How do I clean my fish tank when there is still fish?
by Aquaboy on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 | 8 Comments
I got a fish tank with fish from a friend who is moving and didn’t want them anymore. The problem is they let the tank get pretty nasty. There are 4 fish and and algae eater in there, but there is tons of poop in the pebbles, or gravel on the bottom. We have a few fake plants in there, and the tank has a filter, heater, and light. How do I go about cleaning it, and getting the poop out without too much stress on the fishies? Thanks!
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take them out but first make room water temp water in a bowl them clean then wait 4 hours then put them back
get a fish net, or use your hands, and put them in container while you wash the tank. theyll be fine in there for allittle while.
use a gravel vacuum to change 20-25% of the water once a week for normal maintnance. If the tank is extremely dirty, the ammonia levals and or nitrates, or nitrites could be very high. If so, you may need to do several 10-15% water changes over a week or 2 to get the tank back were it should be. most petstores will test your water for free, but its best to buy your own test kit, the liquid ones are much more reliable then the strips and very long lasting.
Really, the only thing you can do is scoop them out in a cup and transfer them to another tank. It shouldn’t stress them out; if they’re goldfish, they only have a 3 second memory span anyway! If not, then I wouldn’t worry about it. I don’t think fish take stress the way cats or dogs do. You can also try pouring them into a new tank, but then you’d have to transfer a LOT more dirty water back into the clean tank. So I personally think using a cup is the best way.
You should get a tank vacuum, it is sold at almost any local pet shop, you can clean the tank well the fish are still in there, just stick the vacuum in the rocks. Only do about 25% water change every 2 weeks
Do NOT remove the fish as others have suggested. This just stresses them and is not necessary.
You will need a gravel vacuum (siphon) that should only be a few dollars and is available at any aquarium store. You also need a bucket and some water conditioner or dechlorinator. Put the bucket on the ground by the tank. You put the cylindrical vacuum end in the aquarium and the hose end in the bucket. You then start the water flow by moving the end that’s in the water up and down rapidly, or in older versions you may need to use a syringe or suck quickly on the end.
Once started, water will start flowing down the hose into the bucket by gravity. Use the gravel vacuum to sort through the gravel to suck up all the fish poop, uneaten fish waste, and other “gunk” from the gravel. Move slowly and only do one half of the gravel at once so your fish have a chance to move out of the way. Remove 30-50% of the water this way.
Dump the old tank water. It makes amazing plant fertilizer, so use it to water your garden or plants. Fill the bucket with tap water that’s about the same temperature as your tank. Add one to three drops of water conditioner (dechlorinator) per gallon of water, and pour it back into the tank.
You should do a 20-30% water change once a week to keep the tank healthy and the water quality high.
Video:
Buy a little tank that is maybe less than 1/4 gallon. First take all the fake plants and pebbles out. Drain the water till there is enough for the fish to survive. Pour all the leftover water and fish and into the small tank. I recommend you throw out the gravel and pebbles out cuz its a hassle to clean them and eventually you’re gonna throw them away right? Clean the plants first, then fill the big tank with water and rinse it and clean it, then fill it with fresh tap water. Apply the neutralizer then put the plants back in. Pour the fishies in to its new clean habitat.
You need gravel vacuum / siphon. It’s a long plastic hose with a sort of funnel on the end. You use it to suck water out of the tank, and the funnel end sucks up the crud, but leaves the gravel behind.
Just remove about 1/3 of the water, and as much gunge as you can from the bottom. Top up with fresh water, with a splash of water conditioner. If the tank is really dirty, you can do this every day until you get caught up on the cleaning. Normally it should be done each week.
Ian