Aquarium Cleaning

[UDCatFish]

I am ready to thoroughly clean my tank for the first time. I have a couple of questions as I am new to the aquarium world. I plan on taking water from my tank and putting it and my fish into my old tank while I clean the first one. I am not sure how much water I should remove from the one I am cleaning and should I put back what I take out when I am done cleaning? Also, if I remove the gravel and rinse it off, will that make my tank start the cycling process again or will there be enough beneficial bacteria in the filter media? I am concerned about my tank having to cycle again. I have become quite attached to my little guys and do not want to harm them in any way. Any advice would be welcomed. Thank You

 

[sinibotia]

So, as long as you only rinse your gravel in tank water/dechlorinated water, you shouldn't have to re-cycle your tank. Do the same with your filter media- don't discard it, just rinse it in used tank water! (and then toss the dirty tank water).

You can replace up to 75% of the water in your tank. I wouldn't do more than that because you want to make sure that if there is a water quality difference between the old and new water that your fish aren't shocked by it. If you're sure the water in your tap is very similar to your tank water you can safely replace all of the water.

 

[Abrams96]

There is no need to remove your fish to clean the tank. Vacuum the gravel, clean the glass, rinse filter media in tank water and you're done.

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[sinibotia]

I would argue that if you're doing a full tank teardown and cleaning it's helpful to remove the fish. A little less stressful in the long run.

 

[UniqueFreak]

I would argue that if you're doing a full tank teardown and cleaning it's helpful to remove the fish. A little less stressful in the long run.

I would definitely agree

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[Mebbid]

I would argue that if you're doing a full tank teardown and cleaning it's helpful to remove the fish. A little less stressful in the long run.

Avreed, but this should only be done in extreme cases not for just a casual cleaning.

Clean the tank without removing everything. Generally woth weekly water changes and gracel vaccing this should keep the tank clean.

 

[UDCatFish]

cleaning

Thanks so much for everyone's input. I greatly appreciate any ideas and advice.