subject: Properly Cleaning Your Fish Tank [print this page] When most beginners set up their first fish tank, the notion of having to clean and maintain the tank is something that they rarely consider. One common delusion about keeping fish in an aquarium is that all you have to do is set up your aquarium with nice decoration, a good filter and pretty little fish and all you ever have to do after that is just feed the little pets. It is only when the sight of the water turning green or thick muck begins to accumulate at the base of the tank that panic would begin to set in.
Cleaning an aquarium really isn't that difficult after all. What you do need is a schedule set aside for regular maintenance. These regular tasks can be divided into daily, weekly and monthly jobs, separated into minor tasks that will not tire you too much or take up a whole lot of your time. I will be guiding you on the task of cleaning an aquarium the right way in this article.
You Mean There Is A Wrong Way?
Sure there is. Unfortunately, many websites on the internet do teach the wrong way which is taking out all the fish and plants, throw away the water, wash the aquarium deco and gravel and put everything back in with fresh water. Over time your tank will have colonies of beneficial bacteria that are vital for the health of your fish. If you clean the aquarium too thoroughly, it will kill off the beneficial bacteria colonies and eliminate good biological filtration.
Another important tip is, don't ever use normal household detergent to clean your tank or anything that you will place into the water such as decoration or filter parts. This is because the chemical residue that is left over by these detergents are harmful to the fish, plants and bacteria.
The Right Way To Clean Your Tank
It doesn't matter how efficient is your filter, a great idea is to schedule a weekly cleaning session. During this session, these are the things that you can do:
1) Change The Water: This is essential if you want healthy fish. Your fish tank water may look clean but it still is important to top up fresh water. Never use water that came straight from a tap because it contains chlorine. A simple idea is to allow a bucket of water to sit for a day before putting it into the tank. On a weekly basis, only change 20% of the water, never more than that.
Here's what you do: Siphon out 20% of the water from the aquarium into a separate bucket. Don't throw away this water, we'll need to use it in a bit. Fill the fish tank with fresh water.
2) Vacuum The Gravel: You can either buy a special vacuum for aquariums or a simple idea is to bring the hose inlet close to the gravel when you are siphoning out the water. Try to get as much of the muck that has accumulated as possible but it doesn't really have to be so thorough. If you do it on a weekly basis, there would not be that much muck.
3) Switch Everything Off: Be safe. Switch off everything that is connected to electricity such as the heater, filter and lights. No matter how safe they say the equipment may be, don't risk your life.
4) Wash Aquarium Parts: Use the water that you siphoned out earlier to wash all the decorations or parts that are slimy. Why not use tap water? Cos there may be beneficial bacteria colonies on these parts that you really do not want to kill off with the chlorine from tap water.
These simple weekly tasks will not take more than half an hour and will guarantee that your fish remain healthy and vibrant for a long time.
