A clean aquarium means more than just happy fish in a happy environment. This basic maintenance function of owning your fish aquarium also means you'll keep it looking great. You should aim at cleaning the water in your tank around once a month and work on creating a routine that will help you get through your aquarium maintenance easily. Below are some tips to help you create a routine for your aquarium maintenance.
Before you begin, you should unplug the electrical elements to your tank. This means removing the socket from the wall on your filter, lights and the heater. Cleaning the sides of your tank won't require that you use any soaps or detergents. You should avoid all cleaning agents like these as they're bad for the fish. If these products make your fish sick and even cause death, imagine what flushing so much soap and detergent down the drain each day is doing to fish out in their natural environment.
The choice is yours as to which cleaning step you want to use next. Scraping and vacuuming both need to be done, but many aquarium stores will advise that vacuuming first means you're reducing the water level so that by the time you get to the scraping chore, you're pushing more algae into less water, which increases the concentration levels of algae and can potentially harm your fish.
Vacuuming Your Tank
Vacuuming your tank requires a tube attached to a rubber hose. If you buy your aquarium vacuum from the store, they'll call it a Python. Your vacuum drains water and debris into a bucket or you can run the hose to your sink. Run the tube end of your Python around any decorations and down into the gravel to collect any small pieces of food, debris and fish waste.
Try not to vacuum too long. You should aim at removing no more than 20% of the aquariums water. Vacuum up any more than this amount and you risk harming your fish.
Scraping Your Tank
Scraping your aquarium requires a special sponge attached to a handle. The sponge is designed to remove algae from items within your tank, such as the sides of the tank, the heater and even the decorative items. You should make sure you check the type of sponge you're using. While most are fine for use on glass, some can be abrasive and can damage acrylic, creating scratches and marks.
When you're done with your vacuuming and scraping, you can refill the aquarium back to normal levels. It's important to only add de-chlorinated water to your tank. When the tank is full again, turn on the filter, lights and heater. Once the fish have settled down a bit, remember to get out your aquarium test kit. You're checking for ammonia nitrite and nitrate levels to make sure your fish won't be harmed. If your aquarium is a salt water tank, then you will also need to test the salinity levels as your fish may become stressed if the levels are incorrect.
Written by Sampson Zelder on behalf of fish-tank-aquariums.net - Great place to find fish-tank-aquariums.net">fish Tank Aquariums, aquarium filters, aquarium lights and general supplies for your fish-tank-aquariums.net/index.php?cPath=2">fish aquariums
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