Aquarium (fish tank) Care

Preparing to clean your tank.

Wash your hands and put on gloves 

Before you get started cleaning your tank, wash your hands (no soap) and put on a pair of disposable gloves (If you decide not to put on gloves, wash your hands afterwards). This protects you from bacteria in the tank and washing before helps prevent the tank from catching any bacteria or germs on your hands.

Prepare fresh water 

Turn everything off 

Your fish tank should have a heater and filter. Turn these off before you start cleaning, along with any other electrical items, such as lights and bubblers. 

Steps to clean a fish tank

Remove algae 

Clean gravel and siphon water

Remove and clean tank ornaments

You don’t need to clean ornaments every time you clean your betta fish tank, but look out for algae buildup and clean them when necessary. Remove the ornaments from the tank slowly and carefully so you don’t stress your fish and clean each one with hot water and a clean toothbrush. Avoid using soap or cleaning products as these can be toxic to fish. Oh, and ornaments usually have helpful bacteria.

Refill the tank

Slowly refill the tank with the water you prepared earlier. You should have left it out long enough for the water to reach room temperature, though if you’re doing a large water change, you should gently heat it to the same temperature as the water in the tank — this should be 75-80 degrees for betta fish.

Turn everything back on

Now that the tank’s clean and topped up with fresh water, it’s time to turn your filter, heater and any other electronic items back on. 

The steps to managing your fish tank.

1. Cycle the Tank Before Adding Fish

In case you’ve never heard the expression before, “cycling a tank” means taking the steps necessary to bring the water conditions up to where they are healthy for the fish. This is something that should be done before you ever add fish to your tank. In other words: You should not purchase your fish tank and your fish on the same day!

Cycling involves the growth of healthy microorganisms within the tank, which will break down waste and help keep the water safe for fish. This takes a little time, and most experts recommend letting the tank run for at least a week before adding fish.

What you should never do is attempt to cycle your tank with fish already in it. This is very unhealthy for the fish, and until the water parameters are safe, they can easily become ill and die. It’s the equivalent of a person trying to live in an atmosphere of noxious gas and not very kind to your fish.

2. Test and Monitor Water Parameters

Along these lines, do not overstock your tank. You may have heard the “one inch of fish per gallon” rule. This advice is nonsense, and you should ignore it. Knowing what fish you are purchasing and their needs help you to understand how many fish can safely live in your tank. So do a little research about the fish you intend to purchase.

An overcrowded tank results in increased aggression, increased stress, increased disease, and an overall unhealthy living situation for your fish. It is far better to under-stock your tank and have fewer but healthier fish.

5. Avoid Overfeeding Your Fish

Rest assured, it is very difficult to starve a fish. One feeding per day is plenty, making sure you provide food items for each type of fish in your tank.

A good flake food meets most needs, but if you have many bottom-feeders you may wish to include sinking pellets. Don’t assume catfish and other scavengers will get what they need from flakes that float to the bottom of the tank. If you have algae-eating fish in your tank you’ll want to include algae wafers to supplement their diets.

Do not feed more than the fish will eat in a few minutes. Excess food is not only unhealthy for the fish and can lead to disease, but it dirties the tank and can cause spikes in the aforementioned chemicals. It can also help cause undesirable situations like excess algae growth or an outbreak of pest snails.

Many fishkeepers put their fish on a feed/fast schedule, utilizing one or more days per week when the fish are not fed. This helps to keep the tank cleaner, and the fish healthier. In simple terms, remember that what goes into a fish must come out, so the more you feed your fish the dirtier the tank will get.

Live plants can help maintain a healthy environment for your fish.

6. Manage Light in and Around Your Aquarium

One of the most frustrating things for the new aquarium owner is managing algae in an aquarium. Algae are similar to plants, and like all plants, they require light to thrive. Of course, you are going to have lights in your tank, because you want to see your fish. So how do you see your fish without growing a huge crop of algae?

One way is to manage the amount of light your tank gets every day. When you decide on the placement of your tank, try to keep it away from anywhere that will get strong sunlight throughout the day. Like any plant, algae loves sunlight and will flourish if given the chance.

You should keep the tank light on a maximum of 12 hours every day. In reality, you can probably do with much less. Remember that the light in the fish tank is for you, not the fish. The moderate lighting of daylight is plenty for them, and about what they would experience in the wild. If there is nobody home there is no point in having the light on. You can keep the light off while you are at work or at school, and turn it on when you come home at night.

Obviously, the exception here is if you have live plants in your tank. They will, of course, require a full 12 hours of overhead lighting per day. However, live plants will suck up many of the nutrients algae needs for survival, and in themselves can keep algae levels in check.

Learn as You Go

It all may seem daunting, but if you incorporate these tips into your fish care routine you’ll end up with a pretty tank full of healthy fish. Once your tank is up and running the care and maintenance required to keep it going really should not take up a lot of your time. As little as an hour a week is all that’s needed, maybe less depending on tank size.

Remember that fish are not disposable pets, and if you choose to keep them in your home they are worth taking the time to care for properly. Like any animal, your tropical fish need a clean, safe, and stress-free living environment. It’s up to you to make that possible, and it’s not as hard as it seems.

Yes, you will make mistakes and lose a few fish along the way, and everyone does. But as long as you are doing your best you shouldn’t feel bad about it. We’ve all been there.

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