Time to Clean the Fish Tank? Here Are Some Tips

By Greg Trefter

So, you have an aquarium that is in need of a good spring cleaning, but you don't know exactly how to go about it? Should you simply scrap the mess and start over? Should you try cleaning is without emptying it first? The answer is that tearing it down and completely starting over will remove the bacterial colonies produced in the aquarium that are beneficial to helping eliminate wastes. Unless the tank is extremely terrible, starting over should not be your first option; it should be a last resort.
 
You will need to have an algae scraper or pad, a razor blade (plastic for an acrylic tank), some bleach, a water siphon, a bucket, some lime remover and glass cleaner made specifically for aquariums, a filter media and a filter brush, some old bath towels and paper towels.

You should start with the glass, move to the decorations such as rocks and plants and then clean the gravel. You should then move on to the outside of the glass and the fixtures and finish by cleaning or replacing the filter.

Give the glass a thorough cleaning on the inside using the algae pad. You can find a large selection of scrapers and pads for algae; from a scrubber with a long handle to magnetic scrubs. The small magnetic scrubs are a personal favorite, but just about any algae pad will do the job. You must purchase the algae pads at a pet store as opposed to buying one from the house wares department of your local store. They look just about the same, but the house wares pads can contain harmful chemicals or soap which could be lethal to fish. If the algae is really stubborn you will need to scrape it with the razor blade or plastic blade.

After you have thoroughly cleaned the glass, remove the decorations, artificial plants and rocks that have a significant build-up of algae on them. Do not use detergents or soaps when cleaning them. Although you might think you've completely removed the soap, there could and most probably would still be some residue. You can scrub them with the algae scrubber or scrape them clean, but for really tough problems you can use a 10% solution of bleach. Soak them for about 15 minutes and then scrub off the remaining residue. Rinse them well in running water and allow them to dry fully. Make sure the bucket you use has never held any type of detergent or soap. Vacuum the gravel while the other decorations are out of the tank.

Use a water siphon to vacuum away any debris in the gravel. You can choose from a variety of siphons and all of them work in very much the same manner. If you want to eliminate the need for a bucket, try the Python. There are also adapters that will allow you to filter the siphoned water back into the tank.

Be careful when using glass and lime cleaners as they may contain ammonia which is toxic to the fish. A standard lime cleaner is even worse. Use vinegar whenever possible or cleaners that have been specifically designed for aquarium cleaning. Always rinse thoroughly and leave nothing to chance.

If you want to clean the filter, you must wait a couple of weeks to do it. From the cleaning you already completed you have disturbed the beneficial algae and bacteria colonies on the decorations, gravel and plants. You haven't completely destroyed the eco system because the filter will still contain some of these beneficial bacteria. Simply allow the filter to run for a couple of weeks to restore the balance. Then you can clean it. If the filter is older than three weeks, replace it.