Keeping the fish tank clean is essential for healthy and vibrantly colored fish. In addition to regular water changes, you should also clean the aquarium equipment and glass. A few small details in particular will help the aquarium stay cleaner for longer. Apart from that, you may need to do a complete aquarium cleaning in very necessary situations.
If you are going to clean the aquarium, you must first unplug the equipment such as electrically operated air motor, internal filter, heater, external filter in the aquarium for partial or complete cleaning. We recommend that you allow your heater to cool for a while before removing it. This prevents the heating glass from being damaged.
Daily or several times a week, your water and therefore the aquarium will be contaminated late and the fish will be more stress free.
The Importance of Fish Tank Cleaning
First of all, it will be useful to prevent the causes of pollution and turbidity in the water. After each feeding, there is a certain amount of inedible feed and natural wastes of the fish immediately after. If you collect these feed residues and feces with an aquarium bucket in the hours after feeding, you will largely prevent accumulation and contamination. The filter will take care of small particles that you cannot already take.
You should regularly clean the filter sponge and remove the coarse particles that have accumulated on it. Thus, the performance and cleaning power of the filter will be high. Washing the filter sponge should not be done too often. It is better not to wash it often so that the beneficial bacteria can be preserved. But your pores should be opened by removing the coarse particles accumulated on it. During a complete water change and aquarium cleaning, the internal filter sponge must be washed or renewed. If you are using an external aquarium filter, do not change the filter material in the baskets at once. Change the ceramic filter material, bioball or filter fiber at different time. This is important for keeping the beneficial bacteria level in the aquarium in balance.
Using more fish food than necessary causes the aquarium water to become dirty very quickly. Fish droppings and other particles collect in bottom aquarium sand or gravel, on plants or on aquarium decorations. These objects, which are settled in beneficial bacteria, should not be washed frequently. However, if it is mossy or even muddy, it should be removed from the aquarium and cleaned. Otherwise, it causes increased algae and turbidity of the water.
Do Not Use Chemicals For Aquarium Cleaning
The important thing you should pay attention to is never to use chemicals in cleaning these decor or artificial plants. If you wish, you can put water in a bowl, drop aquarium water cleaner solution into it or soak it in some salt water and clean it with a brush. After rinsing and drying, you can place it in the fish tank.
If there is a greenish, brownish thin film layer on the glass of the aquarium, you should definitely clean it with a sponge aquarium glass cleaner or magnetic glass cleaner and prevent it from accumulating. However, if it is repeated in a short time, you should look at the chemical values of the aquarium water with the help of a test. The increase in the nitrate and phosphate values of the water accelerates the growth of algae and causes algae growth. In this case, it will be beneficial to use a partial water change and nitrate reducer in the aquarium as well as use an algae prevention solution.
After cleaning your fish tank glass with a suitable handle cleaner, wait for the sediment to settle to the bottom. When you are sure that it has settled to the bottom, do not neglect to take these deposits with the help of the aquarium bottom cleaner. During the process, it will be beneficial to move the base sand or gravel and remove the algae deposits that enter between them. After all these processes, you should complete the amount of water that is lost from the aquarium by adding the rested water you have prepared before.
If you intend to empty the entire aquarium and clean it completely, you should make sure that all electric aquarium equipment is unplugged before starting the procedure. You should also clean these equipment that you take out from the aquarium without using chemicals.
Check the Temperature of Aquarium Water
Make sure to note the temperature of the water before emptying the fish tank. Because it is important that the water renewed after cleaning is at this level so that the fish do not shock.
During the complete fish tank cleaning, your priority is to carefully move the fish from the fish tank to another tank. For this purpose, you should arrange a container suitable for your fish number, where they can walk around comfortably without stress. Fill this container with fish tank water from which your fish are extracted and familiar and move your fish one by one to the new pond with the help of a scoop. The use of old water, even if it is dirty, is important in terms of tolerating stress.
If the water of the fish tank is not very dirty, you can separate it from this water, add it to the aquarium after cleaning and add water little by little after you spend your fish. But don’t let it spoil the new aquarium if it’s dirty. Instead, prepare your fish tank water using suitable water conditioners. Thoroughly clean or completely renew the aquarium substrate. Add the water to the aquarium after placing the cleaned and dried air stone, decor and plants. Wait for 24 hours after you install and run electrical equipment such as aquarium lighting lamp, filter, heater and aquarium air motor that you removed.
Do the tests that determine the chemical structure of the fish tank water you have prepared such as pH, hardness, nitrate tests and temperature control. After making sure that these values are at the appropriate levels for your fish, move your fish to the new fish tank. Anti-stress solutions you add to this water will help the fish adapt to the new environment.
After that, we can summarize the things you need to do to keep this crystal-like water clean for a long time;
- Do not feed more than necessary,
- Make sure to clean the coarse wastes with a bucket daily,
- With the magnetic aquarium cleaner, clean the sediment and algae accumulated on the windows,
- Use a bottom broom to clean the moss and sediment collected at the bottom,
- Take the dirty aquarium water at least once a week with a pump siphon, do a partial water change and dilute the water.
If there are no live plants in the fish tank, do not use unnecessary lighting and shorten the lighting time. Excessive light accelerates algae growth.
If you repeat these processes regularly, your fish tank will be clean for a long time and your fish will remain healthy for a long time.
