Spring Cleaning

[Tracy Sherwood-Farnfield]

I was just wondering *your* views re: tank cleaning. When and how are my main issues, I have read that once a year is a good rule of thumb and also post moult (unless there are other issues such as creepy crawlies etc.)

I always pop in and remove bits and pieces follwoing dinner, and rinse the water bowl out when Ruby has decided to fill it with debris! She will walk over it with mucky feet!

I have seen one or two mites in there when the water bowl has over-flowed but they have soon disappeared once it has all dried out, and following recent posts here I am not concerned about these, but I wonder when I ought to consider a thorough clean?

[David Blair]

It all appears that you are managing just fine, as cleaning the substrate too offten will only stress the T,
I only change my sub when my T needs a bigger tank or on the worse case scenario whereby they get some sort of infestation(which has happened only once) and then I either change the sub or nuke it in the micre for a couple of mins and use it again.
Oh and let it cool down before re-introducing your T or mites will be the least of your probs lol
One more thing If I see the mites gathering in the water I usuall change for fresh.

[Mark Pajak]

For the spiders I keep at higher humidity I try tro clean them out every time they shed as this gives them a helping hand at escaping any mites.

[Peter Lacey]

Tarantula create little waste apart from the bolus of indegestible food items. As long as these, any dead food items, mould/fungus and anything thats been put to feed the insects is removed regularly I don't see much reason for substrate change. As I'm trying to keep a little eco-system going in my enclosures with cleaner insects I don't feel a new to do anything more than stated.
I do however occassionally clean the glass of poo remnants.

[James Box]

i don't yet have cleaner bugs in most of my tanks because i can't seem to collect enough.
i'll try to get rid of bolas and uneaten dead crickets as soon as i can, however, but don't tend to do big substrate changes too often.

[Nicola Dolby]

I don't know what tarantulas you keep Peter, but I have to clean my tanks once a fortnight or I can't see inside them. Poecilotherias have a funny constitution (or at least mine do) and when my Ephebopus comes out of her burrow to do her stuff she aims upwards!!

[Peter Lacey]

I have to admit to attempting to clean the Pokies more so than any of the others, they are messy but at least they try to squirt in the same place (underneath of which is my small colony of cleaner insects). Some of this I can remove purely by making water flow down the sides via the ventilation holes and a pipette. Alternatively kebab skewers and cotton wool comes in handy.

[Colin D Wilson]

Those long handled aquarium cleaners with the razor blade attachments work fairly well with dried faeces on glass.
I have an old one and i'm not sure if theyre available any more, worth a look around to see if you can find one