIGITAL THERMOMETER MAINTENANCE

Turn off digital thermometer to conserve battery life. Remove the battery and check the battery contacts for corrosion.  Place the battery and thermometer in a zip lock back for storage.