Keeping Your Aquarium Clean

In the following article I share what I learned about Keeping Your Aquarium Clean. The real challenge for most freshwater aquarium owners is keeping the tank a healthy environment for the fish inside. For a new owner there are so many issues that arise that they did not even realize existed.

Dirty Water

If you think that dirty water looks bad to you, what do you think that your fish are seeing?

First potential solution? A power filter. This will make the tank almost completely self cleaning. It uses safe chemicals to filter dirt, odor, discoloration and even general impurities.

The worst thing about a power filter is the need to change the filter every 3-4 weeks. Since they are usually just disposable, so there’s no hassle and no leaning over a sink for hours hoping that you can clean the filter.

Algae

Ick. I like the colour green, but algae can ruin even the most beautiful tank, and I do not want my eyes distracted from the beauty of my fish.

The easiest, most practical, and quickest solution is simple. Go to your neighbourhood pet shop and buy a Plecostomus, nicknamed the algae eater. This little guy is not going to win any beauty competitions any time soon – but he will keep your tank clean of algae. Plus, this ugly algae eater has a wonderful personality!

The other solution is a do-it-yourself one. Get in there and remove the algae by hand. There are numerous tools you can use, and they vary in cost.

One special tip. Keep your tank away from direct sunlight. The algae thrives in the sun!

Strong Scents

Noticing a strong scent from your tank? Change your filter more frequently to ensure that this does not happen. The process that is creating the scent could hurt your fish tank, and possibly even kill your fish if it goes untreated.

Unclear Water

You may be overfeeding your fish. Remember the rules of feeding. (1) only feed them what they can eat in 3-5 minutes in one sitting, and (2) only feed them 2-3 times a day. This should eliminate that issue.

If you are feeding “by the book” and still getting unclear water, tey using distilled or distilled water. You can buy it by the gallon full at most grocery stores and it only costs about 50-70 cents per gallon.

Change The Water And Clean The Tank

Actually, only about 20% of the water has to be removed each week. Use a siphon. Start by putting one end of a hose in the tank, put the other to your lips, and suck. The second water starts to flow, put your end of the tube in a bucket and let about 1/5 th of the water drain out of the tank. Be careful not to allow any fish near the hose while this is happening. Then, simply replace the water.

Once a month, you’re going to need to get down and dirty again, and clean your aquarium tank. I know you hate that part of aquarium ownership, but, do you want healthy fish or not? Use a sponge and scrub the insides of the aquarium glass gently to get anything that’s stuck on there off. Do not use a scraper as this will scratch acrylic aquariums.

When you clean the tank, take out any decorations out and soak them in hot water and a bit of salt. After the tank is clean, take the decorations out of their hot water soak and scrub each one carefully and thoroughly. Just make sure that you DO NOT use any soap at all. The residue will kill your fish very quickly.

Many people use a gravel vacuum to clean the dirt and old food that’s been left down there. There are various sizes for various tanks, and you should always follow the instructions that came with the gravel vacuum to use it properly.

When You Refill Your Tank

When refilling your tank with water, remember that the temperature of the incoming water needs to be the same as the water your fish are already used to. Also, tap water wasn’t made for fish keeping. Heating a 5-10 gallon bucket of distilled water is often a better option then using tap water!