how many time a month do I clean the tank?

Question

12 small fish 15 gallon tank(fresh water) gravel media

Answer 1

There IS a right answer to this question.
You need to clean your tank 3 to 5 times per month. Once a week is recommended.
You also should vacuum your gravel. Fish waste and uneaten food ends up in the gravel and rots, fouling up your tank.
Do NOT replace your filter cartridge (carbon or sponge) unless it's starting to fall apart. In your tank, nitrifying bacteria break down the ammonia that fish produce into harmless solutions that will not hurt your fish in reasonable amounts. These bacteria reside primarily in your filter and in your gravel (this is why some people say not to vacuum your gravel, but you should, just don't do every single piece of gravel.) When you replace your filter, you're getting rid of all these bacteria. If your filter is getting gunky, swish it around in a bucket of tank water before your throw the water away (or, rinse it briefly under the tap - this will kill some, but not all, bacteria). When you must replace your filter cartridge, put some filter goop on it from the old cartridge to seed the bacterial populations.

You should never have to take your tank apart to clean it, just take out some of the water.

Don't wait for your tank to get dirty before cleaning it. Your fish will suffer because of it, and so will you, eventually, because you do clean it it'll be gross. If you clean every 5 to 10 days, it should only take a few minutes because all you have to do is siphon out 30% of the water (so, in your case, one 5 gallon bucket) - don't forget to get in the gravel a bit - and replace the water.

So, yeah, once a week :)

Answer 2

I partial my tanks weekly and vacume the gravel thoroughly.

There is a trend im noticing alot, that people think just because their water is clear, means their tank is clean. IT IS NOT. Dissolved organics are INVISIBLE. These need to be removed on a regular basis or else the nitrates are gonna skyrocket, the ph is gonna drop and the water is gonna turn acidic. The fish are gonna start dieing from what is called "old tank syndrome". I had this customer come in, wanting to know why her fish were dying. Her tank has been up for about a year and her water was crystal clear. I tested her water for free and her ph was really low, her ammonia was zero and her nitrates were o my god high. I asked her how she cleaned the tank, she said she never not once vacumed the gravel, all she did was replace the water that had evaporated weekly. Id like to kick the crap out of those who come up with the idea that aquariums are low-no maitenance. Because they arnt, they are closed systems.

Answer 3

I do water changes on all three of my tanks every Saturday (40% in the 55-gallon, 20% in the 20-gallon and 10-gallon grow-out tank). I also vacuum the gravel every week, which is somewhat frowned upon depending on who you talk to. I've never had any problems with any of my chem levels after the initial cycle.

I've never completely dismantled any of the tanks (with the exception of the grow-out tank) to do a thorough cleaning. It just isn't necessary.

EDIT: To the people who say that you don't need to clean the water based on time, rather when it gets dirty, you're sorta right. You definitely need to do a water change when your nitrates hit about 40ppm. However, nitrates are harmful to the fish, and if you're not testing daily, you're not going to know when your nitrates get dangerously high. Therefore, it really is better to set up a weekly schedule - that way you know for sure your fish will not be exposed to harmful cycle byproducts.

Answer 4

As you can see there really is no right answer. It depends on a number of things including how messy the fish you keep are, what kind of filtration you have, and how much work you want to make for yourself in the future. The only thing that is really certain is that keeping up with it and doing weekly or bi-weekly cleaning (mainly water changes and vacuuming) will keep the fish and tank in good shape.

Answer 5

it all depends on the fish and how big they are and the tank size I have a Oscar and I clean the tank once a week 50-75% water change using a gravel vacuum remember they are swimming in there waste

Answer 6

Weekly at 25-30% using a gravel syphon to remove the muck that accumulates in the gravel.

Answer 7

It all depends on the kind of filteration you have for your tank. If you're using a combo of internal and external filteration then you dont need to really clean your tank more than about twice a year, if you change a part of the water weekly.

Answer 8

You should never break your tank down and clean it, unless there was a disease outbreak. An established tank requires regular maintenance:
Weekly change 20% of the water.
Monthly change the carbon in the filter.
It's important you preserve the biofilter when established. Cleaning your tank kills the biofilter.

Answer 9

Once a month if possible, otherwise do it when the water starts turning colors. Don't change out all the water in the tank, just do half the tank or less. Check pH levels in your tank and ensure that the levels are in a safe range.. if they become unsafe; change the water.

Answer 10

You don't clean the water based on the time, you should clean the water when it needs to be cleaned.