Is it Bad to Remove Algae and not Change Tank Water After?

[Whitelightning]

Hi, I just cleaned the algae off the walls of the tank with a toothbrush as well as some other buildup from a long time ago and now the water is all cloudy. Was I supposed to change it after having cleaned off the algae? Or do I just wait for it all to settle down and things will be fine? Thanks!

 

[StarGirl]

Usually you do the walls before a water change so you can suck it all up.

 

[Whitelightning]

Usually you do the walls before a water change so you can suck it all up.

Oh man. I'm a ding-dong.

 

[Betta'sAnonymous]

Not bad though. But it is more convenient to do before a water change. Remove that extra debris that way.

 

[StarGirl]

Oh man. I'm a ding-dong.

Yeah its Ok. I wouldn't use a toothbrush myself. If you scrape it, it makes little curls of algae on the bottom. When you scrub it it clouds the water.

 

[Whitelightning]

Not bad though. But it is more convenient to do before a water change. Remove that extra debris that way.

Ahh makes sense. Thanks so much! I should have thought this through. Man oh man, I am not smart.

 

[Dechi]

I should have thought this through. Man oh man, I am not smart.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are learning, it’s okay not to know everything. It’s impossible to know everything in this hobby ! I learn something new every day and I’ve been doing this for a very long time...

 

[Whitelightning]

Yeah its Ok. I wouldn't use a toothbrush myself. If you scrape it, it makes little curls of algae on the bottom. When you scrub it it clouds the water.

Ahhh that makes so much sense, thank you so much! Wow, I did really bad. No wonder the water was so cloudy.

 

[TClare]

I sometimes use a toothbrush just for the bit near to the substrate, I find it easier not to accidentally scrape the glass with sand. I agree its best to clean the glass first, but if you do it afterwards its no big deal, it will soon settle and/or the filter will take care of it. I quite often clean a bit afterwards when I realize I have missed some!

 

[Whitelightning]

Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are learning, it’s okay not to know everything. It’s impossible to know everything in this hobby ! I learn something new every day and I’ve been doing this for a very long time...

Thank you so much for your kind words, it really means a lot to me! I just feel so clueless when it comes to this!

I sometimes use a toothbrush just for the bit near to the substrate, I find it easier not to accidentally scrape the glass with sand. I agree its best to clean the glass first, but if you do it afterwards its no big deal, it will soon settle and/or the filter will take care of it. I quite often clean a bit afterwards when I realize I have missed some!

OH OKAY GOOD. Because I was worried this would harm my fish. Glad I'm not the only one who uses a toothbrush.

 

[Betta'sAnonymous]

I have a dedicated aquarium toothbrush. I mainly use it for hard to clean stuff, like food that gets stuck on ornaments.