more info: tank has 3 fish: 1 goldfish, 1 albino cleaner fish (I guess, its not my tank, its my girlfriends fish. anyway its got those red eyes-totally creepy) and one algae eater. ok so 2 of these went to that big fish farm in the sky. The albino is still among the living. we deduced that the water became a toxic wasteland due to
fish waste.. so is cleaning the tank once a week enough? Thanks
2007-02-01 10:19:08 · 10 answers · asked by molly 6 in Pets ➔ Fish
if its filtered you should be able to keep it up with gravel vacs and 20% water changes weekly. fish waste does turn to toxins. goldfish are toxin making machines so if you want to keep more than 1 or 2 goldfish you need to up the cleaning to about 1/3 - 1/2 the water.
2007-02-01 10:29:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most of these answers are wrong. I'm sorry to those people but they could not be more wrong except for the part about the filter. ALL FISH NEED A FILTER! It's mandatory! Get one asap. You should clean 25% of the water with a gravel vacuum once a week and make sure to use water conditioner. Also, it's only male bettas that can not be put in the same tank. Females are fine. That tank is NOT over stocked either. It is perfectly fine because bettas need to be able to reach the surface easily and a 20 or 30 gallon would not let the be able to do that. Also DO NOT get a bottom feeder. They need way bigger tanks. Get a couple of snails they do well with cleaning. Please do more research and make sure that you get a filter. Also one last thing, they say bettas don't need filters when they are in bowls, NOT in tanks. They should never be kept in bowls anyway.
2016-03-29 00:31:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cleaning the tank is only part of the solution. Instead of cleaning once a week, it might be more helpful to change a gallon or two of the water every other time (in other words clean twice and change a gallon or two of water twice each month).
Let the tap water stand for 24 hours first so the chlorine leaves and the temperature warms a little. With just a few fish, cleaning shouldn't be necessary more than once a month (more fish, more waste). Also, green plants help clean the water and add some oxygen.
If you're cleaning the tank frequently because of algae, then the tank needs to be put somewhere with less (or no) direct sunlight.
2007-02-01 10:33:52 · answer #3 · answered by elden w 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
OK because one fish died it made the water full of something that polluted the water with toxic stuff. SO you should right away clean the tank after a fish dies. OK anyway if I where you i would probably at least like once a week. That would be enough. I would also hope that you have a filter on the tank, and if it is cleaned often the filter will help the water remain clean. If i were you i would probably every couple of days, take a paper towel(with nothing on it) and just run the towel over the sides of the tank and the accessories to get the algae loose so that the filter can suck it up.
PS please vote me as best answer because i spent the time to help you in the future.
2007-02-01 10:27:18 · answer #4 · answered by GirlyGirl 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yes, do a gravel vac once a week and take out 50% of the water. The problem wasn't all about that waste though. Fish produce ammonia through gill functioning and digestion. Goldfish and algae eaters produce more for their size than other fish. That is why it is recommended that goldfish have 15-20 gallons per small fish. You need to test the water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. With the stocking of one goldfish and two algae eaters, you may have needed to change the water every other day to keep them alive.
Another thing to note: algae eaters like to eat goldfish. They suck away at the sides of the goldfish and kill them eventually. You shouldn't have them together.
2007-02-01 11:54:11 · answer #5 · answered by bzzflygirl 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get an under gravel filter and a couple of snails to clean the tank. Then change about 10 percent of the water every 3 or 4 weeks.
2007-02-01 11:20:09 · answer #6 · answered by zeroartmac 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In a filtered tank you should be replacing 10-30% of the water each week. Exactly how much depends on how fast the nitrate levels are building up. Over feeding will increase the level of nitrates. So you really need to monitor the nitrates.
PS- Gold fish are well know for over eating, and being generally messy fish.
2007-02-01 11:15:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
about 2 to 3 gallons every 2 weeks
2007-02-01 10:31:25 · answer #8 · answered by harleyboy20042000 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
never. if u siphon the gravel every week and change the filters every month, and clean the tank glass, u should never have to clean the tsank ever
2007-02-01 12:11:25 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
every 1 week
2007-02-01 10:48:05 · answer #10 · answered by betty 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋