Keeping a fish tank clean is crucial for keeping your fish happy and healthy.
However, when it comes to cleaning, you will have to do more than change the water every so often.
You will also have to clean the gravel, check the filters and monitor the water parameters to ensure they are within acceptable limits.
Here are 12 practical ways to keep your fish tank clean:
12 hacks to keep your fish tank clean
Cleaning your fish tank is not as easy as it sounds. While it may sound like a simple task, many things to keep in mind. For example, you don’t want the water to be too hot or too cold, you need to make sure that your fish stay safe while you clean their home, and you also want to make sure that you clean the tank thoroughly without removing any beneficial bacteria that your fish need.
Luckily we have created this comprehensive Fish Tank Maintenance Guide so that you can easily clean your fish tank without any problems. This guide will teach you how to clean a fish tank like a professional aquarist and help you maintain a happy and healthy aquarium.
Regular maintenance
Regular maintenance is a must to keep your fish tank clean; otherwise, you will have a smelly aquarium filled with algae and debris. You should do regular maintenance once a week.
Water testing
Saltwater or Freshwater: You’ll have to check your tank’s parameters every week or month to decide whether its health has been affected by an upgrade. For this purpose, it’s necessary to purchase an aquarium testing kit and perform the tests. Make sure you record the test results to compare them with previous weeks. If there are any discrepancies, this is one of the indications that your fish tank isn’t healthy.
Clean the filter
Most of the waste in the aquarium comes from fish waste and uneaten fish food (leftovers). The filter removes all this waste, but even the best filters need some help from time to time to keep working efficiently. When cleaning your filter, make sure that you only clean it in tank water. Use tap water or chlorinated water. It will eliminate all beneficial bacteria in the media inside your filter (and it will take weeks for them to return).
Water changes
Performing a water change is another way to clean your fish tank. After draining out old contaminated water and insert clean and fresh water. By doing so, you can avoid toxins and pollutants from accumulating inside your fish tank, reducing its overall waste.
While performing a water change, keep in mind that there is a correlation between the size of your fish tank and how often you need to do one. For example, you will need to perform more frequent water changes if you have a smaller tank because it is easier for contaminants to reach toxic levels due to the small volume of water. Also, keep in mind that aquariums that are heavily stocked with fish or use robust filtration equipment will require more frequent water changes.
Change your filter
Aquarium filters do more than trap debris and uneaten food from your tank. They also help maintain good bacteria colonies, which perform critical biological processes like removing nitrogenous waste from your aquarium water keeping it safe for your fishy friends. Changing your filter pads regularly helps remove harmful toxins from the aquarium while keeping beneficial bacteria colonies alive.
Use A Canister Filter
Using a canister filter is a simple way to keep your aquarium clean and healthy for your fish. It filters out the waste from the fish and other debris in the water and keeps it moving around so that algae does not grow on your tank walls or ornaments. These filters are easy to use and do not require regular maintenance as long as you clean them once every three months or as required by their instruction manual. They also come with an adjustable flow rate, so you can set them according to your preference and ensure that it does not disturb your fish.
Get Some Filter Floss
Filter floss is an inexpensive, simple, and effective way to keep your water clean and debris-free. It works by trapping all the debris and contaminants in the filter floss. Make sure you change the filter floss regularly to keep it working effectively.
Maintain A Good Balance Of Fish In The Tank
Having too many fish in a limited space will make cleaning your fish tank more challenging. In addition, the more fish there are, the more waste they produce and the more difficult it will be to maintain proper water conditions. So, do not stock too many fish in your aquarium.
Clean the Gravel at the Bottom of Your Fish Tank
Cleaning the gravel at the bottom of your aquarium is vital for keeping it looking nice, but more importantly, it can help remove any harmful contaminants from the water. This is where most bacteria build-up, so it’s essential to give it a good clean every once.
You can purchase an aquarium vacuum or use this DIY method involving using a sink strainer. I like this method better because it’s cheaper and easier to use! It also allows me to be more thorough when cleaning my fish tank, so I have more minor issues with my fish getting sick. I also like using this method if any plants are at the bottom of my aquarium because I don’t want them to get disturbed by a standard vacuum cleaner.
Add More Plants
Adding more plants to your fish tank can significantly ease the workload of cleaning. This is because plants absorb some nitrates (the toxic chemicals) produced by waste (like uneaten food and poop). They also gobble up some of the phosphates in water (boosts algae growth). Some fish love plants too, so they’ll be happy as well.
Do Not Overpopulate Your Fish Tank
One of the most common mistakes new aquarium owners make is overpopulating their fish tanks. Waste production will increase when you do this, and ammonia levels will rise to toxic levels. This leads to fish death and an overall unhealthy tank environment.
Remove Fish Waste
Fish waste is one of the biggest sources of ammonia and other toxins in your fish tank. Siphon the gravel when you are doing water changes to make sure that you remove all of these harmful toxins.