How nice it is to have an aquarium at home - a small piece of your personal sea in the apartment! And behind its glass, colorful fish swim in crystal clear water. But, unfortunately, it will be impossible to see this beautiful picture without one small detail - the clean walls of the aquarium.
In the process of life of fish and various plants, the glass is overgrown with algae and mucus, this makes them cloudy, and there can be no talk of beauty. This is not a problem if you have a small aquarium. But what if the amount of water in the fish house is in the hundreds of liters? To clean such glass, you have to dive into the water, in the truest sense of the word.
In this case, magnetic scrapers for the aquarium will help to solve the problem. They are very convenient to use. Driving a scraper on the outside of the glass, you automatically clean its inner surface.
What scrapers are
Glass cleaning devices were invented in order to simplify the cleaning of deep aquariums, when it is no longer possible to wash the glass with an ordinary dishwashing sponge. There are a fairly large number of different scrapers, but all of them can be conditionally divided into 3 groups:
- A fixture with a fairly soft work surface, something like the same sponge. Such a scraper is attached to a handle about 40-50 cm long.
- Metal scrapers. Such products use a safety razor blade or a special knife for aquarium glasses. On sale you can find various variations. Combined scrapers are often offered, when you can change the blade to a sponge as needed.
- Magnetic scrapers consist of two halves, which are interconnected due to attraction by means of a built-in magnet. We will talk about them in more detail.
Features of magnetic scrapers
Of course, such scrapers are extremely convenient in operation. You do not need to wet your hands or stand on a chair to clean the windows well, as is the case with products equipped with a handle. But when you come to the store to select magnetic scrapers for an aquarium, the description of such products needs to be studied with special care. After all, they also have their own characteristics, and if you do not understand them, then you can buy a completely unnecessary thing as a result.
So, basically magnetic scrapers are divided into waterfowl and sinking, as well as by the force of attraction between the halves of the product. Before buying any product of this type, be sure to measure the thickness of your glasses - the larger it is, the more powerful you will need a copy. It would be better to still get a waterfowl, otherwise, having torn down, the scraper can cripple some unnecessarily curious fish, and it will be difficult to get the fallen half.
Pros and cons
Of course, the main advantage of magnetic scrapers is the convenience and ease of use. No need to wet your hands or stand on a stool to get to the top, no need to remove the cover from the aquarium. It’s enough just to drive a glass with such a scraper on its side, and that’s all. If this is done once a week, when the deposits have not yet had time to harden, then the magnetic scraper will turn the cleaning of the aquarium into an easy and pleasant procedure. But some aquarists see cons in such products.
Let's deal with this question:
- The second half of the scraper may fall to the bottom. Yes, this can really happen if you go wrong in the process of buying a product. It is important to accurately calculate the magnet power for your aquarium. Indeed, with a weak attraction, it will not only fall, but also not very well to clean. In the end, you can buy a floating scraper, then the problem will definitely be solved.
- We can assure you, any scraper can scratch the glass if it is not used correctly.
Choose a magnetic scraper
If you want to get fish, then you should pay attention to magnetic scrapers for the aquarium. How to choose a product so that you don’t have to regret the money thrown away or return it to the store? First you need to clearly understand which scraper you want to purchase. You should not save much, because a quality thing can not be cheap. Decide on the type of scraper. We recommend taking a waterfowl to avoid unpleasant situations. Decide how wide you need the product, because it will be extremely inconvenient to clean the huge glass with a small magnetic scraper.
What to look for when buying
Be sure to pay attention to the product company. Do not trust little-known manufacturers. Do not give preference to scrapers with a low price - this is a dubious option. The package must indicate the power of the product or the thickness of the glass. Having a comfortable ergonomic handle is crucial. It is advisable that the scraper has beveled edges so that it does not damage the silicone joints of the aquarium. Remember, the more powerful the magnetic scraper, the more expensive it is.
Check all seams on the product - there should not be any burrs, they can scratch the glass. The working surface should also be uniform and smooth, but at the same time rigid enough to clean the glass. Sometimes magnetic scrapers are equipped with a blade, so be sure to check its tightness to the surface. And finally, do not forget to take a check so that in case of a malfunction it is possible to return the purchased item to the store.
DIY Magnetic Scraper
If you do not want or cannot buy the finished product - this is not a problem. You can make a magnetic scraper for the aquarium with your own hands. It is pretty simple. It is enough to take two magnets, threads with a needle, electrical tape, old felt, a plastic card and fishing line
The first magnet should be rectangular. Wrap it with boiled felt and sew it tightly with thread. For the best effect, you can use a fishing line to wrap a piece of a plastic card to the edge of an almost finished product, the width of which will be slightly larger than the width of the edge. Thus, the protruding part of the plastic will further clean hard to remove deposits on the glass.
The second magnet can be absolutely any shape. It is necessary to wrap it well with electrical tape so that it does not scratch the outside of the glass. Everything, a magnetic scraper of our own manufacture is ready. You can clean the glass.
Practice has shown that magnetic scrapers for an aquarium are very convenient to use. Reviews of a large number of people who prefer this method of cleaning glasses show how versatile magnetic-based products are. The choice is huge: waterfowl, with a blade, with a sponge, wide and small. You can find a scraper for every taste. And then it will be not only convenient to clean the aquarium, but also nice!