Anyone who has ever owned a fish tank knows how much time and maintenance can go into them. You can spend weeks, even months, getting your water cycled properly, adding your livestock, rocks, decorations, substrate, etc.
It can be a lot, no doubt. Definitely more than just throwing that goldfish you won at the state fair into a bowl full of water.
Once the aquarium is up and running, the maintenance doesn’t stop there.
Now, the type of maintenance is going to vary depending on if you have freshwater or saltwater, but, either way, there will be specific cleaning regimen.
One of the most most frequent parts of maintenance you will do is cleaning the actual glass of your fish tank. If you don’t keep on this, on a regular basis, you’ll quickly see algae take over your aquarium walls.
Keeping Your Fish Tank Clean
Keeping up with the cleaning of your aquarium glass is as simple as buying a glass cleaner.
You simply use the cleaner to move over your glass and scrub any areas that show algae or other marks.
Some areas will need a little extra elbow grease, but overall it isn’t too difficult of a process. It is more time-consuming that anything.
If you don’t feel like cleaning the glass every day or every couple of days, you could get a robot to do it. We like that!
The AquaGenesis RoboSnail is an automatic glass cleaning robot for your fish tank.
Pros Of The RoboSnail Robot Aquarium Cleaner
- Innovative solution for fish enthusiasts
- Good batter life
- Works on most glass tank sizes
- Decent cleaning abilities
- Automatically runs once a day
Cons For The AquaGenesis RoboSnail
- The robot requires regular cleaning and maintenance, itself
- Only cleans one panel
- Has trouble cleaning the very top or bottom of the glass
Does The RoboSnail Work On All Fish Tanks?
The RoboSnail works on the majority of glass fish tanks on the market, but you should check to make sure yours meets the requirements, before you buy.
- Glass aquariums (not acrylic)
- 50 – 300 gallons
- up to 1/2″ thick glass
- Rimless and rimmed
- Freshwater and salt
How The RoboSnail Cleans Your Aquarium
The RoboSnail leaves its docking station at the same time every day to perform its regular cleaning.
The scrubber, which resides on the inside of the tank, is what actually cleans and removes algae from the glass.
On the outside of the glass, the robot controls where the scrubber moves inside the tank. It uses a powerful magnet to keep the scrubber attached and make sure it moves with the robot.
The robot also includes several onboard sensors, so it can detect when it is getting close to an edge or if you left a piece of drift wood too close to the glass.
Once the RoboSnail has completed its job, it will make its way back to the docking station to recharge for the next day.
NOTE: The RoboSnail, currently, does not have the ability to navigate corners and move from the front of your aquarium to the side panels.
Is The RoboSnail Aquarium Cleaning Worth It?
The RoboSnail is a very cool invention and it actually does a fairly decent job at cleaning your fish tank. However, until it becomes a little more intuitive and learns to handle corners and clean all the walls in your aquarium, it is more of a novelty item.
Don’t get me wrong, it actually does help to remove algae and keep your glass looking nice. I just really wish it could handle the entire tank.
Yes, I am that lazy when it comes to my 90 gallon tank. Also, my Oscar fish likes to bite me. So that gives me more incentive to keep my hands out of the tank as much as possible.
How Much Does The RoboSnail Cost?
The RoboSnail retails for around $135, but you can usually find it on sale on Amazon for just under $100.
Final Thoughts On The RoboSnail Fish Tank Cleaner
I think AquaGenesis is on to something very cool and I hope they continue to improve on the technology. It definitely can be a winner.
I think we’ll also see others coming to the market with new competition. The company, MOAI, actually has something similar in the works.
For the time being, I’ll just stick with my regular old magnetic fish tank cleaner. Yes, I’ll have to endure the occasion nip from my Oscar fish if the magnetic loses connection, but I’ll live.
If you do want something to help cut down on our aquarium’s maintenance, then the RoboSnail may be for you.
If you buy one, let me know what you think!
