bodieman

I have a little algae growing on the glass throughout my tank, i think its diatoms, but it doesnt bother me enough to freak out about. My question is what is the deal with magnetic cleaners? I get the idea, float around and clean the glass. Is there any real benifit from having them and what is everyones opinion about them? Is it worth the money to get one and is there anything more to them than what meets the eye?

sirdarksol

They're a relatively convenient way to clean the glass. They work well, and take up less space than the big handles with scrubbers on the end.

au01st

You will get algae. It's just going to happen. I give my tank a good glass cleaning on Friday afternoon so it looks good for the weekend and I don't have to do anything.

They're not expensive and will come in handy.

sirdarksol

It's not a guarantee. I have one tank with a koi in it. The tank used to be covered with algae. I started running a filter that removes nitrates, and the algae has cleared. The tank has not had any algae on the front or side walls (which I cleaned before starting the filter) in the past month (it normally would take about three days for a dusting to crop up), and the algae on the back wall (which I haven't cleaned) is actually fading away.
Of course, the system I'm running costs $150, and has a weekly regimen of chemical and filter media changes, so there is a tradeoff. Just throwing it out there that there are ways to avoid algae growth (I'll be testing another one starting tomorrow).

bodieman

thanks for the imput. the algae doesnt really bother me but if there is something out there that cleans it up without me having to worry about it then i might as well get one. i didnt see any threads talking about it so i thought i would ask. thanks again

J J Indy

there are plecos and some that stay small enough to be in your tanks including a Bristle Nose pleco about 5-6" full grown and mine usually take care of any algae. They do the work i dont have to.

Jess

I use a magnetic cleaner for a quick clean, front and sides. Every other week I get in there and move things around and clean walls and floor. (barebottom aquariums) This I do with a long handle pad while changing water with the Python. Again, I do a quick water change every 2 to 3 days.

Plecolover12

One of my friends have them. You just move the one on the outside and the one on the inside sweeps it off. Cool, huh?

bodieman

yea they seem like a good accessory nothing you really need but nice to have. I think im gonna get a cheap one and see how it works. thanks for all the imput everyone!

TropicalGrimmish

i get rid of my pleco, i use a magnet as well ,easy & convenient takes a few mins to clean the glass, i bought mine @ walmart for about 3 bucks.

hockeyref88

I have magnets in 4 of my tanks............Really to me all they're really good for is a quick clean. When I do my water changes is when I scrub the sides real good by hand and then do the water change. I feel like if I use the magnet it just puts the algea into the water and just creates more algea, but if I do a water change at the same time I at least remove some of it with the changes.

TropicalGrimmish

very true