Changing tanks water?

Question

I have had my 20 gal fish tank since February. I have never actually changed the water. I have about 10 different tropical fish in it including a mollie, 2 female bettas,2 glass fish,an algea eater,etc.I also have 4 dwarf frogs. HOw would I do a water chage a rock cleaning, and plant cleaning etc.? Also, where would you put all the aquatic life?

Answer 1

Generally you don't want to do a 100% water change ever. What you should do is do 10-20% weekly water changes. Big changes in water chemistry are often more lethal than the conditions you are trying to fix. Also you'll kill off the bacteria that break down ammonia. What you need is to change out 20% of your via a gravel vacuum.

What you'll need:
1)A cheap plastic gravel vacuum the wide section about as long as the tank is tall. $5
2)A water treatment to remove chlorine. $5-15 depending on what else it does.
3)A bucket
Optional:
4)A cheap all plastic pot scrubber $2.

What you'll need to do:
1)Place the bucket on the floor with the narrow end of the gravel vacuum in the bucket.
2)Press the wide end of the gravel vacuum repeatedly into the gravel. Get a mass of gravel about 1/4 the way up the tube.
3)Pull it up and let the gravel fall out. This should start the flow of water.
4)Now just vacuum the gravel until you stop getting nasty stuff, or the water level reaches 80%.
5)Replace the water with new water that has been treated.

Cleaning the plants, large rocks, and other stuff. Just pull them out and clean by hand. Don't use soap, or anything other than plain tap water. The glass can be cleaned of algae by any number of algae scrubbers. Or if your like me use a cheap plastic pot scrubber.

Answer 2

First of all. Whatever you do, do not replace all of the water. If by rock cleaning you mean gravel cleaning, go to the pet store and buy a gravel vacuum. They are not expensive, they are really easy to use and are quite efficient. If you use the gravel vacuum once a week, your tank should stay really nice and clean. As well as vacuuming the gravel, it does a water change for you at the same time. But make sure you don't vacuum out more than 25% of the water, you need to leave enough of the fishes old water in the tank so as to not shock them when you put new water in. As far as cleaning the fake plants, I take them out of the tank and put them into a bucket and soak them in scalding hot water out of the tap. This seems to break the algae up that is stuck to them. Swish them around a bit and rub some of the really stuck on stuff with your fingers. NEVER USE SOAP!
During this whole process, the fish can remain in the tank. There will be less stress on them doing it this way rather than chasing them with a net and putting them in a container, etc.

Answer 3

Use a siphon, should on a weekly basis change 20% of the water. In your case, I'd do 50% this time. Leave the fish in the tank, keep a bucket of the tank water, and clean the plants and decorations in the bucket fish tank water with a new unused toothbrush. Also, clean the filter in that bucket. That way you won't be killing off all your beneficial bacteria. If you use bleach or tap water, the chlorine will kill it, and your tank may do another cycle. Also be sure to use a dechlorinator for the new water you put in.

Answer 4

Start by making sure all of your lools and holding tanks,bowls, etc.are cleaned with salt them rinsed thouroughly.Plastic clear bags work well while in the process of a good cleaning. Do not use any detergents at any time.get some 5 gal. clean bukets.Fill one 1/2 full of your 20's water.fill 4-5 plasic bags (like the kind they come in when you buy or transport trops)with the same water carefully catch fish one by one.Keep all four frogs in one.put bettas one each.glass fish sperate.and mollie with algea eater.Make sure not to over fill bags.tie them and temporaroly store them in the 5 gal. bucket. Now you can go to town .Scrape the sides of the glass with a razor blade or a new dish towel. Use the other 5 gal. bucket to cyfen the water out as you stir gravel to get under-gravel waste removed.add new water wait till ph is correct .Correct soon as possible.Re-inttrodude fishs.temp.is also crucial re-intro. slowely.Leave some water use all water to refill.

Answer 5

I never fully empty the tank. Purchase a gravel-vacuum (Walmart or Fred Meyer) and empty the water to leave about a quarter of the tank full. Remove all of the plants and decorations for cleaning. Clean the sides of the tank with a small pad, then vacuum the remaining gravel, leaving the fish in the tank. Refill the tank with "cured" water (adding solvents such as Chlor-Out and Sea-Salt).

Answer 6

I don't take my fish out of the tank, most people don't. I use a siphon to take the water out (around 25-50%) and to clean the gravel. When I need to clean the algae off the silk plants I just remove them and soak them in hot water with a little bleach before I start cleaning, that way by the time I'm done taking the water out of the tank the plants should be done and I can rinse them off and put them back in. Then I fill the tank back up with dechlorinated water. If its time for me to rinse off the filter media I do that while I'm taking the water out and rinse it off with that water. You should also start doing it once a month at least, I'm surprised your fish are still healthy.

Answer 7

Pour each and all the water and the fish right into a diverse risk-free bucket or field have been the fish has sufficient space to swim yet can no longer escape from the bucket. and make optimistic the bucket is somewhat clean. Then pour out your rocks and different tank idems and scrub the aspects of the tank to get each and all the algea and so on off the aspects. placed your rocks in a bowl with holes contained in the backside and rinse those clean then scrub off your different tank idems. in case you utilize cleansing soap dont use plenty and be optimistic to bathe ALLLLLL of it off. Very heavily pour your fish the water back into the tank and fill it approximately 2/3 or 3/4 of the tank. it truly is beneficial to fill it with in basic terms water first and then placed the fish into the tank so it would not hit something contained in the tank and get harm. Then fill something of the tank up with clean water from the comparable place you obtain the previous water from Edit: i assume it is for cleansing your total tank no longer in easy terms changing the water, yet it is what i do for my gold fish who started as in easy terms one in each of those 25 cent fish at walmart and he has been alive for seven years =D

Answer 8

Never change all of the water! 25 % water change every 3-4 weeks with a gravel syphon is the only way to go. a pleco will help keep your plants, rocks and decorations clean.

Answer 9

Take some of the water out of the tank and put it in a bucket or something like that, and put all of your fish in there. You can put your rocks in a strainer and run them under hot water, same with the plants. Rinse the tank out with hot water. Put new water back in.. feel the temperature in the bucket and try to put the same in the tank. If you don't have water de-chlorinator, you will need to wait 24 hours to put your fish back in. Good luck!

Answer 10

find a clean container rinse it really well fill it with water and then your special water conditioning solution and let it sit for as long as you can, if you can put your air hose into the container as well, put your live creatures into the container carefully, then drain and clean your aquarium, do not use any kind of soap or bleach, just alot of rinsing and wiping, any soap will kill your fish. rinse your rocks with as hot of water as you are able to stand, then put it all back togather fill with water, condition the water, also fill auarium with as close to teperature as you fish need, let your aquarium sit for a good while to get to temperature and to let the water age a little then you can put your creatures back in. hope you could read all that I am short on time