Here’s where a lot of people make mistakes. Usually when a person is new to fish keeping there are two types when it comes to cleaning. There are those that believe everything has to be sterile for fish to survive and boil everything, and there are those that believe you shouldn’t do anything. Don’t fall into either of these categories. The fact is that fish can’t survive in a sterile environment or a filthy one. You have to clean the water every week or two in order to keep the nitrates down and to remove any food that may be rotting away at the bottom. If you sterilize everything then you’re killing the good bacteria that consume ammonia and nitrites.

When I first started out I was closer to the sterilizing type, with the exception of boiling everything. Once a week I would tear down the tank and rinse everything off in hot water. As far as the bacteria were concerned though, that was just as bad as boiling. Even after reading the proper way to clean a tank it was difficult for me to convert over. In the long run the book won out and so did my fish, and not to mention my back.

Now that you know the incorrect way to clean a tank let’s discuss the proper way. First you will need some sort of vacuum, like the python I discussed in the equipment section. It doesn’t have to hook up to your faucet in order to work. It can be as simple as a hose that you can suck the water through like a siphon. If you don’t hook up to a faucet you will need your fish only bucket to catch the water. Now dig down into the gravel with the hose and suck out the fish waste and uneaten food. Once the gravel is cleaned (Note: You will not be able to remove all the waste.) continue to drain the water until you have drained about 50% of the tank. Now some people drain less water and claim that big water changes are no good, but I’ve never had any problems with a 50% water change and do them all the time. In fact, in my goldfish tank I drain 80 to 90% weekly. Remember bacteria don’t live in the water itself, they live in the gravel and on plants, decorations, the filter, and on the glass itself. So when you remove water you’re not removing bacteria.

At this time if you have gone all out and bought an algae scraper go ahead and clean the glass. If you’re like me and don’t have one get a couple of paper towels and wipe the inside of the glass down. Either way works but you may have to work a little harder with the paper towels. Also if you have the algae scraper and you bought an acrylic tank be very careful not to scratch the sides. Once you’ve finished cleaning the glass now is the time to do the filter, which will be discussed in the Changing The Filter Section. Fill your tank back up. If you fill it up with a bucket you can add the water conditioner right to the water in the bucket. If you use a python or other such hose remember to add the water conditioner to the tank before the water. I will discuss cleaning plants and decorations in the Dealing With Algae Section.

Cleaning and changing the filter is a pretty simple process. Once every week or two when you clean your tank take out the filter media, and rinse it in your fish only bucket filled with tank water. Do not rinse it in tap water or you take the chance of killing the bacteria on it. This is what you would do if you bought a power box filter that hangs on the back. If you have a box filter that sits inside the tank then take out the entire filter and rinse in the bucket filled with tank water. No matter what type of filter you have, rinse it accordingly.

Every two months or so you will need to tear down the filter and clean thoroughly. Otherwise, especially for power filters, your filter will not work properly and may stop altogether. At this time change the media, i.e. carbon and floss or bio bags. Remember to rinse the media well before placing in the tank.