8 Easy Steps on Changing and Cleaning Aquarium

One common mistake about cleaning aquarium which I often hear from novice aquarists, is to add water until the initial water level.

Don’t take the lazy way out by simply “topping up” the water that has evaporated from your aquarium. Such water loss leaves behind impurities which will gradually build up, contaminate the water and increase its hardness.

To keep your aquarium in a healthy state, you must carry out regular water changes and keep it clean. Though this is pretty obvious to many but knowing what to avoid and what is required is something many novice aquarists missed.

Observe these 8 Basic Guidelines:

1. Always unplug all electrical accessories before you carry out any maintenance work.
2. Remove only part (generally about 10 to 20 per cent) of the water from the aquarium. If you use a bowl- or a vase-like vessel for your aquarium, you’ll need to carry out water changes of a greater proportion and more frequently.
3. Use a siphon to suck up the gunk that has collected in the gravel and decorations. If you find algae growing on the surface of the tank or ornaments, use an algae scraper to scrub it off before removing any water. Avoid using detergents to clean the tank.
4. If you have to clean any filtration system, do not change all the media (cartridges, sponges, carbon packets) at once, as this will remove the biological bacteria living in them. If you do this, the aquarium will have to undergo a new cycling process to get these beneficial bacteria re-established. Rinse any new filter media in cool running water before introducing it to the system (unless the usage instructions specifically tell you not to do so).
5. Replace the water you have siphoned out of the tank with fresh, dechlorinated tap water close to the temperature of the water you have just removed. Never use hot water to adjust the water temperature, as heavy metals such as copper and lead from old piping could leach into the water. If necessary, use a water conditioner to remove pollutants, or add supplements such as salt and pH stabilizers.
6. To avoid messing up the gravel and decorations, add water to the aquarium by using a siphon to transfer the water from a bucket to the tank. Always use a clean bucket, not one used for other household chores. It’s best to keep one specifically for aquarium maintenance work, as this eliminates the chances of contaminating the aquarium with the chemicals from household detergents.
7. Place the bucket on a spot above the fish tank to get the siphon going. Keep an eye on the siphon in case the hose gets bumped out of the tank, or the tank overflows. Remember to leave some space between the water surface and the rim of the tank to enable oxygen exchange to take place.
8. After the maintenance work is completed, activate all the electrical equipment and accessories.

These 8 easy steps on cleaning aquarium aren’t that difficult as you’d thought it to be, isn’t it?

Mermaid Highly Recommends: