How to Clean a Freshwater Aquarium

It's important to clean a freshwater aquarium regularly in order to keep the fish healthy and keep your tank looking nice. Cleaning a fish tank isn't difficult, but there are some steps you can take to make the process easier.

Things You'll Need

  • Scrubber or razor blade
  • Siphon
  • Five-gallon buckets
  • Replacement water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Unplug anything electrical in the tank. Remove the filters, the tank top and the lights.

    • 2

      Clean the inside of the tank gently, being careful not to scratch the glass or acrylic. You can purchase scrubbers for this purpose or you can use a razor blade if your tank is made of glass. Don't use a razor blade on an acrylic tank because the blade will damage it.

    • 3

      Siphon out debris from the bottom of the tank and let the water and debris fall into the five-gallon buckets. Stir the gravel with the end of the siphon so that it draws up anything that is down inside the rocks. Draw out at least 10 percent of the water so that you can replace it with fresh water.

    • 4

      Add back in fresh water to replace the dirty water you siphoned out. It's best to use reverse-osmosis water to be sure it's pure and clean. Be certain that the water you add back in matches the temperature and pH of the water that's already in the tank. If the water doesn't match, your fish may go into shock or even die.

    • 5

      Take apart your filters and rinse them in fresh, dechlorinated water. Reassemble the filters and replace in the tank. Put the tops and lights back in place. Once you're finished with everything else, plug back in the electrical parts of the tank.