Is it possible for me to totally clean my whole tank? I have a 20 gallon and i just wanna totally tank my fish out dump the rocks spray them off and redo it. Am i able to pour the water into a bucket put the fish in it clean the tank and rocks out and pour water back in and add the fish. I have 3 RBP (babies), I just have gotten behind on cleaning and now when i clean it there is a TON of debree and crap in the gravel and its grose!!!
Cleaning
- Thread starter Psycho
- Start date
I would STRONGLY recommend resolving yourself to performing several small gravel washes/water changes instead of tearing down the tank and starting over. The teardown will kill the bulk of your biological filter (gravel) and you'll have to recycle the tank. A fresh cycle will spike your water chem and most likely kill your fish before it settles out again.
Psycho;501557; said:
i think he means to use like a gravel vac, and clean out little bits of the rocks instead of taking everything out, and clean little by little over a certain period of time
Scrub the tank sides & front (leave the back for now), vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC..
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC (scrub back)
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
clean glass only as visually required.
Test water & adjust water change volume as needed.
Perhaps pull 1/4 gravel & rinse in tank water or conditioned water...
I actually wouldn't remove any gravel, a couple weeks of vac & you should see great improvement.
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC (scrub back)
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
Next week, vac the gravel, do a 1/4~1/2 WC
clean glass only as visually required.
Test water & adjust water change volume as needed.
Perhaps pull 1/4 gravel & rinse in tank water or conditioned water...
I actually wouldn't remove any gravel, a couple weeks of vac & you should see great improvement.
For maintaining a healthy aquarium, it's recommended that a regular routine of scheduled gravel washes/water changes be performed on your system. The water change portion removes ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates which are byproducts of your fish's wastes, missed food, etc. The gravel wash portion removes bulk wastes that haven't been broken down yet, aerates your gravel, and is the mechanism that physically removes the water during the water change. A weekly 25% to 40% water change is recommended on a moderately stocked aquarium. Heavily stocked tanks or nitrate-sensitive species may require additional water changes.
Note: simply replenishing evaporated water does nothing towards the removal of excess nitrates/nitrites (toxin) from your aquarium.
Regular water changes will result in healthier, more active, and better colored fish since heavy nitrites in the aquarium reduces fish blood cell capabilities of absorbing oxygen.
A gravel wash is performed with a (usually) 2-piece tool consisting of a large diameter rigid tube with a smaller flexible drain hose attached (as in the pic). Start a siphon from the drain to a bucket/garden hose/out the window/into the toilet/etc. At about a 25 degree angle, press the rigid tube into your gravel. Gravel and debris will rise in the large tube's suction column. When the gravel reaches about 1/2 way up, lift the tube end away from the gravel (but still under water). The gravel's weight will cause the gravel to fall back to the bottom of the tank but, the debris will continue to rise and wash out through the drain hose. Work the washer throughout your substrate including under rocks and decorations. Once you have 25% to 40% of the water out of the tank, lift the washer out of the water to break the siphon (allow the hose to drain out).
Refill the tank with either pre-conditioned water (dechlorinated and temp adjusted) or fill from the sink by adjusting hot/cold to nearly the same temp as the tank. Be sure to add the proper amount of dechlorinator to your tank just before starting the refill.
Note: simply replenishing evaporated water does nothing towards the removal of excess nitrates/nitrites (toxin) from your aquarium.
Regular water changes will result in healthier, more active, and better colored fish since heavy nitrites in the aquarium reduces fish blood cell capabilities of absorbing oxygen.
A gravel wash is performed with a (usually) 2-piece tool consisting of a large diameter rigid tube with a smaller flexible drain hose attached (as in the pic). Start a siphon from the drain to a bucket/garden hose/out the window/into the toilet/etc. At about a 25 degree angle, press the rigid tube into your gravel. Gravel and debris will rise in the large tube's suction column. When the gravel reaches about 1/2 way up, lift the tube end away from the gravel (but still under water). The gravel's weight will cause the gravel to fall back to the bottom of the tank but, the debris will continue to rise and wash out through the drain hose. Work the washer throughout your substrate including under rocks and decorations. Once you have 25% to 40% of the water out of the tank, lift the washer out of the water to break the siphon (allow the hose to drain out).
Refill the tank with either pre-conditioned water (dechlorinated and temp adjusted) or fill from the sink by adjusting hot/cold to nearly the same temp as the tank. Be sure to add the proper amount of dechlorinator to your tank just before starting the refill.
My water changes and tank cleanings include preparing the new water a day in advance with drops to remove the chlorine and other tap water chemicals as well as come up the proper temperature. I remove all the plants and deco, leaving all the gravel. I leave my fish in and use the siphon to remove close to 3/4 of the water (55 gallon tank). I scoop the gravel into the siphon to remove all the waste and food, concentrating on the areas that the fish like to hang out. This is a long and tedious process for one person, but two people can usually whip it out in a couple of hours - doing a good job and cleaning all the filter parts and plants. I have never lost a fish after a cleaning and the water looks so clean and clear!