|
Cleaning an aquarium |
E-mail
|
How to clean an aquarium
Clean your fish tank on a regular basis by using the proper tools and supplies, and you will enjoy a fresher home environment.
A fish tank or aquarium can be a soothing and attractive feature of your home. Family members can relax by watching various fish swimming around the tank, and guests will admire this lovely addition of living things to your home. However, keep in mind that cleaning the tank is an important, inescapable duty associated with an aquarium.
Every time you clean an aquarium, you are putting your fish at risk. When you transfer your pets too much you will shock them, and they may die. When you clean the inside of the tank, it can damage the delicate ecological balance of their watery world. In your aquarium with an under gravel filter, all the fish droppings and uneaten food are pulled down into the gravel. There they should decompose, giving off ammonia and other byproducts that are poisonous to fish. But friendly bacteria develop in the gravel that feed on the ammonia and help keep it at a level that the fish can tolerate. It takes up to six weeks for these bacteria colonies to develop, but when you take your tank apart, you are destroying what took nature weeks to put together. Stock a fresh aquarium with just a few fish until these helpful little ammonia scavengers have a chance to get established. Then just leave them alone.
In an aquarium without an under gravel filter, you will want to vacuum the gravel with a tool like a hydro-clean. Replace a portion of the tank’s water once a month. A gravel vacuum siphons out some of the water while you use it to clean the sediment and debris from the gravel. That way you get two jobs done at once. Remove about a third of the water, and replace it with fresh water to keep the ammonia level down. You will have to dechlorinate the new water and adjust its temperature. Clean or replace the glass wool, charcoal, or anything else your instructions suggest about once a month. Algae growth does not harm the fish, but it will make your tank look dirty.
Wait a couple of months and then buy algae-eating fish. This will make a big difference in the appearance and hygiene of the water. Any algae that the fish might miss can be scrubbed from the tank with a long-handled brush. You also can use sponges and pads that are made for cleaning this. If you have a problem getting some of the algae off the tank, take a paint scraper and reach into the tank and clean it. All fittings can be taken off and cleaned in a gallon of water and three tablespoons of bleach. Be sure you air-dry the tank, and let the bleach dissipate before putting it back together. Keeping it out of the sunlight will help prevent algae from growing so much.
To clean the outside of the tank, use a spray-on glass cleaner that doesn’t contain ammonia. Wipe it dry with a cloth, and don’t spray anything on the inside. Then use aquarium polish, and go over the outside of the tank to hide any tiny scratches.
A clean aquarium will look better, smell better and keep your fish healthier. Take time to do a good job with this task so you can enjoy your small pets even more.
How to clean your aquarium safely
When you clean your aquarium you will need some products to clean it safely. A flannel or soft cotton cloth that has never been used with any kind of soap will be used to wipe the algae off the side. Flannel or soft cotton should be used so the aquarium glass is not scratched. A brand new scrub brush should be used to wash the rocks. You will also need two brand new buckets, one to hold the rocks while you wash them and the other to hold the fish while you clean the aquarium. If it is possible you should also have a hose with high water pressure, this cuts down on a lot of the manual work. All products used to wash an aquarium MUST be either brand new or never used with soap of any type. Soap residue could be left behind and may kill some fish.
Turn off and remove all heaters and filters. These can be put in the sink and left until they are cleaned. Fill one of the new, clean buckets half full of water from the aquarium. Using the fish net, transfer the fish, one by one, to this bucket until all the fish are out of the aquarium. Next, remove all plants and ornaments. If the plants are living put them in the bucket with the fish. Put all the ornaments on the counter or in the bucket where the rocks go.
Siphon all the water out of the tank. None of this water should go down the drain if you have living plants in the aquarium. This could be hazardous to your septic system. Next, empty all the rocks into the rock bucket and set aside. If you have a hose with high water pressure, spray the inside of the empty aquarium. Take the flannel or cotton cloth and wet it down thoroughly. It doesn't matter if the water is warm or cold. Rub the sides of the aquarium until all the algae comes off. The cloth will probably need to be rinsed several times so as not to smear the algae around. When you are finished with this, rinse the aquarium out. Check it again to make sure it is clean.
Fill the rock bucket with clean water. Again, if you have a hose with high water pressure spray the rocks. This will help get most of the waste off. Take the scrub brush and scrub the top layer of rocks. Push down heavily to work your way through the layers. Keep emptying the water and filling the bucket with new water. Do this until the water comes out clear. It may take awhile.
Scrub all the ornaments and all the plastic plants. Take the filters apart and scrub each piece. If the charcoal needs replacing, replace it following the directions on the box. The sponge should be rinsed under high water pressure. Put the filter back together. The heater can just be wiped with the flannel or cotton cloth.
Put the rocks back into the aquarium and fill halfway with water, put the ornaments back in and plant all the plants. Fill the aquarium the rest of the way with water. Add any dechlorination fluids if needed. Attach the filters and heaters and turn them on when the water as one inch from the top of the aquarium. When the aquarium has reached the right temperature you can put the fish back in. One by one using the net replace the fish. They seem to be in shock when they return to their newly cleaned aquarium so do not feed for 24 hours after cleaning. |
|
|
Visit new OSIR website
Visit NEW Web Site
New and Exclusive
www.OSIRinternational.org
If you want to know about OSIR, our sponsorships, our new international projects. Then dont wait just visit OSIR's organization specific website.
|
Please give donation to support OSIR!
|
Fun 'n Education 