A mistake that most newbie aquarists make is thinking that fish are very low maintenance. Cleaning a tank does require a regular cleaning schedule and it is crucial for the health of your fish to do so.
In this post we will show you an ultimate guide on how to clean your aquarium. This includes how often you should clean your fish tank, how to clean a fish tank, and the required equipment needed to do the best job.
By the end of this guide, not only will you have a clean and beautiful looking aquarium, you will also have healthy, happy fish that love their home.
The Importance Of Regularly Cleaning A Fish Tank
Cleaning your aquarium on a regular basis is crucial for the health of your fish. Different types of bacteria and nitrates build up over time which can eventually become very harmful to your fish.
These same rules apply no matter if you have a large fish tank or a small one. Cleaning and changing the water on a regular basis ensures there are the right amount of minerals and your fish stay safe.
How Often Should You Clean Your Fish Tank?
In this section we are going to look at how often you should clean your fish tank. There are no real strict guidelines, it all depends on a number of factors such as how many fish you have, the size of the tank, or if you have a freshwater or saltwater.
Here’s a routine you can follow to keep your tank clean and your fish healthy.
Daily
Some people may feel that doing bits of cleaning on a daily basis will prevent a big build up from happening. The problem is, an aquarium’s need a level of beneficial bacteria to enable them to run effectively.
So instead of cleaning your tank daily, just judge if it should be cleaned based on visual judgement of the aquarium.
This is based upon things like does the water look dirty? Do your fish look stressed or happy? Is there algae forming on the walls? or any loose debris or leaves floating around. Getting familiar with your aquarium and it’s fish will be a major advantage when it comes to spotting potential problems.
Weekly
- Small Tanks: You should clean your aquarium at least once a week if you have a 5 or 10-gallon tank. This includes a partial water change, cleaning gravel with an aquarium vacuum, and removing build up of algae.
- Medium Tanks: A partial water change at least once a week should still be considered even if you have a 15-60 gallon tank.
- Large Tanks: For larger tanks, you should change the water every 10-14 days.
Monthly
Here is a list of things you should be doing on a monthly basis:
- Testing: The water of your aquarium should be tested for nitrate, ammonia, and pH levels. Keep a record of these tests either in a notebook or as a file on your phone or PC. This allows you to see the data on a monthly basis and make changes if needed.
- Filter Media and Cartridges: Rinse these using the water that has been taken out of the tank after you have changed it. It’s important not to use tap water. You can also check if any cartridges or filters need replacing.
- Air Stones: Either replace them entirely or clean the existing ones by boiling them in clean fresh water.
- Expiration Dates: It’s important to check all of your aquarium supplies to ensure they are still in date.
Semi-Annually
At least once every six months you should thoroughly clean all of the equipment in and around your tank. This also allows you to check equipment to see if anything needs repairs or replacement.
Deep Clean
A deep clean is where absolutely everything is removed from the tank and completely scrubbed from top to bottom. The main concern here is that it can kill the healthy bacteria in your tank. You will need to properly cycle your aquarium and reestablish colonies to ensure your tank is functioning.
How Often Should You Clean An Aquarium Filter?
To answer this question, let’s take a look in more detail at the three different primary kinds of filters.
Mechanical Filters
You should clean the foam pad or sponge of a mechanical filter once a month. It’s important to remember not to use tap water for the cleaning process. Use water that you take out from your aquarium instead.
Chemical Filters
Chemical filters should be cleaned every 3-4 weeks and can be done when you do your partial water change. If your aquarium becomes cloudy very quickly then this cleaning process can be done more often.
Biological Filters
Biological filters do not need to be cleaned very often. The reason for this is to ensure your tank keeps it’s beneficial bacteria. Our advice to only clean them when they start to become slow and visibly clogged.
As with other filters, never use tap water for this process, only use aquarium water for the cleaning process.
Tools Needed To Clean Your Fish Tank
To clean you tank, you will need a number of tools to do the job correctly.
- Siphon tube with gravel vacuum
- Fish net
- 2 Buckets: 1 for old water, 1 for clean water
- Algae scraper
- Floating magnetic cleaner
- Filter brush
- Dechlorinator
How To Clean Your Aquarium
Test the Water Quality
If you have a new aquarium that has never been cycled, here’s what a test should show:
- 0 ppm ammonia
- 0 ppm nitrites
- Less than 40 ppm nitrates
It can be dangerous for your fish if higher levels of waste compounds are found.
You should aim to keep nitrate levels below 40 ppm if your aquarium is already cycled, and this can be done using a water test kit.
Remove Algae
Any build up of Algae can removed using an algae scraper before you do a water change. Algae on an aquarium lid can simply be rinsed off in the sink. Just remember not to use soap as it could harm your fish.
You may also find a build up of algae on your aquarium decorations such as rocks, plants, and other decor. An easy solution to this is to gently brush it off using a clean toothbrush.
Prune the Plants
Aquarium plants look amazing inside of your tank, but it’s important to trim overgrown foliage and remove any dead leaves. If you have plants with tall stems, you can simply trim off a few inches and replant them into the substrate.
If you have floating plants that have started to take over the entire surface of the water, try removing 30% to 50% of them. This will allow your fish to get enough oxygen and other plants to get more light.
Turn off Equipment
Make sure to turn off and unplug all of your aquarium equipment before you remove any water. Aquarium filters and heaters can become damaged if you fail to do this as they are not designed to operate without water.
Vacuum the Substrate
After going through the process of removing the algae, it will have settled on the gravel below. In this step you will need to clean the gravel to remove uneaten food, waste, and flakes.
You can do this using a Siphon tube with gravel vacuum or washer. The reason why this is such as good tool is because it does an excellent job of cleaning the bottom of a tank without the need to remove fish or completely empty the tank.
To start with, perform a swift up and down motion. Just make sure to have a bucket ready because the water will start to drain due to the syphon effect. Pull up towards the top of the tank, slowly sucking up the gravel.
All of the dirty water is then removed, leaving the gravel to fall.
Clean the Filter
As stated previously, all filters should be cleaned around once a month. Filters collect all of the waste, debris, and fish poop, so you will need to remove all of this gunk before it overflows or gets clogged.
Again, the best way to wash a filter is by using water that you have already removed from the aquarium. Never use soap or tap water.
Refill the Water
Partial water changes are an important part of the cleaning process for the health of your fish. You may come across a number of different guidelines on the amount of water needed to be changed that vary from 15% to 30%.
As fish are sensitive creatures, it’s best to start out on the low end and change 10-15%. Changing too much in one go can not only stress your fish, it can also remove beneficial bacteria from your water.
Overall, the amount of water change depends on the size of your tank, how many fish you have, and what kind of filtration you are using. Add the water back into the tank in a gentle, slow stream. This allows it to mix well with the original tank water.
Turn on Equipment
At this stage, do not be surprised to see cloudy water and the tank looking dirtier than it did before, this is perfectly normal. Once you have turned on the filter and heater, within an hour or so, everything will settle down and you will have a nice clean looking tank.
Wipe the Glass
To add that finishing touch to really make things sparkle, you can get some aquarium-safe glass and acrylic cleaner to remove any smudges and spots from the outside walls of your tank. Finally, give the aquarium lid and stand a quick wipe to remove dust.
Should You Remove Fish When Cleaning A Tank?
This will depend on what kind of fish you have and the size of your tank. You’ll find in most cases that your fish will just move away when you are cleaning. This is why the size of the tank matters, as this process is easier with larger tanks.
If you have a very small tank then your fish will not have so much room to move away. If you are only doing a small water change such as 10-15%, then your fish should be okay to stay in the tank.
How To Clean A Fish Tank If A Fish Dies
It’s not a great topic that anybody likes to talk about, but unfortunately it is one of those things that all fish keepers will experience at some point. If this happens then bad bacteria and infection can pollute your tank, so it’s important to act quickly.
Here are soon important tips and steps you should take:
- Remove the dead fish as soon as possible.
- Test your water for high levels of nitrite and ammonia which is one of the biggest contributors to fish dying.
- If these levels are too high, then you can improve the quality of the water by doing a partial water change.
- If the water levels are fine after testing, then this means the death of your fish was caused by something else. It’s hard to diagnose on your own (unless your highly experienced), so in this case it’s best to pop to your local pet store or aquatics to seek professional advice.
Conclusion
After reading this guide on how to clean your aquarium, you should now realise the importance of keeping your tank clean for the health of your fish.
It may seem a lot of hassle at first, especially if you are a newbie fish keeper. But once you get into the routine of doing your weekly and monthly maintenance, it just becomes a natural routine.
