How do you keep track of maintenance?

[DaveO]

I keep track of maintainance by routine. I hate paper work ( reminds me of all the years in retail management ) so I just do the same task on the same day of the week, every week. Keep it easy is my moto.

[Fish Folk]

I currently have 17 tanks, and do not write anything down. My son got me into the hobby a few years ago, and used to be more obsessive. Here was his weekly tank-maintenance sheet:

And here is one of the "blocks" that got used to populate weekly sheets for all tanks:

 

The blank row on the bottom was where everything interesting got noted. Somewhere he might still have his sheets from years back with BAP. Pretty crazy how many fish were breeding . . . 

[Odd Duck]

 

On 3/23/2022 at 12:21 PM, Apulo said:

I liked what @Zenzo was doing. Write it on the side/back aquarium glass with a wet erase marker.

 

On 3/23/2022 at 12:26 PM, Zenzo said:

Honestly, with the amount of aquariums that I care for at home, writing the dates of the last water change on the tank with a wet erase marker is the only way I can really manage it.

I like this idea.  Ordering wet erase markers ASAP.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Odd Duck

[sumplkrum]

Weekly, I just touch the tanks that need it.
A few are stocked with a lot of fish, so I'll change like 20% of the water. Maybe one has an algae bloom, so that will get a change. etc. Then each tank gets a squirt of some Easy Green. Done.

First weekend of the month, I do the 'monthly tasks'.
Every tank gets a bit of a water change. If the root plants are looking tired, they get root tabs. Then each thank gets a squirt of some Easy Green. Done.

I don't bother recording. It's just routine.

However, I do keep notes and tank labels for fish breeding. Which batch of fry came from where, etc. ... For that I use pen on butchers tape. It's easy to peel off and move around as fish grow up and move to other tanks. The label stays with them to identify their lineage.

[Nav]

I have been using AquaticLog to track maintenance on tanks - it does help a bit, however, it depends on number of tanks and if you want to enter data into an app as you do the maintenance 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=aquaticlog.mobile.android&hl=en_NZ&gl=US

[Ken Burke]

Ok, imma lazy fish keeper.  I change water about once weekly, most of the time, unless something happens.  I try an dunk a test strip in the tank before I start, but I kinda know the results before I start.  But I only have 4 tanks, and a tub pond next to the pool.  
 

strictly speaking, I can push the water changes to every 3 or 4 weeks.  But I count it as “touch time” enjoying the tanks.  

[modified lung]

Usually directly into Google Sheets or into a small notebook and transfer to Sheets later. Here's me the last few days bringing the conductivity down for licerice gourami breeding:

[Katie B.]

On 3/23/2022 at 9:04 AM, HH Morant said:

I keep a journal for my aquariums. I write down water changes, maintenance, new fish, quarantines, sick fish and treatments, and any changes that I feel are worth noting. It is just a ring binder, so I can add pages. It helps me remember when I made changes, like adding an under-gravel filter or changing filter media. It also gives me a place to put co-op stickers.

 

I love what you did to the binder! I haven’t had inspiration till now to do something with my decals 😃 I have a white journal I track my tank/fish data in so… 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Katie B.

[Nyssa]

On 3/23/2022 at 10:17 PM, Katie B. said:

I love what you did to the binder! I haven’t had inspiration till now to do something with my decals 😃 I have a white journal I track my tank/fish data in so… 

I love this! I ended up putting all of ACO decals on my water change bucket, but if I had a binder or journal I would totally do this too!

[Tanked]

On 3/23/2022 at 10:13 AM, Tanked said:

I don't keep track. I do keep a log of notable changes but maintenance is recorded only if it is response to a problem. Every Saturday I check the filters, and top off if needed.  I record the water parameters for amusement. Maintenance is biweekly or as needed. 

I don't keep track of maintenance. Water changes are more likely triggered  by my houseplants needing water than a schedule.

I do record each tank's test strip results on an Excel page/graph for mental exercise. and to visualize what I already know:  My parameters are boringly stable.  

 

[Nyssa]

On 3/24/2022 at 9:43 AM, Tanked said:

My parameters are boringly stable.  

Saaaame though! I almost never have anything detectable when I pull out my little API science kit when I do my wellness checks. I thought about getting test strips for quick checks, but... meh, boringly stable, I'll just use up what I have 🙃

So I stopped tracking my parameters altogether, it saves me precious white board space lol

[Katie B.]

On 3/23/2022 at 6:53 PM, modified lung said:

Usually directly into Google Sheets or into a small notebook and transfer to Sheets later. Here's me the last few days bringing the conductivity down for licerice gourami breeding:

So, I have been recording things in my bullet journal but really liked what you did with this spreadsheet. I decided to copy the idea since I have a newly planted tank with hardscape that I want to make sure is doing well by the plants and future fish. I added a page to my already existing Google Sheet that I will use to keep track of the following data until my 29-gallon becomes more established.

   

  

Edited March 24, 2022 by Katie B.

[Dawn T]

I use a spiralbound notebook - the kind with multiple subject dividers - to keep track of all the stuff I do. Water changes (on the rare occasion they're needed), water parameter test results, top offs, stocking changes, plant trimming or addition/subtractions, etc. I even make notes in there if I change any hardware (lighting, filtration, etc). Oh, and light schedules are noted for each, since each tank has a different light schedule, due to differences in location (different ambient light and degrees of ambient light).

[modified lung]

On 3/24/2022 at 8:14 AM, Katie B. said:

So, I have been recording things in my bullet journal but really liked what you did with this spreadsheet. I decided to copy the idea since I have a newly planted tank with hardscape that I want to make sure is doing well by the plants and future fish. I added a page to my already existing Google Sheet that I will use to keep track of the following data until my 29-gallon becomes more established.

   

  

Your bullet journaling looks amazing. My notebooks look like the the fever dream scribbling of a crazy person.

[Intuos]

I used to use a spreadsheet to keep track of ammonia, nitrites, and any changes ect with dates, but over time I have learnt to recognise issues just by the look of the tank. 

[Nyssa]

On 3/24/2022 at 6:22 PM, modified lung said:

Your bullet journaling looks amazing. My notebooks look like the the fever dream scribbling of a crazy person.

I've always loved the idea of bullet journaling and had good intentions to start one since I love organization... but man, I just don't have the creative juices after a long day of working in the creative field.

I'll just live vicariously 😁 

[Bev C]

I  have  one main tank and a small quarantine tank have kept a journal ever since i start my aquarium just a spiral notebook 

I have a list of fish i have and the number  count

before plants with fake plants  ,

, After my tank was cycled i test aquarium once a week but only kept record  if there was trouble  or big changes or when i got new fish or snails how long in quarantine before moving in main tank and I logged when i did a deep once a month cleaning of filter .. or added my Seachem Purigen 

With real plants i  keep more records 

i have a list of plants i have and a list of plants that i have tried and can not keep alive 

I do my weekly testing  plus did additional testing when having problems 

 i also keep records  of new plants , when i snail dip and quarantine them them when i can add them to main tank i leave in quarantine 1-3weeks ,,

Before balance of tank and plants with algae 

I kept track of dose of fertilizer  and iron and etc and the light  settings and time  and when i changed something to see what works and what does not not 

my  tank is balanced now no algae  for 2-3 months

so now i  am back just during a weekly test  and when i added something new  or have trouble and i do a weekly dose of iron and easy green  i also use Seachem Advance because of new plants

with my tank being balance and no algae i and my plants doing better i can get by a extra week of cleaning.. i go by my nitrate testing when i need to do a water change  i still keep record of new plants till they are moved to the main tank 

 

 

[memorywrangler]

I set up a google form with water parameters and dedicated fields for fertilizers, etc.  Then I book mark it in on my phone, and it makes data entry really easy.  All the results end up in a google spreadsheet.