How to clean a fish tank without a gravel vacuum?
by Aquaboy on Sunday, April 18th, 2010 | 4 Comments
Okay, so I have a 1 gallon fish tank for my betta (I know, I know… It’s too small blah blah blah I’ve heard it all before… I’m working on getting a bigger tank) and I need to clean it, so I looked it up on Google. It said to use a gravel vacuum, but I don’t have a gravel vacuum. I really don’t think it would work with my small tank. Is there a way to clean it without having to take the fish out? I’ve heard it kind of stresses them. What should do?
Thankies 
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Get a big cup. Put the old water in the cup along with the betta. Then take the tank and rinse the heck out of it under a tap – swishing the gravel around with your fingers to remove debris stuck in it. Then refill the tank (leaving a small space for the water from the big cup with the betta) with treated water (as to remove chlorine, ammonia, etc.). Let the water settle for about an hour and put the betta back in with the cup’s water.
The old fashion way…by hand.
Blah, don’t take the fish out. Being netted or caught in a cup that often is going to damage him.
Just dip a cup of water in there and take some out
They sell really small gravel vacuums, by the way – I had a betta in about a gallon in college and I found a really small gravel vac that fit. That way you can get some of the poo out of the gravel. They’re cheap, so don’t sweat it and just buy one
small vacuums cost like 5 dollars (they range from ones that are tiny to ones that are the side of an arm)