How to Clean out a Dirty Fish Tank

With all the beauty and pleasure that you get from a fish tank, there comes the added and undesirable task of cleaning it out. By no means is the task undesirable for the degree of filth, it is more so for the level of effort it requires. However, unless the tank is in terrible shape with the fish preferring to live outside rather than in, aquarium cleaning it is a, pretty much, straightforward job.

There are a few basic tools that are required and all are available in almost all pet stores. To start the process, move all fish to cleaner waters, either in a bucket or in any container that has enough space to keep them busy. Then follow the various steps involved and while there is no hard sequence or rule, the one mentioned below is given to ensure that everything goes systematically with no spills.

1. Inside Glass: Armed with an algae pad, the inside-glass needs a good cleaning. There are a number of types of algae pads available and honestly, anything will work. It is always preferable to buy algae pads from pet stores and not house-ware stores as pet store varieties are guaranteed to be free of any soap or added chemicals that are helpful for your kitchen sink, but not for your fish.
Stubborn residue can be cleaned up using a razor blade, when it comes to glass tanks. A plastic razor blade can be used for acrylic tanks.

2. Decorations: Now that the glass is clean on the inside, start by taking all the decorations, artificial plants & rocks and prepare to work on them. Start cleaning by giving them a thorough scrubbing with an algae scraper. Next, give each item a nice 10 – 15 minute soaking bath in a 10% bleach-water solution. Remember to never use soap as it can be poisonous to your fish. Scrub off the residue and rinse under running water. All items need to be air-dried to remove any residue of the bleach.

If you have plants that need cleaning, use a 5% bleach-water solution and soak them in for just 2 or so minutes. Rinse them in the same manner as with the other tank decorations and they are good to go.

3. Gravel: Cleaning the gravel requires removal of the water using a siphon. This ensures that all debris is siphoned away along with the water. Vacuum the gravel using the siphon system, re-fill water using the siphon and repeat the process until there is no more debris in the water. Depending on the siphoning system you use, you can either connect it to a faucet in your sink or choose to use a bucket.

4. External Items: Now that the inside of the aquarium is squeaky-clean, time to focus on the outside. Stay as far away from glass and lime cleaners as possible. They contain ammonia and are fatal for the fish, so stick to a cleaner available at your pet store. The other convenient option is to use vinegar. Any brand will do the job and once done, begin the rinsing process. When the entire aquarium has been rinsed thoroughly, just rinse one more time for good luck.

5. Filter: The cleaning process for the tank has to be put on a temporary hold before it can be called complete. The filter needs a 2-week (minimum) break before which it should not be cleaned. The reason is quite logical – The bacterial colonies on the inner components like the plants, rocks and gravel have been completely wiped clean after the above thorough process. Many of these bacteria are actually helpful to the environment in the tank and they also tend to reside within the filter. Changing the filter might drastically change the eco-system in the tank and destroy its living contents. Therefore the two-weeks are given to let things settle back to their normal cycle before the filter is cleaned.
Depending on the type of filter, the cleaning process varies. Filter media with carbon, ammonia absorbing materials and ion-exchange resins need to be replaced ever three weeks. Mechanical filters like ceramic rings or sponges need to be rinsed gently and returned to their original places within the filtration device. A filter brush is quite effective when cleaning out the tubes and other parts of the assembly.

Cleaning the tank is not a one-time process and only through regular cleaning can a healthy aquarium survive. While scraping the inside glass needs to be done every week, the gravel may be cleaned only when the water is being changed. Soaking the fish nets in disinfectant helps keep them soft and painless for the fish.
After finishing these steps your aquarium cleaning time is over for now, but remember that it is important to never forget about aquarium cleaning.

How to Prevent Algae from Growing

Algae are not entirely bad for a fish tank and in many cases people tend to mistake non-algae to be algae. Algae tend to thrive in a healthy aquarium and over time, grow in a hair-like manner. New, and even unhealthy, tanks tend to have red or brown algae as a sign of imbalance in the eco-system within the aquarium. Algae are quite natural and its growth, in aquariums, is also a natural process. Light, nutrients and water are, as in the case of plants, essential for algae to thrive and these are usually abundant in the aquarium’s environment.

To limit its growth, algae needs to receive lesser light. Whether near sunlight or an artificial light source, any lights kept on for more than 8 hours in a day will aid the growth of algae. Fish require only 6 hours of consistent light, at scheduled time-slots, to manufacture Vitamin D. A timer allows the lights to be switched off at late nights when it is unlikely that anyone would be around to admire the fish tank. It is advisable to feed the fish in the same cycle as the lighting as fish do not feed in the dark.

Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium are the three main nutrients that algae need to survive. There are many sources of these nutrients such as fish waste, decaying organic debris such as plant debris or dead algae and even uneaten food. Tap water also contains a lot of phosphorous while water changes can build up nitrogen levels. External filters and reverse osmosis can be used to tackle these issues.

There are certain algae-eating fish and snails that can also be employed to do the job. However, there are certain drawbacks. You may end up with too many snails because these freshwater species tend to multiply like rabbits. So while the algae problem is dealt with, the snail population may overwhelm the tank. Algae-eating fish are not solely dependent on algae for their food and if they are well-fed, they tend to ignore the algae altogether. While certain other invertebrates such as hermit crabs, snails and sea urchins do the job well, they are salt-water creatures and cannot survive in normal tanks.

If the tank happens to be for salt-water wish, then the problem of saving these expensive algae cleaners rises as most salt-water fishes tend to consider crabs, sea urchins and snails as a delectable meal.

There are many specialized instruments available to prevent the growth of algae such as Ultraviolet Sterilizers, Resin Exchange Filters, Algae Scrubbers, and many more. There are other basic steps that owners need to take care off, to prevent algae growth. These basically include some steps like not over-feeding the fish; removing dead fishes immediately and keeping a single piece of rock or coral that is not cleaned over time.

Some simple steps, combined with some drastic ones, may be necessary to maintain a healthy eco-system in a beautiful aquarium. So don't forget to schedule your aquarium cleaning.