So you’ve set up your aquarium, cycled it and have got everything up and running. Fish are happy, plants are growing… time to lean back and relax, right? Sure, but don’t forget that even a healthy fish tank needs regular cleaning.
Not sure what kind of maintenance your tank needs and when? We’ll explain all you need to know about how to clean your aquarium in 6 easy steps.
1. Equipment cleaning
Let’s dive into this deep cleaning session! We’re going to start out by cleaning the filter. As you’re hopefully aware, our aquarium filters contain the good bacteria that keep the tank from turning into a toxic cesspool. As such, it’s important to handle the precious filter material with care.
Although your filter doesn’t need weekly cleaning, it’s still very important not to forget about it. Dirty filters can become clogged, reducing the outflow and increasing the risk of a cycle crash. To make sure the beneficial bacteria population that inhabits the filter media stays happy and healthy, take the filter apart about once a month.
- Turn off the filter and take out the sponges. You can leave any biological filter material (ceramic balls, lava rock, etc.) since that doesn’t require cleaning.
- Get a bucket of aquarium water and gently squeeze and swish the sponge until dirt stops coming out.
- Scrub the filter casing and pipes to remove algae and other muck.
- Place the materials back in the filter and the filter back in the aquarium.
- Don’t turn the filter back on just yet. We’ll be cleaning other things and don’t want the debris coming off to go straight into the sponge we just cleaned.
If the filter still appears clogged even after a good cleaning, it might be time to replace the sponges. Do NOT replace all the media at the same time: you’ll crash your aquarium’s cycle which can be fatal to your fish. Instead, try replacing about ⅓ with every filter cleaning, keeping a close eye on your water values to make sure everything is still in order.
Tip: After you’re done with the filter, give other equipment like protein skimmers, heaters and air stones a scrub. Be sure to also take a good look at everything to make sure it’s still in working order, especially the heater.
2. Glass cleaning
After cleaning all equipment, it’s time to do the same with the glass. This isn’t an essential part of aquarium maintenance, as your fish honestly won’t care if there’s some algae on the glass. However, since your aquarium is meant to be decorative, you’ll usually want to keep at least the front panel clean.
You can use a special (magnetic) algae scraper for aquariums to easily remove gunk from the viewing panels, although a piece of unused filter sponge often works just as well. Be careful not to get any substrate under the sponge, as scraping it across the glass can cause unsightly damage.
Tip: After you’re done with everything else on this list, give the outside of the tank a good polish as well. Dried water droplets are surprisingly noticeable!
3. Prune plants or corals
Aquascape enthusiasts and those with fast-growing plants or corals know the drill: maintenance time means pruning time as well. Get your pruning scissors out and cut back any branches, leaves, stems and polyps that are getting out of hand.
Yes, even corals can sometimes use a pruning, especially if the aquarium environment is favorable for quick growth. You’ll be able to frag or propagate any bits you snip off, so there’s no need to throw them away. Other aquarists may even want to buy them!
Don’t be afraid to trim aggressively. Just like in terrestrial gardening, the tank will look a bit barren at first, but will likely grow back better.
4. Vacuum substrate
During all the aforementioned activities you’ll have stirred up plenty of debris, which will have settled on the substrate along with other bits of fish waste and biomaterial. To remove this and avoid it from fouling the water, we’ll have to whip out the aquatic vacuum and siphon the substrate.
Make sure you don’t suck up any unsuspecting aquatic life: fish can be overly curious and end up going down the hose if you’re not careful. Some mosquito netting tied over the intake using a rubber band can be enough to avoid unpleasant incidents, especially if you keep small fish or baby shrimp.
While siphoning you can stir up the top layer of the substrate a bit, especially if you used gravel, which isn’t as easy to clean. Don’t take the substrate out to wash it unless you have very good reason. Substrate, too, contains good bacteria that stabilize the aquarium and destroying that population can really mess with your aquarium’s water parameters for days or weeks to come.
5. Test water
Performing a water test before rather than after doing a water change is important to be able to know the status of your aquarium’s health as well as determine how large the upcoming water change should be.
Use a liquid test kit, as strips can give wildly inaccurate readings. As you’re likely aware, you should get no ammonia/ammonium or nitrite readings. Nitrates should ideally not be much higher than 10 mg/l—if they are, a nice big water change may be in order.
6. Water change
The most important and frequent task to perform is a water change. Your aquarium should have a filter to make sure the water doesn’t become toxic in mere hours, but unfortunately, even the best filter doesn’t eliminate the regular need for clean water. Some harmful substances, like nitrates, should be removed manually.
So how much water should you change and how often? Most aquarists choose to do weekly water changes. The exact amount varies greatly based on the stocking level and amount of plants in your aquarium. If you’re not sure what to start with, keep in mind that your nitrate levels should ideally be < 10. In most tanks that comes down to 20-30% a week, though your (liquid) aquarium test kit will help narrow it down.
The easiest way to remove water from your aquarium is by using a special water change hose. These make it easy to start the flow, with the end simply going down the drain or into your garden.
As with everything in the fishkeeping hobby, you’ll have to be careful and slow while performing the water change. New water should be temperature matched to the existing water, and have the same parameters and salinity. Introduce it slowly, through a thin siphon, to avoid shocking the fish.
Conclusion
Keeping up to date with aquarium maintenance and occasionally performing a deep clean like we’ve discussed above is important to keep your fish happy and healthy. If you don’t want to take care of scrubbing yourself, FantaSEA’s aquarium maintenance services might be for you!
