Knowing how to clean a fish tank is necessary if you plan on keeping healthy fish. Regular cleaning can be done in 30 minutes if you do it on a weekly basis. If you wait longer, the task will be more difficult and water conditions could jeopardize the health of your fish and your enjoyment of the aquarium.

• Cleaning your fish tank might sound like a daunting task, but it is actually quite simple and will only take about 30 minutes. You should clean your aquarium every week.The First Tank Guide: Cleaning Your Aquarium The more often you clean, the less effort it will take and the healthier your fish will be.FishInThe.Net: Cleaning Your Aquarium Many new aquarium owners think that cleaning a fish tank involves removing the fish, draining it completely, washing everything inside and then replacing everything. Actually, cleaning a fish tank is much easier than that. In fact, draining and cleaning the tank completely will do more harm than good since it kills off all the good bacteria in the tank.FishInThe.Net: Cleaning Your Aquarium

• Gravel vacuum

• 2-4 five gallon buckets

• Scrubber for either glass or acrylic (depending on your type of tank)

• New soft bristled scrub brush

• Water

• Water conditioner

• Bleach

• Towels

• Claw tank tongs (optional)

• Filter brush set (optional)

• Aquarium glass cleaner or lime remover (if necessary)

• You'll need to use new buckets and scrub brushes the first time you clean your fish tank in order to prevent any contamination from other cleaning products.About.com: How Do I Clean a Dirty Fish Tank? You should then set these aside and use them only for your aquarium. If your aquarium has a build up of lime (white powder) you may want to use aquarium glass cleaner or lime remover made specifically for aquariums. Never use soap or cleaning products on your aquarium unless they are designed for it. Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital How to Clean Your Aquarium

• Before you can get down to cleaning your fish tank, you will need to get a few things set up first.

1. Determine how much water you plan on removing when you clean your aquarium. Typically, this should be about 10 to 50 percent of the aquarium total. So, if you have a 30 gallon aquarium you should plan on removing 3 to 15 gallons of water. (See Step 5 for more information.)
2. Prepare replacement water by setting aside the amount determined in the previous step. The water needs to be close to room temperature or the temperature of the tank, so you might want to let it sit overnight.The First Tank Guide: Cleaning Your Aquarium
3. Treat the new water with water conditioner (before you forget).The First Tank Guide: Cleaning Your Aquarium
4. Gather all the equipment you will need together next to the aquarium.
5. If you have a wood floor, make sure you lay down towels to protect the wood from any splashing.
6. Rinse your hands thoroughly with water before you begin to remove anything that might contaminate your tank. This includes hand lotions, soap, etc.Hartz: The Clean Machine
7. Unplug all electrical components of your tank, including the heater, filter, etc.Aquarium Guys: Aquarium Cleaning & Maintenance Guide
8. Remove the top from the aquarium and set aside.

• Any algae buildup that has developed along the sides of the tank needs to be removed. This is done using a scrub pad designed for aquariums, usually labeled as "aquarium cleaners" or "algae scraper/scrubbers." There are two types of algae scrapers available: magnetic or long handled. For best results, get both kinds.

• A magnetic aquarium cleaner is a device that has a pair of magnets. One magnet has a scrub pad while the other has a handle. You insert the scrub side into the tank and guide it along the side. A magnet scraper is good for weekly containers, but is only as strong as the magnet it contains.

• A long-handled scraper will be needed on occasion to remove any troublesome spots of algae on your tank walls. Make sure you purchase the right type for your tank. Acrylic tanks will scratch easier than glass and need a special scrub to prevent this.Aquarium Guys: Aquarium Cleaning & Maintenance Guide Purchase one with a handle long enough to reach the bottom of your tank so you won't need to reach your hand inside.

• If your tank is bothered by algae, try to determine the cause (such as too much light) or purchase a couple algae-eating fish to control it.The Pet Owner Club Tips on Aquarium Care and Cleaning (January 10, 2008) If you have an algae eater in your tank, do not remove all the algae or else it will have nothing to eat.Aquarium Algae Eaters: Introduction to Algae-eaters (April 23, 2008) Instead, focus on cleaning the front and sides while leaving the back untouched. If you do need to clean the back side of the tank, avoid cleaning the decorations inside the tank that week.

• Although it can be easier to remove the algae after you have removed some of the water, by doing this step first you can help get the algae out of the water when you vacuum the gravel.The First Tank Guide: Cleaning Your Aquarium

• This step is optional and may not need to be done every week. Look at any objects you have in your tank and see if they look dirty or have a heavy algae build up. If they do, you will need to clean them. Here is the best way to do that:

1. Remove the item from the aquarium. This is when your aquarium grabber comes in handy. If you don't have one, wash your hands and roll up your sleeves. (Remember not to clean all of them so you can keep some good bacteria in the tank.)FishInThe.Net: Cleaning Your Aquarium
2. Have an empty bucket set aside to place the objects in before you reach into the tank. Place each item that needs cleaning in the bucket.
3. Prepare a solution of 10 percent bleach solution.About.com: How Do I Clean a Dirty Fish Tank? Do not do this in one of the buckets set aside for cleaning your aquarium or in a bucket that might have other cleaning products in it.
4. Soak the items in the bleach solution for about 15 minutes.About.com: How Do I Clean a Dirty Fish Tank?
5. As an alternative, you can also soak items for thirty minutes in a solution of 1/4 cup salt to one gallon of water.Aquarium Pros: Frequent Aquarium Questions
6. Using a clean scrub brush, gently scrub off any remaining residue.
7. Rinse off the items thoroughly in running water.
8. Let the items air dry to remove any residual bleach.About.com: How Do I Clean a Dirty Fish Tank?
9. Put the items back in the tank after you have vacuumed the gravel but before you have added the new water.About.com: How Do I Clean a Dirty Fish Tank?

• If your aquarium has live plants, they will need special care.

1. Remove any dead or sick leaves.The Pet Owner Club Tips on Aquarium Care and Cleaning (January 10, 2008)
2. If your plants are getting too large, you can prune them back.About.com: Spring Cleaning Your Aquarium
3. Some live plants can be bleached to remove algae by soaking them in a 5 percent bleach solution for two minutes.About.com: How Do I Clean a Dirty Fish Tank? Rinse them off thoroughly before replacing them back into the aquarium.
4. Anchor any new sprouts into the gravel.The Pet Owner Club Tips on Aquarium Care and Cleaning (January 10, 2008)

• It seems that every expert has a different idea on how much water to remove each week. Some will tell you that less is more while others will tell you the exact opposite is true.FishInThe.Net: Cleaning Your Aquarium Pet University: Maintenance Internet sources recommend a variety of amounts, including 10 percent, [25 percent, 30 percent and 50 percent.The First Tank Guide: Cleaning Your Aquarium American Aquarium Products: Aquarium Cleaning; Reasons and Methods for Water Changes HowToDoThings.com: How To Clean the Water of Your Aquarium Pet University: Maintenance So, what is the correct answer? In reality, the answer depends.

• Each week you will want to remove between 10 to 50 percent of the water. Instead of focusing on an exact number, evaluate your aquarium by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Is the water cloudy?HowToDoThings.com: How To Clean the Water of Your Aquarium
2. Does the water smell "fishy" or have a bad odor?HowToDoThings.com: How To Clean the Water of Your Aquarium
3. Are the ammonia or nitrite levels high in the aquarium?American Aquarium Products: Aquarium Cleaning; Reasons and Methods for Water Changes

• If you answered yes to any of the questions, you will want to remove more water, between 30 to 50 percent, of the water.HowToDoThings.com: How To Clean the Water of Your Aquarium If your answer was no to all of the questions, lean toward the light side and remove about 10 to 25 percent of the water. However, no matter what your water conditions, you should never remove more than 50 percent of the water at a time. Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital How to Clean Your Aquarium

• This step will vary depending on what type of filter you have in your aquarium. However, here are some general guidelines on how to clean your filter.

1. Avoid changing your filter at the same time you change your water or do a major cleaning of your tank.About.com: How Do I Clean a Dirty Fish Tank?
2. Never change all the parts (cartridges, sponges or carbon packets) at the same time. Instead, change only one portion of it at a time.The First Tank Guide: Cleaning Your Aquarium
3. You can use the water you siphoned out in Step 5 to rinse out the foam portion of your filter and avoid harming the beneficial bacteria growing on the sponge. Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital How to Clean Your Aquarium
4. Wipe off the outside of the filter and remove any lime buildup that might be on it.

• After you have finished cleaning everything in the aquarium and placed it back inside, it is time to refill the tank.

1. Take care to gently pour the new water into the tank so you don't disturb the fish, gravel or decorations.
2. You might find it easier to reverse your gravel vacuum and siphon the new water into the tank rather than pour it in.Aquarium Guys: Aquarium Cleaning & Maintenance Guide
3. If you discover you've removed too much water, replace some of the water you vacuumed off. By this time it will have settled, so you can use the cleaner water toward the top of the bucket.
4. Take a moment to to clean off the hood of the aquarium before replacing it. Do not use any cleansers unless they are approved for aquarium use.
5. Plug everything back in. Make sure both the heater and the filter are working before you walk away.
6. Dump out all the old water and any excess water you had set aside.
7. Put everything away.

• The first time is always the most difficult. Once you get into a pattern, you will find that it is really not that difficult to keep your fish tank clean. Make sure you keep a record of what tasks you did when to keep your aquarium in the best condition. The best way to do this is to keep a small notepad near the aquarium and write down when you completed each task.