Maintenance/cleaning/water changes is actually a pretty difficult topic with a lot of differing opinions - even more so than cycling. A lot of it also is setup-dependent.
For example, I change the water in my current saltwater tank every three months or so. Previously I scrubbed algae off the front and side panels everyday to keep it clean, but otherwise leave the algae on the back wall and rocks, as they were my main method of nitrate and phosphate removal. Since I added mangrove saplings and they seem to be taking, I now clean algae off the rocks and back wall as part of my fortnightly to monthly maintenance too. But the filter itself I have not cleaned in a very, very long time, a lot of it having to do with that it has a good flow rate and things are never clogged.
My cichlid tank right now requires more work, because the plants I have growing out of it are not growing too well yet. Additionally, this one I feed heavily, and so I have an internal filter for the purpose of mechanical filtration, with filter floss that is full of gunk that I wash out every week or two. But a different cichlid tank was almost virtually no work, because feeding was not as heavy, and the filtration setup was also very different.
I think the best way to go is to list out different potential situations where maintenance would need to be handled differently, and how they may interact with each other, ultimately to allow the reader to decide on what is the best regimen for them (and how it may change over time). To come!
Eventually there will be, but none right now.
Maintenance/cleaning/water changes is actually a pretty difficult topic with a lot of differing opinions - even more so than cycling. A lot of it also is setup-dependent.
For example, I change the water in my current saltwater tank every three months or so. Previously I scrubbed algae off the front and side panels everyday to keep it clean, but otherwise leave the algae on the back wall and rocks, as they were my main method of nitrate and phosphate removal. Since I added mangrove saplings and they seem to be taking, I now clean algae off the rocks and back wall as part of my fortnightly to monthly maintenance too. But the filter itself I have not cleaned in a very, very long time, a lot of it having to do with that it has a good flow rate and things are never clogged.
My cichlid tank right now requires more work, because the plants I have growing out of it are not growing too well yet. Additionally, this one I feed heavily, and so I have an internal filter for the purpose of mechanical filtration, with filter floss that is full of gunk that I wash out every week or two. But a different cichlid tank was almost virtually no work, because feeding was not as heavy, and the filtration setup was also very different.
I think the best way to go is to list out different potential situations where maintenance would need to be handled differently, and how they may interact with each other, ultimately to allow the reader to decide on what is the best regimen for them (and how it may change over time). To come!