A home aquarium is a cool, calming and classic addition to your home, with the added bonus of making you feel a bit like a Bond villain (or maybe that’s just us). But while fish are low maintenance pets—you don’t need to walk your fish, or play with them—you do need a little maintenance and some marine care products to keep your tank looking ship-shape…

How often do you clean it?

You know it’s time to get cleaning when the water’s gone a bit murky, but on average you should be cleaning it every couple of weeks. And if you see uneaten food or waste floating around in there, then there’s no time to waste—changing the water is essential because you need to remove waste, dirt and other toxic elements.

 

Do I clean everything?

It’s all about balance. If you completely overhaul a dirty fish tank then you’ll lose all the beneficial bacterial colonies that eliminate the animal’s waste. So don’t totally start over unless your fish tank is in really bad condition. You just need the right marine care products and a few tips and you’re good to go.

 

Clean your aquarium in the following order:

  1. Inside glass
  2. Decorations (fish tank rocks etc.)
  3. Substrate
  4. Outside glass and fixtures
  5. Filtration

Let’s take a closer look at the steps:

 

1. Cleaning the inside glass

Use an algae pad or scraper to give the inside glass a good cleaning. There are a wide variety of algae scrapers to choose from, like long-handled scrubbers or magnetic scrubbers.

For stubborn residue on the glass, use a razor blade to scrape it off. Take care not to cut yourself. If your aquarium is acrylic, use a plastic razor blade, as standard razors will scratch the acrylic.

 

2. Cleaning decorations and aquarium rocks

Once the inside glass is clean, remove decorations like aquarium rocks and artificial coral that have significant algae growth or are noticeably dirty. Do not clean them with soap or detergents—they can be harmful to fish. Learn how to make a 10% bleach solution or vinegar and soak and rinse any dirty decorations.

 

3. Cleaning aquarium rocks and gravel

Use a water siphon to vacuum away the debris. The vacuum should stir up the sand and remove debris without sucking up the gravel. Make sure you vacuum the entire surface of the gravel thoroughly so that all debris is removed.

 

4. Outside Glass and Fixtures

Once the inside of the aquarium is cleaned, you can now clean the hood, the light, the tank top, and the outside glass. Use vinegar or a cleaner designated as aquarium safe, and make sure you rinse the surfaces with a clean damp cloth—don’t use regular glass cleaners that contain ammonia, as it is toxic to fish.

 

5. Clean the Filter Two Weeks Later

Wait a couple of weeks before cleaning the filter. The major cleaning you just performed disturbed the beneficial bacterial colonies on the plants, rocks and gravel, and cleaning too regularly will mess with the aquarium’s ecosystem.

 

To find out more about reef aquarium care, check out our range of marine care products today.