Aquarium Maintenance

The Importance of Maintenance
Maintenance Equipment
Cleaning the Tank

The Importance of Aquarium Maintenance

Unlike a river or lake where fish live naturally, your aquarium is a relatively small, closed environment. There is no automatic inflow of fresh water from rains or an underground spring. There is no constant movement of water as in a river where water is highly oxygenated. Therefore, you must attempt to replicate these natural conditions through a regular maintenance routine of water changes that remove built up toxins and introduces fresh oxygenated water. Aquarium maintenance consists primarily of changing out old water and adding new. Water changes should be performed about once per week during the first 6 months, then every two weeks thereafter. No more than one-third of the water should be exchanged for fresh water during these water changes, and the gravel should be vacuumed during this process. More is not necessarily better when it comes to water changes. Frequency should be maintained at about once every two weeks, but not more often than once per week, and the volume of water changed at one time should never exceed half.

Maintenance Equipment

You will use many of the same items to perform your water changes that you used when first setting up your tank. A complete description of these items appears under Your First Aquarium.

• Two Pails
• Algae Sponge Scrubber
• Gravel Vacuum
• Water Conditioner
• PH Test Kit
• PH Adjuster
• Clean Lint-Free Towels

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Cleaning the Tank

Follow the steps below to develop a convenient routine that will help prolong the life of your fish and enhance your enjoyment of the aquarium hobby.

1. Assemble your supplies. Your large dirty water pail, algae scrubber and gravel vacuum will need to be set up near your tank. Your smaller clean water pail, water conditioner and PH test kit and adjuster solution should be set up near your fresh water source.
2. Test your aquarium water. You'll need to know what the PH of your aquarium water is prior to adding fresh water so that you'll be able to adjust your new water to match the PH of the old water. You should also test the PH of your tap water to learn whether it has changed since you last measured it. This will help you determine how much PH adjuster you'll need to use for each pail of fresh water you add.
3. Remove plastic plants and decorative items from one half of the tank. You may or may not need to remove the lid to your aquarium. Remove the lid if you need the working space for your arm. Depending upon the size of your tank, you may be able to vacuum the entire gravel bottom as you remove the old water. If your tank is 15 gallons or more, you should probably focus upon vacuuming only half of the gravel bottom for a thorough cleaning. Trying to vacuum the entire gravel bottom thoroughly will result in removing more than 1/3 of the old water, which should be avoided. Remember which half of the gravel bottom you vacuumed so that you can vacuum the other half during your next cleaning. Vacuuming just half of the gravel bottom also allows your fish to seek a safe refuge from the cleaning tools (and your arm) in the remaining plants and decorations.
4. Wipe down the inside surface of the aquarium glass with your algae scrubber. This will maintain a crystal clear glass surface. Some hobbyists prefer to leave the back wall with some algae, citing that it gives the appearance of greater depth. It's up to you whether you want to clean the back surface. If the uptake tube on your filter or your thermometer bulb is covered with algae or otherwise slimy, wipe them down also.
5. Situate your dirty water pail below the level of your aquarium surface. This will help your gravel vacuum self start the siphoning process one submerged and maintain a strong water flow.
6. Submerge the larger vacuum end of your siphon in your fish tank and cover the tube end with your thumb. Allow the vacuum end to completely fill with water, but not gravel. Now, lift this end up, allowing the water to completely fill the entire length of tubing. Once the tubing is filled with water, release your thumb from the small tube end, making sure you are holding this end over the opening of your dirty water pail. Once the water begins to flow into the pail, quickly re-submerge the vacuum end into the aquarium and begin working it through the gravel. You don't want to scoop up the gravel with the vacuum; you simply want to work it over the surface and through the entire layer. You'll see the fish waste and uneaten food become separated out from the gravel and pass quickly up the vacuum end, through the tube and into your dirty water pail. Your fish will likely be frightened and possibly dash wildly about, looking for a safe place to hide. Try to keep your vacuuming motions smooth and allow fish to escape without being pinned against the side of the tank or decorations.
7. Lift the vacuum end up and out of the water when about 1/3 of the total water volume has been removed. This will allow the final uptake of vacuumed waste to flow into the dirty water pail and not back into your tank.
8. Remove your filter inserts. Once the waste matter in your dirty water has settled to the bottom, squeeze out your sponge insert and rinse the mesh carbon bag in this water. The reason you are using "dirty" water to rinse your filter inserts is because you want to maintain the good bacterial colonies that reside in these inserts while simply rinsing out any matter that is clogging these pourous materials. If you were to rinse these items in tap water, you may disrupt these colonies with the introduction of tap water chemical additives or a markedly different PH level. If you really can't stand to rinse your filter inserts in the water you just removed, the next best thing is to rinse them out in water that you've dechlorinated and neutralized using your water conditioner and PH adjuster. Return your filter inserts to their respective filter compartments. You don't need to change out filter inserts with new ones each time you clean your tank. In fact, there is really little need to change out your sponge insert if you clean it regularly with each water change. Charcoal loses its effectiveness after awhile, so changing this out once a month or so is a good idea. It will also help you keep your water at or around a neutral PH.
9. Dump out your dirty water and feel good about all the fish waste you see swirling down the drain. By the way, I've heard that this water makes excellent plant fertilizer, so you may want to set it aside for your houseplants or garden.
10. Rinse off your plants and decor. Generally, this can be done under the untreated tap water, as there are not huge numbers of beneficial bacterial colonies living on their surface. But, if you want to preserve every possible good bacteria, you may prefer to rinse these off either in the old water just removed or in a pail of treated tap water.
11. Prepare a pail of new water. You will need to adjust for three variables: temperature, chemical additives, and PH level.
• Temperature - The fresh water you add should be approximately the same temperature as your aquarium water, and you should be able to get this close enough just by whether it feels the same to your hand.
• Chemical Additives - Municipal water is often treated with chemical additives that will immediately kill fish such as chlorine and ammonia. These are easily and safely removed by adding several drops of your aquarium water conditioner to each pail of fresh water.
• PH Level - In order to avoid any fluctuations in PH, adjust each pail of water prior to adding it to your tank. You should have some idea of how many drops of PH adjuster (whether up or down) is needed to adjust your tap water to match the PH level of your tank water. To be on the safe side, however, make sure you measure your tank PH and your tap water PH prior to beginning your cleaning routine, as either of these may have undergone an unnoticed change since your last measurement. Before adding the pail of newly-adjusted water to your aquarium, measure the PH to be sure it's close to your tank PH.
12. Gently pour the fresh pail of water into your tank, taking care not to create a Niagara falls for unsuspecting fish swimming under a crashing stream of water.
13. Repeat steps 11 - 12 until your tank is nearly, but not quite, full.
14. Replace your plants and decorations. You'll notice that your fish will welcome their addition by swimming back into the previously vacated area.
15. Top off your tank with an additional quantity of treated water.
16. Wipe off any drips of water that found their way onto the exterior surface of your aquarium to avoid water spots.

That's all there is to it. At first it may seem a bit cumbersome and time-consuming. After you've established a routine, you'll be able to accomplish this task in less than an hour. Don't put off doing water changes. Your fish need you to maintain their water quality for them. They'll repay you in vibrant colors, non-stop activity, ravenous appetites and overall good health.

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