NOTE: Before you clean your aquarium or do a water change, make sure you have unplugged the heater and all submersible electronic devices connected to the aquarium. You would be shocked to learn how many people are injured each year from electric shock.
Owning an aquarium requires a commitment, just because fish are small doesn't give us the right to mistreat them; therefore, if you want an aquarium be prepared to care for your wet pets. Aquarium maintenance does more than make your aquarium look good, aquarium maintenance keeps your aquarium fish alive. Please read on for some basic tips on cleaning your aquarium.
Cleaning an aquarium is vital to the health and longevity of your wet pets, neglect is cruel and should be avoided at all costs. Cleaning an aquarium consists of more than just wiping the front of your aquarium, cleaning should include at least the following: algae buildup, vacuuming the gravel, a water change, checking water chemistry, addition of water additives if needed. You DO NOT need to remove your fish to perform maintenance on your aquarium. Be gentle and move slowly while inside their environment.
If you are the one doing the cleaning we will assume your familiarity with the nitrogen cycle, if not, please see cycling your tank. The reason you do a water change when cleaning your aquarium is to remove the nitrates that accumulate in your aquarium.[ Actual call: "Hello, your web site says I have to get rid of my nitrates, can you tell me what they look like and will they hurt my cat that sometimes drinks from the aquarium?"]
Nitrates in your aquarium can not been seen or smelt, nitrates are in liquid form and to our knowledge will not harm a cat, but they will kill your fish given enough time. Nitrates are the end product in the nitrogen cycle and do not evaporate. The simplest way to remove nitrates is to do a water change which we will discuss later on. Some species of fish are more susceptible to nitrates than others, but in the long run, all species will die if your nitrate level remains high for an extended period of time.
After unplugging your electrical devices you can proceed to rinse/replace your filter, but remember to use declorinated water when rinsing any portion of your biological filter. If you replace your main biological filter you will need to reestablish your biological filtration, see cycling your aquarium.
If you have an older system where you have a deep gravel bed, use extreme care when moving any large rocks or corals, as this could uncover and release large amounts of anaerobic bacteria which can kill everything in your aquarium within minutes. If you need to move large rocks or corals, do so gently and vacuum the underlying surface carefully. If by accident you disturb a patch of anaerobic bacteria, you will smell a foul odor and an instant discoloration to the water. More often than not, this disturbance can cause immediate death to most fish. Do not confuse anaerobic bacteria with normal detritus(fish waste) which will also cloud your aquarium while vacuuming. Anaerobic bacteria is caused by no circulation to a specific area of your aquarium.
Wipe the inside glass or acrylic with a clean aquarium algae scraper, do not use store bought sponges as they may contain soaps. When you have completely cleaned the inside of your aquarium including plants, you may then begin to vacuum your gravel.
Instant Gravel Vac
How much water do I remove?
A good rule of thumb is never to replace more than 50% at any one time, but no less than 20% every month or when your nitrate level has reached a dangerous level. re-test your water and if your nitrate is still too high, wait a couple of days then do another water change.
Before adding water back into your aquarium, remember to declorinate and check to be sure the waters temperature is the same as the aquarium, temperature shock can causes fish fatalities. If you are working with a saltwater custom aquarium, check the salinity of both the new water and the aquarium water before introducing the new water into the aquarium. If the salinity in your aquarium is low, you can compensate the new water slightly, but never alter the salinity drastically all at once. Remember, displacement can be tricky, be sure to put back any rocks or decor before adding the new water,
If you have unsuccessfully tried to add a new fish to your existing aquarium, now is a good time to try it again. Fish can be territorial, and by rearranging the rocks, or decorations, this will sometimes remove territories and allow new fish to be added to the aquarium.
Once you have added the new water, and reassembled the filtration, go ahead and turn on your filtration and heater (if you have one). The tank will be cloudy for an hour or so and the fish will be somewhat lethargic. Depending on the size of your aquarium, the number of fish, their diet and feeding frequency, this procedure should be repeated at least once a month; however, it's a good idea to test your water at least once a week to make sure your water chemistry is within parameters. Once maintenance has been performed, turn off your aquarium lights and restrict movement in front of the aquarium for a few hours while your fish re acclimate to their clean home.
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