What Is The Best Way To Clean A Fish Tank?

[Lawrence]

Ok, my fish tank is really dirty and I have not cleaned it properly for 1 year. I did do monthly water changes and cleaned my gravel (top layer) but underneath is extremely dirty. I want to take out the gravel and scrub my tank down completely so its as if i just bought it
What is the best way to do this? I do not want it to take a long time. It is a 60 litre tank (about 15 gallon) and I have about 15 fish in there. I have plants and about a 3cm layer of gravel.

Any suggestions?

 

[james_fish]

Put the fish in a seperate tank or a bucket, put some cover in the form or ornaments in. Don't leave them in to long, try to create some oxygen by adding water from height.

Then you can have a real good go at cleaning your tank. Strip it, take as much water out and put into containers, only need to keep 50% the other 50% can go down the drain, and just top up with fresh. Give the gravel a good cleaning with the gravel cleaner and mix it with your hands. Scrub the bottom, give any other surface a good scrub, clean any ornaments etc.

Just make sure you don't overclean your tank as all surfaces and ornaments will be packed with beneficial bacteria

James.

 

[Lawrence]

Put the fish in a seperate tank or a bucket, put some cover in the form or ornaments in. Don't leave them in to long, try to create some oxygen by adding water from height.

Then you can have a real good go at cleaning your tank. Strip it, take as much water out and put into containers, only need to keep 50% the other 50% can go down the drain, and just top up with fresh. Give the gravel a good cleaning with the gravel cleaner and mix it with your hands. Scrub the bottom, give any other surface a good scrub, clean any ornaments etc.

Just make sure you don't overclean your tank as all surfaces and ornaments will be packed with beneficial bacteria

James.

Thanks, however what is a gravel cleaner. Is there any substitute to that?

 

[james_fish]

Gravel cleaners, do exactly what they say on the tin. Similar to just a regular syphon except it seperates pea gravel for example, from small debris like fish waste and uneaten food and leaves that have fallen off plants. This is the most efficient way to clean your gravel.

I use one of these Interpet gravel cleaners and it works well.

http/www.koicarp.net/Aquatic_Section/Interpet%20Gravel%20Cleaner.jpg

You can get these from P@H for like £5-10.

James.

 

[Lawrence]

Gravel cleaners, do exactly what they say on the tin. Similar to just a regular syphon except it seperates pea gravel for example, from small debris like fish waste and uneaten food and leaves that have fallen off plants. This is the most efficient way to clean your gravel.

I use one of these Interpet gravel cleaners and it works well.

http/www.koicarp.net/Aquatic_Section/Interpet%20Gravel%20Cleaner.jpg

You can get these from P@H for like £5-10.

James.

Ohh, I thought you meant like a solution or a cleaning liquid to clean my gravel. Yea I do have tht syphoon gravel thing. But would it be best to just take my gravel out completely and clean it all because i have tried cleaning it the other way (leaving gravel in tank and claning it) and it was not too efficient.

 

[james_fish]

I wouldn't use any chemicals on your gravel.

You could do that, the bacteria on your gravel may be lost so im not sure how threatening to your tank that could be, someone else could advise on that. If you have the time to do the out of tank gravel clean.

James.

 

[Lawrence]

Its not that I dont have time. Its just that it always takes me forever to clean my tank...about 2-3 hours. How long does it take to clean your tanks?

 

[james_fish]

It probably takes me an hour to, in two tanks -

Water Test, Water Change, Clean sides, Clean filter sponges, Clean airstone's, Clean gravel (every 4 weeks only), add any treatments/additives, remove dead plants, clean any ornaments/rocks (don't need to normally), Clean the outside of my tank with glass cleaner, give my stands a once over.

James.

 

[Lawrence]

yea i just finished cleaning my tank and it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes. I cleaned everything. even took all the gravel out and cleaned them. My tank is nice and clean now. And thanks, you reminded me to do water tests.
Thanks for all your advice as well. really helped me.

 

[james_fish]

That's not a problem at all

James.

 

[fishnovice]

yea i just finished cleaning my tank and it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes. I cleaned everything. even took all the gravel out and cleaned them. My tank is nice and clean now. And thanks, you reminded me to do water tests.
Thanks for all your advice as well. really helped me.

Well done for cleaning your tank! Now try to keep it up. From now onwards you need to do 20-30% water changes every week and gravel siphoning at least once a month to keep yur tank clean. Water changes shuld only take a few minutes and a gravel clean about 30mins with practice. I have 7 tanks and change water weekly in all of them.

Filter sponges also should be taken out and rinsed (in tank water NOT tap water which kills good bacteria)every 2 weeks to keep them clean. Otherwise fiters can get blocked and useless.

 

[Oscar Betta]

Make sure when you're cleaning it that you push the sucker way down in the gravel because it will get a lot of that filth.

 

[Quisty]

yeah its amazing how dirty that gravel can get omg

 

[CrystalClear16]

Is it just me, or is sand easier to clean than gravel? Since switching I have found it much easier to keep the sand clean (once I got the knack of syphoning off the dirt but not the sand!!)

 

[the biffster]

yea i just finished cleaning my tank and it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes. I cleaned everything. even took all the gravel out and cleaned them. My tank is nice and clean now. And thanks, you reminded me to do water tests.
Thanks for all your advice as well. really helped me.

Well done for cleaning your tank! Now try to keep it up. From now onwards you need to do 20-30% water changes every week and gravel siphoning at least once a month to keep yur tank clean. Water changes shuld only take a few minutes and a gravel clean about 30mins with practice. I have 7 tanks and change water weekly in all of them.

Filter sponges also should be taken out and rinsed (in tank water NOT tap water which kills good bacteria)every 2 weeks to keep them clean. Otherwise fiters can get blocked and useless.

used to have 17 tanks used to take me 4hrs lol