How to keep your aquarium clean

An aquarium can significantly enhance the interior beauty of your room. A lively aquarium with clean water, vibrant plants, and colorful corals can often be eye-catching and attractive.

But what if there is a dirty aquarium with filthy water and unhealthy fish in a room? Basically, it becomes unwelcoming in its appearance. You must know the proper ways to elevate the beauty of your tank and ensure the good health of your pets. 

Why should you clean your aquarium?

An aquarium is an enclosed underwater ecosystem thriving in captivity. Consider it as a miniature replica of the aquatic environment. Your ultimate goal should be to give your pets the natural comfort of their habitat while keeping an aquarium. 

Just as you do not like your living room dirty, your aquatic pets also hate to live in cloudy and murky water. Like any other living organism, your pets might get affected by the dirt and filth, resulting in death. To avoid this sort of casualties, you must keep your aquarium clean.

Hacks you should know:

If you are new to this fish world and don’t know how and where to start the cleaning process, you have found your pole star. We are here to help you out.

Specific points are to be kept in mind while cleaning your fish tank. Keep scrolling and reading to learn more.

1. Filtration and changing the water:   

Using a proper filter is one of the most suitable ways to keep the aquarium clean. Choosing the filter according to your fish tank is the crucial part. Filters combining chemical, mechanical and biological cleaning are considered to be the best ones. 

There are a handful of filters available in the market as well as online. Find the suitable one for your aquarium and install it. 

You might be confused about how to choose one for your fish tank. There is a general rule to clear all your doubts. All your tank water should be filtered at least four times per hour. For example, if you have a 20 gallons tank, your filter should have a flow rate of 80 – 100 Gph. Isn’t that simple?

A filter removes all the pollutants in the water and cleans it to ensure the aquatic pets’ good health. However, that should not be your excuse for not cleaning the tank yourself! At times filters do not work efficiently because of the clogged media. Make sure you check your filters from time to time is necessary to ensure their productivity.

Did you know certain chemicals are toxic to your fish? The beneficial bacterias convert them into less harmful chemicals to reduce the toxicity. The bacteria colony usually converts ammonia and nitrite(toxic elements) into nitrate, which is much less dangerous.

 Do not wash the filter media in tap water if you do not want to destroy the good bacteria colony in your filter media. 

Do wash it in the removed tank water periodically.

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2. Changing the water:

In the natural habitat, the flowing water of rivers or other water bodies usually remains clean and fresh. The cleaning process there is done naturally. But your aquarium is not a self-sufficient device. Therefore, keeping an eye on that is necessary.

 Replacing the water regularly is another vital task. Changing 20-30 percent of the water can be useful to reduce the dirt from building up. You can also build your DIY water exchanging system with PVC pipes if you have a giant aquarium. This might stop the water in your tank from appearing cloudy.

3. Feeding the fish properly:

You need to ensure that you feed the fish regularly. Overfeeding them can very often lead to the deposition of leftovers. This can cause malfunctioning and clog filters. So, feeding your fish in a limited amount is one of the key hacks to maintain clarity.

4. Bringing an algae eater and using algae cleaning hacks: 

Sometimes, algae grow excessively even after proper maintenance. You can always put certain aquatic species to control the accumulation. Snails and catfish are a few such species. Choosing the right algae eater can be quite challenging. You also need to ensure the comfort of your algae eater. Overcrowding may lead to severe problems.

Sometimes, algae can grow even after bringing your algae eater into the fish tank. You may use magnetic scrub pads to remove algae from your aquarium.

5. Planting hornworts:  

Hornworts can be great friends for your aquarium. Living plants, including hornwort, produce oxygen, making the environment amiable inside the aquarium. Hornworts also absorb the nitrogen and thereby make it easier for the fish to live.

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6. Proper cleaning:

Trimming dead leaves of plants, using a scraper to remove excessive algae, and a bleach solution to clean the tank decorations will also prove helpful. Over time, a layer of dust can easily cover your tank. Hence, cleaning the outside of the tank is necessary as well.  

Always count your fish while giving them food and observe their behavior. The awkward action may give you a hint about their discomfort. You might need to clean and treat the tank more proficiently.

Final words:

Decorating an aquarium with various supplies can be fun, whereas cleaning it is often considered a hectic job. Keeping your aquarium clean and well-maintained is not just a question of impression, beauty, or aesthetics but also a huge responsibility. If not handled wisely, the enclosed ecosystem of an aquarium can degenerate over time.

Many aqua hobbyists overlook the idea of cleaning the tank manually by themselves after installing a filter. This habit of relying entirely on your filters is not a wise decision. By the time, your filters may get clogged, causing less flow rate. Over time, the clogged filters may stop working, causing the death of your lovely ones. You might find yourself in difficulty while finding the cause for your pet’s death. 

Keeping your pet’s habitat clean is one of your primary responsibilities because they depend on you for every single thing. You should understand their urge and try to remove every ache and pain they face.

With the tricks mentioned in the above article, your aquarium can thrive well, and you may find cleaning relieving.

Good luck!