How do I keep my fish from dying after cleaning their tank?

Answer 1

Can you give us details about how exactly you clean your tank? List it out step by step, and don't leave anything out.

Answer 2

How are you cleaning the tank? Sounds like you're doing something incorrectly if you have fish die each time.

I'm guessing this might be a new tank. If it's only been set up for a short time, it's still cycling. This means your tank doesn't have enough "good" bacteria in it that change ammonia (a toxic chemical that your fish produce) into nitrite (also toxic) then to nitrate (nontoxic in moderate amounts). So one thing you need to do for the first few months is change the water more often - going from bad water quality to good water quality too fast shocks your fish as much as going from bad to good! And you don't want to change all your water at one time - this makes the chemical concentrayions in their water change too fast as well. It's best to only change about 1/4 of the water at each change.

Here's what I do. First, always unplug the heater! Use an aquarium scraper or aquarium safe sponge (not one you buy for kitchen use, these have cleaning chemicals than can harm your fish) to wipe the inside of the glass. Then use a gravel vac to siphon anything laying on the top of the gravel into a 5 gallon bucket. Clean deep into the gravel right across the front of the tank and about 1/3 of the rest of the gravel (do a different 1/3 each time your clean).

To replace the water, rinse out bucket, fill with tap water about the same temperature as what's in the tank, and add your conditioner to take out the chlorine/chloramine (you need to know which your water company uses and use the correct chemicals and dose to get rid of these). Scoop the water back into the tank (I use a plastic cup I use just for this) until it's filled. And remember to plug in the heater when you're done.

If you have a water test kit, you can check to see by the test results when you need to do a change. If you don't have a kit, twice a week should be enough.

Also, be sure you aren't overfeeding the fish - this will mean more water changes to keep the tank clean and prevent more ammonia from forming. Only give the fish what they can eat in 2-3 minutes twice a day.

Answer 3

Your fish are dying due to ammonia spikes while the tank is going through the new tank cycling process. Once a tank is set up and cycled, you should never tear it down and do a 100% clean out. This removes all of the beneficial bacteria that build up during the initial cycling of the tank. You are forcing it to go through the complete nitrogen cycle and bacteria build up of a brand new tank every time you do a 100% clean out. I have tanks that have been set up for over 6 years without a teardown.

Here is the process you should follow to keep your tank healthy and the fish happy. Every week change 25-30% of the water to remove ammonia, nitrites and nitrates that are toxic to your fish. This will keep the water quality good and your fish healthy. Clean your filter and put in a new cartridge once a month. You can rinse it out if it becomes clogged with fishie waste. Twice a month, siphon half the gravel (left side then right side) to remove fish waste and uneaten food that has collected in the gravel crevices. This stuff will decay into ammonia that will kill your fish. A gravel siphon is about $12 at the fish store.

BTW, never, ever use any detergents or cleaning chemicals in your aquarium. I use a paste of a little water and a lot of salt on a paper towel to scrub any new tanks that I set up or buy at auctions. Rinse and you are ready to go. A little salt is actually good for most fish, it inhibits parasites and diseases. Research your fish before you add any salt though, some are sensitive to salt (many catfish) as are snails.

Email me if you have more questions. I will be glad to help.
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Answer 4

I would put fresh water aside for a few hours ahead of time so it would be room temperature... and while i cleaned the tank my fishes would hang out in the water i had already set out... also make sure you probably rinse the tank of all chemical cleaners...

Review:
room temperature water
chemical-cleaner free tank
should keep your fish alive and well

Answer 5

are you cleaning the whole tank all at once? if so the ammonia levels go real high and your fish die, clean it like 10%-25% of the water every week or every other week.

Answer 6

sounds like your cleaning detergents might be the problem. please do a simple search about the correct way to clean a fish tank. (I had no idea that even SOAP could kill them!) Found out the hard way too.

Answer 7

well you know the tank put water and wait 10 mins so he'll get used to it . would you like to be in fffrezing water?

Answer 8

well theres not much info as stated bye other members here, so please let us know what are you doing and how are you cleaning your tank, there could be alot of reasons, but we need details so we can correct the problem

Answer 9

dont use soap that isnt specifically made for fish tanks