How to Clean Your Aquarium
If you are just getting into the aquarium hobby than I have to congratulate you for taking the time research how to properly care for your new pets. Far too often people get into fish keeping without taking the time to really understand what they are undertaking. Besides giving your home a lovely display, keeping a commitment to the fish you purchase is also a big part, if not the biggest part of fish keeping.
Besides feeding them, the other part of keeping your fish happy and healthy comes by keeping the water and tank clean. Thankfully with the use of a few key tools you can make your weekly water cleaning and changes a pretty simple task. The main tools you will need to keep your tank in tip top shape are a siphon which is sometimes referred to as a vacuum, a bucket used for nothing else besides water changes, an algae brush and a bottle of dechlorinator. All of these items are available at your local pet store.
The best place to start your weekly water changes is by removing any algae from the glass of your tank. The algae brush is the perfect tool for doing just that. You simply scrub the inside walls of the tank with the algae brush and it wipes away all of the algae built up on the glass walls of the tank. Some of it will likely end up floating down to the bottom of the tank, but don’t worry the next step will help us take care of just that problem.
After all of the algae has been removed you will want to get your siphon and bucket out. Starting the siphon can be a little difficult the first few times you use it, but stick to it and it will be a breeze in no time. As long as all of the parameters in your tank are showing good from your test kits, then you will only need to remove about 20% of the water. When using the siphon you will want to stick it down into the substrate of your tank to make sure you are sucking up all of the leftover waste and food that your algae eater and cat fish (if you have any) were not able to eat. It is very important to not let these two things build up in your tank; if you do you will likely spike your nitrates and maybe even poison your fish.
Once you have removed about 20% of the water it is time to start filling your tank back up. This is why it is essential to not use your bucket for anything else. If you were to use it for mopping the floor or cleaning the house it will likely have small chemical particles from cleaning products, and while these may work well to clean your house they are quite harmful to your aquarium and fish. Be sure to check the instructions on the dechlorinator you are using and mix the proper amount into each bucket to make sure no chlorine makes its way into your tank; this too can be quite harmful to your fish.
By following these simply steps on a weekly basis you can rest assured that you will be taking proper care of your fish and that they will be as happy and healthy as possible.
Written by Mike Barton for The Home Aquarium Copyright 2008
