Fish tanks are an awesome way to bring some beauty and peace to your house. Looking at your fish has been found to be extremely therapeutic to a lot of people. What sets fish apart from all other land based pets is that there’s little to no grooming needed for them. This doesn’t mean your work is over, their tank still needs a little bit of upkeep to keep your friends stress free and happy.
We will show you in this blog how to clean your fish tank easily and turn you from a beginner into a pro:
Essentials: Gather the necessary tools for cleaning your tank. You will need a gravel vacuum, a dedicated clean bucket for aquarium use, an algae scraper/pad, a clean piece of sponge/cloth, and a water conditioner if you plan to use tap water to refill the tank.
Prep: Start with shutting off all the electrical appliances like the heater and the filter. Depending on the size of the tank and the number of fish you have, set up a separate space for them while you clean. Take note that moving them even temporarily might stress them so if you think you can clean the tank without disturbing them then take that route instead.
Cleaning: The gravel vacuum or siphon goes in first. It helps in removing excretion, dirt, uneaten food, and other debris. Keep watch that you only drain about 10-25% of the water while you use the vacuum.
Now use the algae scraper(get a non metallic one if you have an acrylic tank) to scrape the algae off the inside walls of the tank but be careful to not disturb the substrate on the floor since they are beneficial for the tank. For the outside walls just use a clean damp cloth. Avoid any kind of soap during this entire process since these are toxic for your fish.
The filters collect the dirt and trash in the tank but they regularly need to be cleaned. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to clean it and make sure you wash it with the aquarium water you just removed. This will retain the good bacteria that are crucial for your tank.
Refill: Time to refill the tank with fresh, dechlorinated water. Monitor the temperature of the water while you do this, it needs to be the same temperature as the tank water to avoid stressing your fish.
Water checks: Maintain a regular cleaning schedule for your tank. Depending on the size of your tank, you will approximately need to change 10-25% of the water every 1-2 weeks.
Buy water testing kits online, these will come in handy while maintaining your tank. Regularly check the temperature, ph levels, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the water. Ideally the ammonia and nitrites need to be at 0 ppm levels while the nitrates need to be below 40 ppm.
Plants: If you want to add a little green to your tank it’s absolutely fine. In fact, these plants help the fish too. But you need to keep pruning them everytime you clean so that there is enough breathing space for your fish.
Last but not the least, don’t forget to switch on the heater and the filtration machine again. These will take care of the loose floating particles in the tank within a few hours.
You are now prepped and ready for your first cleaning session with your tank.
Feel free to comment below or mail us if you have any further questions or need any help with your pet’s needs.
