How to Clean a Frog Tank

While frogs seldom get sick in the ways that you would recognize as a human, they can become very ill from swimming in dirty water. Frogs absorb water and nutrients though their skin in addition to eating them, so they are particularly sensitive to the cleanliness of the tank. Clean your frog tank regularly to keep them happy and healthy.

Things You'll Need

  • Dechlorinator
  • Bucket
  • Mild hand soap
  • Scoop
  • Colander
  • Scrub brush
  • Paper towels
  • Calendar
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Treat the water for your frog tank 48 hours before cleaning. Fill a bucket with tap water, then add about 10 drops of dechlorinator. Let the water sit until it becomes "stale" and room temperature. This should take about two days.

    • 2

      Wash your hands and all equipment thoroughly. You do not want anything on your hands to come off in the frog tank and potentially hurt the frogs. Once you have washed with the mild dish soap, rinse your hands, the scoop and the brush thoroughly so that the soap residue cannot come off in the tank.

    • 3

      Scoop out the gravel. You can use the scoop (which should also be cleaned and rinsed thoroughly) or your hands. Remove as much of the gravel as possible. Place the gravel in the colander in the sink.

    • 4

      Clean the gravel. Run hot water through the colander and use the scrub brush to scrub off any algae or mold that may have grown on it. Leave the clean gravel in the colander in the sink to air dry while you clean the rest of the tank.

    • 5

      Wipe down the sides and bottom of the tank with the paper towels. As soon as a paper towel gets filled up with gunk, switch to a new paper towel so that you do not just smear dirt on the sides of the aquarium around.

    • 6

      Top off the tank with the stale water. Generally, you should add water rather than remove it. However, if the water is looking really dirty, scoop some of it out and add more of the water from the treated bucket.

    • 7

      Mark on the calendar when you cleaned your frog tank. If you wipe down the sides of the aquarium periodically and add treated water when necessary, you should not need to clean the entire aquarium more frequently than every other month. Cleaning can be traumatic for your frogs, so cleaning in small installments is better than a major overhaul.