Fish Tank Cleaning and Supplies
When we get ready to clean our fish tank, the first thing we need to do is gather all of our supplies together. These items should be three or four towels, two clean food safe 5 gallon buckets, and a sponge type glass scraper. We will need a gravel vacuum. A water test kit. And some glass cleaner for cleaning the exterior of the fish tank.First we shut off and unplug all electrical components going to the fish tank. Remove the lighting and hood assembly at the top of the tank. If your filter is attached to the back of the fish tank remove it and set it in the bottom of one of the 5 gallon buckets. If it is a canister type shut off the valves, disconnect and taken into the kitchen sink.
Next remove the ornaments that are situated inside the fish tank. Place these in the 5 gallon bucket along with the filter. Take your long handled sponge glass scraper and gently scrape up and down the inside surfaces of your fish tank to remove any algae buildup. When this is done take the algae scraper and the 5 gallon bucket that has the filter and ornaments into the kitchen. Gently rinse and wipe down the ornaments that came from inside the fish tank. Do not use any type of cleaning product. The idea here is just to remove algae buildup. The same can be done with the internal parts of the filter. During this cleaning we will replace only one of the three items in the filter. The bio bag, the charcoal bag, or the sponge. The two items that we will not replace at this time should be rinsed and returned to the filter. Back at the fish tank the water should have settled down a bit by now, use your gravel vacuum, according to the instructions that came with it to gently remove the debris that has settled on the bottom and in the gravel bed of the fish tank. At this time replace all of the items that came from the interior of your fish tank. Replace the filter assembly. Wipe down and replace the hood assembly. Using the glass cleaner, carefully clean the exterior surfaces of your fish tank. Plug everything back in, making sure you have drip loops on all power cords. Using your test kit, test the water, to make sure it is within tolerances. Clean up all water that has spilled. Step back and enjoy a clean fish tank.
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Tags: fish, Fish Supplies, fish tank supplies, fish tanks, pet supply, tanks