How to clean a fish tank?

jessycalouise

New member
I recently bought a 35litre fish tank and have 6 tropical fish and its due a full tank clean, however i've never cleaned out a fish tank fully before and i dont have a clue what to do with the fish while im cleaning it.Ive been doing partial water changes for a while now but now a proper clean is needed.

How do I do it?
Where do i put the fish?

(i havent got a spare tank to put them in while cleaning them out)

Advice please?

Thanks in advance
Forgot to mention,the reason i want to clean it is because the gravel and everything is full on algae
4 cherry barb 2 tetras

and Ive had the tank for a month but now its covered in algae.I did a 20% water change twice a week to keep it clean and it was fine. but now everytime i clean it theres still too much algae
and i dont have a gravel cleaner atm
 
Never completely break down the tank and clean it. There is a good amount of beneficial bacteria that lives in the substrate of the tank, and this bacteria breaks down fish waste. Removing all of it will cause an ammonia spike.

You should be performing weekly partial water changes of about 25% By using a gravel siphon you can vacuum the substrate to remove debris, and remove the water. This way you do not need to stress the fish by taking them out of the tank.

What type of fish?
How long has the tank been set up?

~So buy one. They are cheap and one for your tank size is only about 8 dollars.

Algae is caused by too much light and/or nutrients:
-Do not place the aquarium near a window.
-Do not leave the tank light on. If you do not have live plants to worry about, I suggest leaving it off unless for viewing purposes.
-Be sure that you are not overfeeding the fish.
-Always remove uneaten food within five minutes of feeding.
-Waste/food settles on the bottom and breaks down. This will spur algae growth. Gravel-vac weekly to remove it.
 
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