How to Clean an Aquarium Correctly
January 30th, 2009
If you have the same mindset I did years ago and you think that you need to drain your aquarium and scrub your tank clean frequently, you seriously need to read this post because you’re putting your fish in danger!
Before I get into the aquarium cleaning procedure, there are a few things you need to know. These things are actually more important than the actual procedure because anyone who owns an aquarium MUST know this if they want their fish to remain healthy.
What you must know first:
Fish were made to swim in ponds, lakes and rivers, not glass cubes full of treated water. However there are people like you and me who love caring for them, so over time we’ve figured out how to have them as pets, while continuing to provide them with a healthy environment. Here are a few things you MUST know in order to provide that ever-so-important healthy environment for your fish.
Fish need clean water to live. However, “clean” water to a fish is completely different than what a human would consider “clean.” If water isn’t crystal clear to us it’s dirty, right? Well that’s not necessarily the case with fish.
When a new aquarium is established a natural cycle begins. This cycle is called the biological filter and it is basically colonies of good bacteria which convert nitrite (harmful pollutants) into nitrate (harmless.) The nitrite is created by the fish waste and excess food, which also turns into ammonia.
This process can take a month or longer to fully be established and during that period of time your aquarium will need weekly 1/4 tank water changes to keep the harmful pollutants at bay! However, the average fish owner does not know that. THIS is why most beginner aquarium owners see their fish die very quickly!
When you drain all the water, replace the filters and scrub it all down, you’ll starting the natural cycle all over again, putting more stress on your fish and keeping them open to disease!
Steps to Clean your Aquarium Correctly
1. Remove all large ornaments and/or plants that get in the way.
2. Using a gravel vacuum, remove all waste and food from the sand or gravel. I like to shove the tube into the gravel quickly so it’s stirred up and waste gets knocked loose. I continue to do it, driving the tub into the gravel up and down until I’ve gone across the entire tank. Don’t stop until 25 – 50% of the water in your aquarium has been drained. The water will be very dirty, that’s FINE! As long as you get the big stuff from the floor, the fine particles that are floating around will settle and/or go through your filter.
3. Fill a bucket full of water (chlorine removed) and rub your hand across each filter until all of the heavy “slime” is off of it. Do NOT use any type of cleaner on the filter and don’t use tap water directly out of the sink (it has chlorine!) You can get it clean enough with your hand believe it or not. You just want to get the heavy stuff off, that’s all!
4. Use an algae scraper to remove the algae from the aquarium walls. It would be best to leave it, but it’s just not impressive for guests to visit you and see a green fish tank and it’s not that big of a deal, as the tank as a whole will still have some algae and bacteria.
5. Use a brush to clean all ornaments and plants, NO chemicals! You can use a soap and water mix, that’s it! After you’ve scrubbed them rinse them thoroughly.
6. Replace everything and fill your aquarium up with clean, treated water. Be sure to use some type of chlorine removing solution and it doesn’t hurt to use some conditioning salt as well to help prevent Ich and other diseases.
That’s it 
Now you want to do that monthly. bi-monthly is actually ideal, but monthly is fine too.
img credit: colorblindpicaso