How to Clean a Fish Tank With Sand

Aquarium

Improper or inconsistent cleaning of your tank will cause your fish to become unhealthy and eventually die. Cleaning your fish tank is not hard if you know what to do. Some fish tanks contain gravel on the bottom and some have stone. Though it is a lengthy process, cleaning a fish tank with a sand bottom is crucial to maintaining the health of your aquatic environment.

Things You'll Need

• 2 large bucket or tub
• Fish net
• Algae scrubber
• Bleach
• Scooper
• Toothbrush
• Filter brush
• Paper towel
• Windex

Instructions

1. Clean out a bucket or tub and fill it with tap water. This must be done the day before you clean your fish tank. Let the bucket of water sit for twenty-four hours. This will get rid of any chlorine in your water that could harm your fish.

2. Remove half of the water in your fish tank and place it in a second bucket or tub. You don't want to remove all of the water because there are some bacteria in the water that the fish need.

3. Scoop up your fish with a fish net and place them in the second bucket until your fish tank is clean and ready for them.

4. Remove all of the plants, rocks, and toys in the fish tank and place them in your sink for a cleaning. Fill your sink with 10 percent bleach and 90 percent hot water. Let the items soak in the mixture for twenty minutes. If there are any dirty spots, you can scrub the items with an old toothbrush and then rinse them clean with plain water.

5. Scoop all of your sand to one side of the fish tank. Shovel it out and into a trash can.

6. Get rid of the algae on the sides of your fish tank with an algae scraper.

7. Take the tubing off of the filter and clean it with a filter brush. You should not use cleaning supplies on the tubing. Water and a filter brush are all you need. Then replace the tubing.

8. Pour fresh sand in to your fish tank and then fill it back up with the water you set out the night before.

9. Replace the clean rocks, plants and toys.

10. Allow your filter to run twenty-four hours and then replace the fish.

11. Clean the top of the fish tank and the outside walls of the fish tank with Windex and a paper towel. This will leave a nice shine which makes viewing the fish more pleasant.

Tips & Warnings

• Give your fish tank a good cleaning every thirty days.

• Never clean a fish tank with soap. No matter how well you rinse off your fish tank, you are still bound to have some soap residue. This can kill your fish.