The Best Way to Clean Fish Tank Gravel

Cleaning a fish tank is a necessary part of caring for your fish. Washing fish tank gravel should only be performed when the tank is excessively dirty. Overfeeding and an imperfect filtration system can lead to dirty gravel, but the condition can usually be remedied through the use of a gravel siphon to remove debris. Very dirty tanks, such as ones that have been subjected to neglect or continual overfeeding, will require the removal of the gravel to completely clean the tank.

Things You'll Need

  • Buckets
  • Pitcher or large cup
  • Garden hose
  • Towel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Rinse a clean five-gallon bucket with clear water. Allow it to air dry overnight.

    • 2

      Use a small pitcher to bail water out of the fish tank and pour it into the five-gallon bucket until it is half full.

    • 3

      Fill the rest of the bucket with dechlorinated or salinated water. Fill with dechlorinated water if your tank is a freshwater environment; fill with salinated water if your tank is a saltwater environment.

    • 4

      Place the tank's air pump, aerator bars and stones into the bucket and turn them on. Carefully scoop the fish out of the tank using a fish net or the buckets to capture them. Gently place the fish in the five-gallon bucket.

    • 5

      Scoop out three or four cups of gravel and place it in an empty bucket. Leave a small layer of gravel in the bottom of the tank to replenish the beneficial bacteria the fish will require when placed back in the tank.

    • 6

      Take the rock bucket outdoors and place it on a solid surface.

    • 7

      Fill the bucket with water from a garden hose and agitate the rocks vigorously with your hand. Dump out the water, using your hand to strain the rocks from the rinse water and to prevent them from falling out of the bucket.

    • 8

      Repeat the process of filling the rock bucket, agitating and dumping the water until the rinse water runs clear. Dump the rocks onto an old, clean towel and spread them out with your hands.

    • 9

      Allow the rocks to dry in the sun for one or two hours. Rinse the bucket with the garden hose and dump out the rinse water.

    • 10

      Place the fish tank gravel in the bucket by picking up the towel by the ends and pouring the gravel into the bucket. Pour the gravel from the bucket into the fish tank.

    • 11

      Put the aerator bars, pumps and stones back into the tank. Fill the tank with dechlorinated or salinated water, leaving space for a gallon of water at the top.

    • 12

      Allow the water to come to the appropriate temperature for your fish. Plug in the pump and aerator equipment.

    • 13

      Use a pitcher or cup to bail half of the water from the bucket and pour it down a drain or outside. Fill the bucket with water from the aquarium and allow the fish to get used to the clean water and its temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.

    • 14

      Capture the fish in a net and place them in the fish tank. Fill the tank up with water from the bucket.