How to Keep a Home Aquarium Clean & Water Clear

It is important to clean your home's fish aquarium on a regular basis. A clean tank guarantees optimal health for your fish and any other aquarium pets. The water and gravel in the tank must be cleaned, and the filter needs to be regularly maintained. An aquarium should be cleaned at least once a month and approximately 25 percent of the water in the aquarium should be replaced once a week. In addition to cleaning all aquarium surfaces, remember to also clean decorations in the tank.

Things You'll Need

  • New filter
  • Bucket
  • Algae scraper
  • Gravel vacuum
  • Gravel cleaner with tubing
  • Glass scrubber
  • Razor blade
  • Sponge with coarse side
  • Water dechlorinator
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take the aquarium tank's top off and unplug all filters. Take out all aquarium decorations, including any artificial plants. Scrub the decorations with the coarse side of a sponge and wash them with hot water. Make sure you do not clean the tank decorations with soap or any other kind of cleansers because cleansers contain harmful chemicals that can be left behind even after cleaning and rinsing.

    • 2

      Clean aquarium surfaces with a sponge or scraper. You can also use a razor blade to clean the surface, as long as the aquarium is made of glass. Remove any algae growth that has accumulated on tank surfaces with a scraper.

    • 3

      Use a gravel vacuum to clean out about one quarter of the dirty water from the bottom of the fish tank. Place one end of the vacuum below the gravel level and the other end in a bucket. Move the vacuum up and down at a slanted angle to create suction. Within a couple of seconds, dirty water should start to drain out into the bucket. Because it can be difficult to clean gravel without removing too much water, use your free hand to cover the hole in the end of the hose. Plug the hose with your thumb when not removing debris from the gravel. Try not to disturb gravel around any live rooted plants. Do not change more than half of your aquarium water at one time.

    • 4

      Place all cleaned items back into the cleaned tank. Fill a bucket with tap water and adjust the temperature to that of the aquarium. Add a dechlorinator (water conditioner) to the newly filled water bucket. The usual water treatment dose is one drop per gallon of water, but follow the dechlorinator package instructions. Add the newly conditioned water back into the aquarium until it is full.

    • 5

      Restart your filter or replace your filter with a new one if your old filter is in poor condition. Place the filter back into the tank and plug it back in. Add any commercial water cleaner to the tank water to keep the filter running properly and to keep the water in the tank clean.