Sometimes you are much better off knowing what NOT to do rather knowing what you should do. Aquarium cleaning may be one of those things. There are some very simple things that seem harmless but could have serious effects on your tank.
Using Bleach or Cleaners
This aquarium cleaning mishap could have disastrous effects on your tank. This really doesn’t seem like a bad idea in theory. If you want to really get something clean, you use bleach right? Not in your fish tank. Even trace amounts of bleach and other cleaners left behind in your tank or on your decorations can seriously harm your fish. Just use plain water and some hard work to clean your tank. That’s all you need to get the job done.
Rinsing Your Aquarium Gravel
Completely cleaning your aquarium gravel also seems like a good idea. After all, your gravel catches all of your aquarium waste making it the one of the dirtiest parts of your tank. So what could be wrong with that? Your gravel is one of the greatest breeding grounds for all of those good bacteria that make up your bio-filter. Because of this it’s best to leave the gravel in place when you’re cleaning your fish tank. The best way to clean your gravel is just siphon up the major debris off the bottom. This keeps that bio-filter in tact and keeps your fish happy during your aquarium cleaning.
Cleaning Too Much At Once
This aquarium cleaning mistake is similar to the one above in that it is related to your tanks bio-filtration. You wouldn’t think you could really clean too much, but you can. Your tanks good bacteria are growing all throughout your tank once it’s established. On your tank walls, plants, decorations, filter media, gravel, and even in the water. If you clean all of these things at once your bio-filter looses its effectiveness. One solution is to clean things in stages. One week you could do a partial water change, and clean the glass. The next week you could clean everything else. Another solution with regard to the filter media is to just rinse it in your tank water rather than replace it. This keeps the bacteria in your tank and sufficiently rinses the media.
1 comments:
These are some very good points, especially about rinsing ones gravel.
I have had many clients complain that every time they change water that their fish would die, often after asking several questions I would determine that the customer was washing their gravel and thus destroying their nitrifying bacteria
I also recommend products such as the Aquarium Cleaning Machine since you can perform more thorough cleanings without removing gravel or changing too much water (thus causing osmotic shock)
Carl; Aquarium Cleaning Information
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