How to Change a Tropical Fish Tank

A well-maintained tank leads to healthy and happy fish.

A crystal clear and colorful tropical fish tank can be easily maintained with regularly scheduled water changes. Small weekly water changes are better than larger monthly ones becuase they take little time and energy. For the average hobbyist, a tank of 30 gallons or less is ideal for successful maintenance and consistency. And consistency is the key. Without it, the water quality will degrade to the point where the tank becomes an unsightly mess and the fish eventually die.

Things You'll Need

• Gravel cleaner
• 5-gallon bucket
• Algae scrubber
• Water conditioners
• Chemical test supplies for pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates

Instructions

1. Turn all your aquarium equipment off, and gather your cleaning gear together.

2. Set your bucket on the floor or table so that it is below the tank itself. Follow the packaging instructions that came with your gravel cleaner to get the siphon action going from the tank into the bucket.

3. Move your gravel cleaner around the bottom while it is siphoning to suck fish waste and food debris out of the gravel.

4. Rinse your chemical filter under cold water until they are free of surface gunk. Do not use hot water, because this will kill beneficial bacteria on the surface. An alternative is to rinse it a few days before the water change to minimize the loss of beneficial bacteria.

5. Fill the bucket with cool (not cold) tap water, and add a splash of water conditioner to remove harmful substances. Make sure the water conditioner is added before putting the water in the tank. Do this as many times as needed to fill the tank back up to normal capacity.

6. Turn all equipment back on, and test chemical levels after a half-hour or so. Also check the heater for accurate temperature before returning your fish.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a tank of with more than 30 gallons, invest in an extra-long gravel cleaner rather than using buckets.

• The goal is to change out about 15 percent of the water. Multiply the number of tank gallons by 0.15 to get the number of gallons that need to be replaced. For instance a 20 gallon tank would need three gallons of water replaced (20 x .15 = 3).

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water before putting them into your tank. Make sure the soap is completely rinsed off, because phosphates can wreck water quality.

• Mark the 15-percent line on the outside of the tank with a permanent marker during your first water change so you won't have to measure it again.

• Dirty fish water is an excellent fertilizer for plants.

References

• Animal World: Fresh Water Aquarium Basics
• Fish Lore: Aquarium Water Chemistry

Resources

• "The Everything Aquarium Book" (2nd ed.); Frank Indiviglio; 2006