Cleaning a tank?

Question

I was wondering what all the proper measures to clean and upkeep a 29 gallon tank are. I want to be sure I do everything right.

Answer 1

I'm assuming it is a freshwater tank - if not disregard everything I'm about to say.

I'm also going to assume it has fish in it and you need to clean it that way (not that you have an empty tank that needs to be cleaned)

The first thing you want to get is a Gravel Vacuum - sounds expensive but they are pretty cheap. Get a regular manual one (unless you want an automatic one - but they sell for a lot more). They are sold at Petsmart, Petco and fishs stores.

You'll need a bucket as well. Any bucket works. You don't have to run out and get a fancy fish one.

Turn yout heater off whenever you are removing water. When you put new water in it after your done cleaning you can break it if it is left on. I've done it before - its not fun. It shatters.

Now, make sure the bucket in on the floor next to the tank. Get the vacuum out place hose in the bucket and place the tube part in the water. To get it going you shake it back and forth a few times (there should be a picture on the product, or a fishs tore employee would prib also show you in the store if you ask). Its not hard though. It has something build in that will catch the water and the water will start to pour out.

Once you have water pouring into the bucket, move the vacuum through the gravel. Slowly - you do not want to scare the fish or stir up a lot of waste. You may notice the water coming out of the gravel is really dirty - that's good. You are collecting all the poop and food particles that have fallen to the bottom of the tank.

Do this until you get to the end of the tank and you have removed 25% of the water. Try not to remove more then 30% of the water. Removing too much can be dangerous to your fish.

Now with a fish tank sponge just gently wipe around the glass inside. There shouldn't be too much gunk in there for a normal tank.

Fill up the tank with new water (try to get it to be about 75-78 degrees) and add your declorinator as well. Remember tap water has chlorine in it and it can kill fish quickly. Always add a chemical that removes the chlorine when adding new water.

Turn the filter on if you turned it off - or pour some water into it to get it going again. Wait about 30 minutes to turn the heater back on (like I said before, it can shattered if it is not adjusted correctly to the temperature).

And that's pretty much it.

The dirty water in your bucket is a GREAT fertilizer for plants, so go pour it on your flowers.

Do this once a month - and you'll be fine.

Answer 2

The most important and crucial thing you need to remember is not to use any kind of soap, bleach, detergents, etc... just plane water. Make sure that the containers sponge's, and or tubes for vacuming the crud from the bottom have never been in contact with any soap product, just plane water. only change approx. 1/16 of the water, there will be no need for the de/chlorination. To reduce the amount of cleanings your tank will need, switch to an under gravel filter set up, use one power head pump and sit back and enjoy your fish instead of always cleaning it once a month, it will be more like every six months. Remember also to keep the lighting in the tank to a minimum. Keep your tank away from windows there fore no algae will grow and your tank will stay Chrystal clear.

Answer 3

Steps:

*Make sure and wipe down the sides of the aquarium with an aquarium scrubber that is used ONLY for the aquarium to avoid contamination. Try and remove unsightly algae and especially any slime or mold (rinse this off in a sink)

*Use this time to change filter media that NEEDS changing, do NOT go overboard and change all media or you risk destroying your aquarium’s bacterial colonies needed for removal of ammonia, nitrites, ECT. (see this article: http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html).
HOB filters should have a second filter cartridge either in the filter or in the water column of the aquarium to allow for bacteria to form on this new cartridge before replacing the old one. If your HOB Filter has a sponge, bio grid (such as a VitaLife HOB filter , or bio wheel; you only need to rinse these off in de-chlorinated tap or used tank water and there is no need to prepare a second cartridge before changing the old one.

*At this point you should change your water using a gravel vacuum, siphon, or similar method.

For cleaning your aquarium (freshwater or saltwater) a Gravel Vacuum attached to a siphon or re-circulating filter works best.. Very gently push the bell of the vacuum into the gravel and quickly back out, kinking the hose with your other hand to slow the out flow to keep sand from being sucked up.
You can drain this water into a bucket or attach the siphon to a long hose and drain it outside or into a toilet using gravity.
There are other products that hook on to the sink, but these are over rated in my opinion and waste water. It is simpler to just get a long hose and get an adapter and attach your hose to the sick to fill, but drain your water into a garden where it will do some good (unless it is saltwater of coarse). If you do need this type of product you can make a DIY model with a Lee’s Gravel Vac, a garden hose, a faucet adapter from a local Hardware Store, and a water bed pump/drain. Lee’s also makes one that is less expensive than the Python and is exactly the same.

I prefer to leave the fish in during this process, as I feel more stress is added to the fish removing them and then placing the fish back in new water conditions that the fish are not accustomed to. Add water back slowly, and if tap water is used make sure the temperature is similar to the aquarium water already present in the aquarium, you can generally safely add warm tap water to correct this. Although in the Marine aquariums I maintained, I brought my own water and it was invariably colder than the aquarium, but this does not present as much of a problem as many think. If you do some math; Say your aquarium is 78 F and you add 20% water back that is 68 F, that is 1/5th the volume, so 1/5th of a 10 F difference is only 2 F.

For more information, please read this article of mine:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_cleaning.html

Answer 4

well make sure you are only changing about 20% of the water, not to stress out the fish!
we ahve a huge tank and we have an aquarium cleaner (it is expensive) but it works, it sucks up dirt and poop and stuff, it is great for big tanks!!! it connects to the sink so you dont have to walk back and forth and is a tub that you press to the gravel and it sucks up everythign except the rocks... the fish are not scared by it and works wonders!

Answer 5

As far as I know, your car's gas tank will be happy as long as you keep on with the oil.

Answer 6

http://www.firsttankguide.net/waterchange.php