How to Clean an Aquarium

By eHow Pets Editor

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Your fish - and you - will feel better when they've got a cleaner tank to swim in.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Razor blades

Step1

Take time every week to clear the filter strainers of any plant debris or other waste, and wipe away any algae from the inside walls of the tank with an algae scraper or scrubber pad.

Step2

Make a date every two weeks to clean your filter. Consult manufacturer's instructions or an aquarium-supply retailer for advice on your specific model.

Step3

Clear the filter impellers of any slime, algae or plant waste, and replace any activated carbon bags in your filter.

Step4

Clean the underside of your aquarium's canopy or hood with an algae scraper or scrubber pad.

Tips & Warnings

You may need to use a razor blade to remove tough algae from glass hoods or canopies, but don't use razor blades on acrylic surfaces - they may cause scratches.
Avoid using soaps to clean aquarium components, since such chemicals are toxic to fish. If you must use a glass cleaner, use an ammonia-free cleaner on the exterior walls only.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 3/21/2006 Cleaning an aquarium is very important to the health of your fish. Okay, step away from the aquarium and put the fish net down. Do not remove the fish. Doing this only stresses out the fish. What you need to do is bring out the gravel vacuum. You will also need a 5-gallon bucket. After you have this, follow the instructions on starting the vacuum. Once started, go over the gravel. Caution: not to suck up the fish, decorations, or get the gravel clogged in the vacuum. Doing this should remove about 1/3 of the water. Empty the "dirty" water. Use a clean bucket to fill up the aquarium after treating it with the proper aquarium water conditioner; I prefer AquaSafe. That's how simple cleaning an aquarium can be.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Beware, if you clean a cycled tank too thoroughly and too often, you will get rid of a lot of the important bacteria. The same goes for frequent filter changes, as that's where a lot of bacteria live. That being said, visible grime, crud, algae and other growth, are not helpful to your tank's environment and can be harmful, so they should be dealt with.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Keep tap water in containers (5 gallons) at least 3 days before changing your tanks water. This prevents cloudy water and avoids infecting your tank with chlorine.

Anonymous said

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on 7/10/2006 The general rule of thumb when it comes to how many fish you can keep in a tank is:
For Tropical Fish: 1 gallon of water per 1 inch of fully grown tropical fish. Research before you buy your fish to find how how big they will grow, and plan ahead accordingly.

For Goldfish: Generally every person you talk to will give you a different answer. I fully believe that an absolute minimum of 10 gallons per goldfish is essential. These fish can grow to 6 inches or more and need a lot of room to allow them to grow. Also, they produce so much waste that having more than 1 goldfish per 10 gallons raises the ammonia levels too quickly and can have devastating consequences.

Anonymous said

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on 3/26/2006 I can get lazy with my aquarium. I let it go far too long. Every time I buy new fish they die. I have decided only to have neon tetras because they are cheap and can handle my mismanagement. My tip, don't get fish unless you are a diligent person. I did clean my aquarium today for the first time in 4 years and I hate that big Algae eater fish (he scares me). Then, I throw them right back in after the cleaning and pray the will survive the changing environment, I hate doing all that. But I do feel sorry for them quite often. People like me should not have fish! I tell myself that every ten years and then I go get some more, kinda like my drum set that I get bored with, then years later I want another set.

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