How to Clean a Goldfish Aquarium Safely

Keeping goldfish healthy means giving them a clean home in which to live. It's important to clean the aquarium safely so the goldfish will not perish during the process and will have a healthy environment in which to live. Cleaning your aquarium is not only for your fish; it also enjoyable for you, your family and your guests to see the goldfish through clear glass with no algae obstructing the view.

Things You'll Need

  • Long handle scrub brush (optional scouring pad with no soap)
  • New filters
  • Water hose
  • Ladies pantyhose
  • Rubber band
  • Fresh clean water
  • Clear water (bought at most department stores or pet stores)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the large decorative rocks, artificial vegetation and figurines. Leave the small rocks on the bottom of the tank. Wash the rocks, vegetation and figurines well, but not thoroughly. All the ornamental things in the aquarium contain bacteria that is needed for healthy goldfish tanks and some of it can be left behind.

    • 2

      Remove the dirty filters from the filtration system and replace them with new ones.

    • 3

      Clean all four sides of the aquarium with the long-handle brush. Be sure to get in all the corners and the back. This is one cleaning you want to do completely, but don't do it vigorously because you will scare the fish.

      Take the brush and stir up the small rocks on the bottom of the aquarium. You will see the residue floating around the fish, but this is fine and will not hurt your fish. Add rocks, figurines and artificial vegetation back into your aquarium.

    • 4

      Hook the water hose to the outside faucet. Place the sheer part of the ladies pantyhose over the end of the hose that is not hooked to the faucet and secure it with a rubber band. Place the water hose in the aquarium near the bottom, but not touching the bottom. If you don't have anyone to hold the hose in place, place a heavy object on the hose on the edge of the aquarium so the hose will not fall out of the aquarium. Turn on the hose at the faucet slightly and allow the water to flow into the tank just briefly.

    • 5

      Turn off the water at the faucet and take the hose off the faucet. Water will spray out as you do this, but this causes a suction or a flow from the fish tank to the end of the hose.

      Lay the hose on the ground and drain at least 50 to 75 percent of the water from the tank. Make sure the hose is lower than the tank. It will not take too long for the tank to drain, so keep a good eye on it as it drains.

      Hook the hose back up to the outside faucet, turn on the faucet and allow the tank to fill back up with water. Make sure it's secured with a heavy object so it will not fall out of the aquarium. The cold water will not hurt the goldfish because you will have a mixture of existing water along with the new water being added and goldfish are very hardy fish.

    • 6

      Rearrange the small rocks on the bottom with the long handle brush.

    • 7

      In about an hour, clean the filters by spraying them with a sprayer from a sink or the water hose and put them back in.