How to Clean a Fish Aquarium

It's essential to clean your pet's habitat on a regular basis to maintain their optimal health, and fish are no exception. Cleaning an aquarium top to bottom should be done about once a month, with more frequent water changes only on a weekly basis.

Things You'll Need

  • Algae scraper
  • Gravel vacuum
  • Container for taking out water
  • New filter cartridge
  • Bucket to collect water in
  • Aquarium salt
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Instructions

  1. How to clean your aquarium

    • 1

      Start by removing some of the water from the tank.

    • 2

      Remove and rinse with warm water any statues or artificial plants you are using for decoration.

    • 3

      Gently remove any algae growth that has accumulated on the sides of the tank with a special algae scraper designed for aquarium use.

    • 4

      Using a gravel vacuum, clean out about 25% of the dirty water from the bottom of the tank. To use the vacuum, place one end in the tank all the way below the gravel level and one in a bucket on your floor below the surface of the water. To create suction, quickly move the vacuum up and down at a slanted angle. You will know the vacuum is working when dirty water starts to drain out into the bucket.

    • 5

      Replace clean decorations.

    • 6

      Collect water from your sink and combine with water conditioner made especially for aquariums. Typical dose is one drop per gallon of water. Add back into your aquarium until full.

    • 7

      Unplug your filter and use a special aquarium brush to clean out any accumulated algae inside the chambers. Rinse out in your kitchen sink.

    • 8

      Remove old filter and replace it with a new one.

    • 9

      Put cleaned and reassembled filter back into the fish tank and plug back in.

    • 10

      Add water cleaner, such as Stress-Zyme to water per dose recommended on bottle. This will help keep your filter running properly and will help keep the water clean.

    • 11

      Add some aquarium salt to the cleaned tank to help gill function and prevent disease.