How to clean a Fluval Flex 9G or 15G aquarium
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- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2024
- In this short video, I am showing how I do the full maintenance and clean up on my 9 gallon fluval flex aquarium and share my tricks.
0:00 - Introduction
0:20 - Preparation
0:38 - Back section clean-up
1:11 - Filtration care and maintenance
4:05 - Water treatment and fertilisers
By following these instructions, you will be able to efficiently clean your flex aquarium.
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#aquarium #aquariumtips #fluval 
Животные
straight to the point thats how i like it
Thank you for sharing! I use my fish water for plants as well.👍🏻
thank you this helped me so much :))
I've just bought the same 9 gallon aquarium.... This video has been really educational. Many thanks
Glad it helped, have fun!
Another quick tip; it's better to wipe the glass first if you have lots of algae on it. This way you can siphon up all the loosened up algae when taking out the water. Also, make sure to look at the other videos on my channel if you need more tips and tricks. Happy fishkeeping! :)
Tank you for all explication !
You're welcome Virginie!
Thanks for sharing
Good video!!
Thanks 😀
Cleaning the filter tube- That’s how clogged arteries get cleaned up too lol. Nice & detailed vid! Nice idea for the water strainer 👍👍 I love the floating plants you have especially the long roots, I am waiting for mine to arrive. Yay.
I have an issue with trying to maintain crystal clear water in my Flex. I kept mostly stock filer and added Purigen but that only helped for a day. I’ll browse ur channel hoping to find a vid on it.
Hahaha now I won't be able to get that out of my mind during the next clean-ups 😂🤣
My first question would be, is it a new aquarium and does it currently house fish?
It not uncommon to have slightly cloudy water if it's a relatively new aquarium (I had this in new set-ups). This issue should resolve over time once the aquarium's ecosystem settles and regular maintenance will prevent further waste buildup and help keep it clear. Other potential causes for cloudy water would be overstocking and/or overfeeding. If you don't have a water test kit, consider buying one to make sure your parameters are acceptable for fish.
I don't have any secrets 😅 the maintenance that I do on my aquariums is exactly what is shown in the video and is done somewhat regularly.
I hope that your issue will be resolved soon! Feel free to ask iff you have any more questions.
If you have a planted aquarium with a growing media/substrate then fine particles can be disturbed in the water when you add water or agitate the substrate. It can be cleared with a product like Clarify of similar which is a flocculating agent. Just be sure to clean your filter after because the flocculant will be caught up in it.
Beautiful tank, thank you! Also 100th comment 🎉
Thanks!
Wow 100 comments already :o
🔥🔥
Your RUclips video was very helpful when I was cleaning my Fluval Flex 15 gallon and 32.5-gallon aquariums. I use the Fluval ZEO-CARB to remove any heavy metals and organic contaminants along with the Bio media that was provided with the tanks. I have a planted tanks and they seem to be doing well. Thanks again 👍
Hey Joseph, I'm glad that the videos helped! 😁
Thanks so much for this video, so informative and better than the instructions that came with my Flex. I am wondering where you get the brush that cleans in the filter tube, or what it is called so I can order one?
Thank for the kind words, much appreciated! The official brush is called "Pull-Thru Hose Brush" and sold under the Fluval/Marina brands and you might find these in your local pet store, most likely next to the filters.
Equivalent products can also be found online (ex. Amazon). You don't need a super long one to clean the tubing from the Flex.
Hope this helps!
The homemade strainer is a genius idea I need to make one too 😃! Do you have a video on that? Beautiful tank btw 🤗
Thanks Stephanie! Unfortunately I don't have a video on making the strainer, but I could do one in the future. In the meantime if you want to make one its fairly simple; use a drill to make a bunch of holes in the used container. There's some specialized plumbing drill bits that make this easier but I did just fine with regular drill bits.
@@DolbecAqua thank you for the tips!.. a pour in aquarium strainer... it's all about the little things in life!! 😄 I will try it 🤗
Great video thanks. Quick question what are the surface plants that you have? They look great.
Hi Sean, sorry for the late reply, seems like YT didn't send me a notification for your comment. The plants are Amazonian frogbit. Live them, good leaf size and great roots.
Thanks for posting this. I just got a flex 15 and was looking for something on cleaning it. One question - do you ever clean the sand and if so, how? I have Fluval stratum as my substrate, so I'm pretty sure I don't clean it like I would with aquarium gravel.
For sand, I just gently wave my hand or the siphon hose on top of it to stir up debris and pick them up with the siphon. Usually that is enough
Hey thanks for a the video it helped a lot. How often should I be replacing the filter and sponge.
You're welcome! I found that you don't need to replace them that much. After 2 years the sponge and ceramics still look good. Just need to give it a good rinse once in a while.
Thanks for the tips ! I was wondering where do you have your heater?
Heater can be easily placed inside the empty chamber at the left (when facing the aquarium) or the one with the pump. I put mine in the left one.
Thanks for the video. Have you tried with and without charcoal in your filter? I wondered if there's much difference? Does it absorb fertiliser nutrients?
Also a tip from me - you can syphon the new water back in too. It's really gentle and doesn't disturb your substrate.
Can I also ask about substrate - I use the syphon to collect the mulm from on the substrate (I have shrimp and fish). Do you do something else to remove mulm or do you prefer to keep it on as fertiliser for plants?
I haven't really seen a difference with or without charcoal to be honest and now all my aquariums run without.
I remove the mulm for visual reasons, usually when I find that there's too much. The worst cases are on sand substrates where it's super visible, otherwise I leave it.
Did you have to leave the water for free days before adding... What's your process for the added water. I'm very new at the hobby. And so many people have rules about the water... Can you simplify it for me. I'm going to check out your other videos
Great video! question, roughly how long has the tank been setup? Are you finding the stock light is enough for the Anubias? Cheers
I've had this aquarium running for now more than 3 years. However I did do some changes across the years.
Yes the light is enough for anubias.
Hello I’m new to having fish! I was wondering what the strainer is for? Amazing video btw!
The strainer is just to break the flow of water when you refill the aquarium. Otherwise sometimes when you ppour the water in too agressively it will displace the substrate and decorations
@@DolbecAqua wow that’s crazy! Who knew there was so much to having to care of fish. Thank you!
@@teresitarobles2247 you're welcome!
Thanks for your video. Had no idea how to clean the pump 😅. Does the black carbon media kill plants 😯
You're welcome! No the carbon does not kill plants, it can be safely used with them.
You can also take proppeler out as it’s only magnified
Yeah its easy to pull out the propeller and clean it if its dirty
How do you clean the back left and right containers next to the filter! Thank you!
Hi, I simply remove everything there (pump, sponge, etc.) and use the siphon tube to remove whatever is there.
Hello! I was wondering how often do you replace the filter media? 🙏🏻👏🏻
I still haven't replaced the media in 2 years and it still works wonders.
Is the strainer to help stop the water from messing up your aquascape? Because if so you could just add the water to the back of the tank.
Yes and also yes but sometimes it's not easy to access the back section with a big bucket of water if it is next to a wall or other things.
I'm new to this tank and the fish! I don't have to take the fish out to clean the tank??? Also I can keep half the water in the tank and add what needs to be added while fish is still in???
Sorry for all the questions, haven't owned a fish before and tank and fish was given to me
I can use room temperature filter water? Or tap?
No worries! Welcome to the hobby, I wish you success and happiness 😁
To answer your questions; no need to remove the fish suring maintenance. Yes you can keep half of the existing water (try not to change too much at once). Yes gou can use tap water but depending on your source (city/well/other) you might need to add products to neutralise harmful trace compounds such as chlorines/chloramines, that's what I do since it's the easiest for me.
Really helpful, thank you! Can I ask- I'm planning on using live plants in mine- is it bad to leave the carbon packet in the filter once they're in? Is it a case of it's unnecessary, or it's bad for the fish/plants or what? :/
You're welcome Twinkle! No it isn't bad to leave it in and no the carbon packet won't harm your plants at all. Ultimately, the packets are not necessary with a healthy aquarium.
@@DolbecAqua Ahh I see, thanks so much for letting me know :D
@@dancer14280 you're welcome!
Hi was wondering how often you do a water change and how often you vacuum your sand/gravel and if you use a gravel vacuum to do this? Thanks
Hi, I usually do a simple water change every 1-2 week. The full maintenance (water change + filter maintenance) that I show here is something I do once every month. Once I do water changes I remove visible debris on the gravel/sand but don't usually do gravel vacs since I haven't found that my aquariums need it as I have lots of plants that need some of these extra nutrients that reach the soil.
@@DolbecAqua I'm looking into what aquarium to buy. It's good to know the maintenance. I was planning to ask the same question.
@@hausauhau glad I could help out!
I feel foolish asking this, but how do you get the pump cover off to expose the sponge? Both my (strong) husband and I have tried and we can’t get it off.
Hi Stephanie, it's tricky, especially if it's wet and/or slimy. I usually wipe the pump with a towel and once dry I pull on the cover. It's not always easy and sometimes it requires some tugging (and light swearing! 😅🤣) to remove it. I also find that grabbing the sides and bottom is easier.
I have to lever it apart. Unscrew the tube first, use something small and sharp between the two halves (not in the hole where the tube was screwed in).
Came here to find out how to take the darn thing apart. Thank you! I bought a new pump due to reduced water flow so I can experiment on the old one and switch them out periodically.
Do you pour just cold water in?
I usually put water thats been resting at room temperature for a couple of days or water thats been heated to closely match the temperature required for that specific aquarium.
What is the name of your big duckweed-style floating plants?
It is called Amazonian frogbit. You might be able to find some in vitro pots from Tropica at the store.
Do you unplug the pump when cleaning ?
yes of course
Hi are you french-canadian ? I am too and I noticed your accent ! Anyways your video is very good thank you.
Haha yes I am of french-canadian heritage, good catch and thanks! 😄
How often do you do this cleaning?
A full cleaning (glass, aquarium and filters) is every month otherwise I do glass and aquarium every week
Salut ! J'ai beaucoup aimé tes explications. J'ai un Fluval Flex 15 g depuis 1 an déjà et mon but c'était d'avoir un jardin aquatique mais je n'y arrive pas. J'ai tellement de questions !!!! Demeures-tu au Qc ? Est-ce possible de te joindre ? Merci :)
Bonjour! Oui, par commentaire ou bien par l'email de la chaîne dans la section contact.
@@DolbecAqua super ! Au risque de paraître un peu archaïque, je ne trouve pas la section contact...Est-ce possible de me noter ton adresse émail ?
FLval Kit or marina kit?? Which one would you recommend ??
Easily Fluval. This is because the filter of the Marina kits vibrates a lot and makes noise. The Flex are much more silent which makes them more enjoyable.
@@DolbecAquathank you for your quick reply. Im on my way to pick my first one. Still deciding whether i should go for 9 or 15 gallon.
@@JoelStephen you're welcome! It mostly depends on the space you have. The 9G is more versatile in the sense that it is smaller and thus lighter which allows you to put it pretty much anywhere in your house (mine is on an office desk) while the 15G might need a more dedicated spot/furniture. The volume also influences the amount and types of fish you can house. So overall it really depends on the space you have, furniture and types of decor/fish you want.
@@DolbecAqua Thank you so much 🙏🏻
Can you link the tools you used?
Hi Dom! The very useful brush used to clean the pump is the Pull-Thru Hose Brush from Fluval.
Link for infos on the brush :
fluvalaquatics.com/ca/product/pull-thru-hose-brush/
So you don't vacuum the substrate?
No I don't vaccum it.
How often do you need to do this?
Short answer : I try to do a regular clean (just water change, brushing off algae on glass) every 2 weeks and a full clean (scrubbing the filters, water change, etc.) once per month.
Long answer : You can find ''rules/guidelines'' that strongly suggest doing weekly water changes and etc. The truth is that it really depends on how many fish there is in your particular aquarium and how often (and how much) food is put into the aquarium. My suggestion is for you to try to find a schedule that works for you and that you can maintain long-term so that fish keeping remains enjoyable for you. With time and experience you will have an idea of how often you need to clean up to manage the excessive waste building up. Wishing you the best of luck!
👍🏻🔥
Thank you for your support Mike! :D
How Often u clean this way?
I usually only do this in-depth cleaning (water change, filter maintenance) once per month. I do a light cleaning (water change) on per 1-2 week.
I don't use carbon, because I have plants.... can you xplain that reasoning please ? I don't get it.
Simply because my water is clear enough without having to add activated carbon. My plants take up a lot of waste from the water already.
@@DolbecAqua Excellent video! You're not suggesting that adding activated carbon is harmful to plants, correct?
@@HowardCossever Thank you! No, activated carbon is not harmful to plants and can be used in planted aquariums.
But how do you make the siphon? Looks like something you need to buy..
Yes you would need to purchase one since there is no siphon included in the base aquarium kit.
You can also use a cup/container to scoop out water and do your water changes.
You can easily create a very cheap siphon with a piece of tubing bought at the hardware store.
@DolbecAquaDesigns Went with the scoop method.. There really was a bunch of gunk in the back filter. What the heck causes all of that to accumulate?
@@pythgoreansassistant2789 mainly leftover fish food and fish waste. It can also be plant debris or substrate breaking down.
hello, the pump is silent?
Me and my friends find that they are one of the most silent aquariums. Some other owners report sounds of vibrations but this is mostly due to poor placement of the pump in the back section. Make sure that it is centered and not touching any walls.
@@DolbecAqua ok thanks i Will buy One. Just find the best price :)
@@DolbecAqua can u tell me if the coal goes on top or above?
@@5doolar Usually you want to put the activated carbon after mechanical filtration. Since this filter is already a big foam insert (mechanical filtration) you can put the carbon in either holes. I don't remember which hole was favored by Fluval, you would have to check on the box.
@@DolbecAqua ok thanks mate
Is that why my aquarium plants are dying? Omg it was the activated charcoal?
No, activated charcoal can be used with plants without issue