Fish are very easy pets to care for, and the aquarium itself can be an attractive addition to your home. However, the aquarium still needs to be cared for in order to remain a healthy and beautiful habitat. If you add decorations to your aquarium, you will also need to clean them as part of regular aquarium maintenance. Make sure you clean the decorations in the aquarium at least once a month, or more often if necessary.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Removing the Ornaments from the Aquarium
Step 1. Remove the decorations one by one
You may feel like you are in a hurry to get your aquarium back looking neat and clean, but never clean all the aquarium decorations at once. Ornaments are nests of useful bacteria that keep fish healthy. Therefore, if all the decorations are removed at the same time, the balance of the aquarium can be disturbed.
- Removing all the decorations at once can also stress the fish.
- Keep the fish in the aquarium. You don't need to move it when cleaning the aquarium parts/decoration.
- Wash your hands with warm water and soap before placing your hands in the aquarium. Make sure you rinse your hands thoroughly. Soap is a substance that is harmful to fish and can kill them.
Step 2. Move live plants to one corner of the aquarium
If you have live plants in the tank, you do not need to remove them. Plants can naturally maintain their own cleanliness. Simply move the plant to one corner of the aquarium so you can see and clean other elements or components of the aquarium.
- You can replace old plants with new plants if you want to change the look of your aquarium.
- Live plants are the right elements to improve the health of the aquarium habitat because plants act as natural filters.
Step 3. Suck the gravel from the bottom of the aquarium using a vacuum cleaner
Gravel is the most commonly used aquarium decoration and over time, it can become covered in algae. If you want to clean it, use a special gravel vacuum cleaner. This tool can suck up water and gravel when you bring the end of the hose closer to the gravel.
- When the gravel is sucked into the tube, the pressure in the tool will “shuffle” the sucked gravel and clean it.
- The gravel will be removed from the tool and returned to the bottom of the aquarium.
- Some of the dirty water will be wasted from the aquarium. You will need to replace it with water without chlorine after you have finished cleaning the aquarium decorations.
Part 2 of 3: Cleaning Aquarium Decorations Separately
Step 1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan
Make sure the pot you are using is large enough to accommodate one or more garnishes. You can use regular tap water. Do not add other ingredients such as soap or chlorine to the water.
Step 2. Low garnish in water
Once the water boils, add one or more garnishes to the pot. Soak the garnish for about 20 minutes. Most of the algae will be killed and the decorations will be easier to clean.
- Ornaments are usually resistant to the temperature of boiling water. If the garnish is melted or damaged, you should throw it away.
- Remove the pan from the stove before you submerge the garnish.
Step 3. Brush the decorations using a toothbrush
At this point, you can remove all the decorations from the pan and brush them off with a toothbrush. Algae will be released fairly easily from the surface of the decoration.
- Use a toothbrush or other brush specially prepared for cleaning the aquarium. The brush should not be used to clean other items. Otherwise, the aquarium may become contaminated.
- If the decoration looks clean after this stage, you can return it to the tank.
Step 4. Prepare a bucket of bleach mixture
This step is not always mandatory. However, if you want to make sure all the algae have been removed, you will need to clean the decorations with a bleach mixture.
- This mixture consists of 5% bleach and 95% water. As a rule of thumb, mix 4 teaspoons of bleach with 8 liters of water.
- You can use cold or warm water, but make sure the water doesn't get too hot. Hot water can actually "turn off" bleach.
Step 5. Add the decorations to the bleach mixture
Leave it for about 5 minutes. After that, the decoration will be clean and free of algae residue.
- Never clean aquarium gravel or rocks with bleach. This procedure can harm the health of the aquarium habitat because rocks or gravel can absorb the bleach.
- Always use bleach in a well-ventilated room. The vapors produced by bleach are dangerous. If your eyes feel sore or watery from exposure to bleach fumes, you are using too much bleach and the room you are occupying is not properly ventilated.
- It's a good idea to wear rubber gloves when using bleach. This substance can cause irritation or dry skin.
Step 6. Brush back the trimmings
Use the same toothbrush you used before. A decorative brush to remove any visible algae residue. Make sure you turn the garnish over and brush all the sides to prevent future algae buildup.
Rinse the trim with water and brush your teeth afterwards to remove any remaining bleach. You can rinse it under running water for about a minute
Step 7. Rinse the garnish with cold water
After brushing all the trimmings, rinse the trimmings under cold running water for 1-2 minutes. The remaining bleach adhering to the decoration will be removed.
Do not dry the decorations after rinsing. This step is not necessary
Part 3 of 3: Putting Ornaments Back in the Aquarium
Step 1. Fill the bucket with non-chlorinated tap water
You should use a clean bucket. Fill the bucket with enough tap water until all the decorations are submerged. Use warm water, but make sure it doesn't get too hot.
- Usually, tap water contains chlorine. Your local pet supply store may have information on the chlorine content of tap water from the PDAM.
- You can buy dechlorinating tablets from pet supply stores. Follow the directions on the package to make sure you are using it properly.
Step 2. Soak the garnish in non-chlorinated tap water
Let the garnish sit for about 20 minutes. Make sure all the chlorine and bleach are removed from the surface of the decoration. These chemicals are dangerous and lethal to fish.
- Porous aquarium decorations such as driftwood can absorb non-chlorinated water that will mix with the aquarium water. Therefore, it is very important that you make sure that the final soak is done in chlorinated water.
- You can rinse the decorations again quickly using tap water after removing or removing any remaining chlorine.
Step 3. Put the ornaments back in the aquarium
It's now safe to add the decorations back into the aquarium. You can place it in a new position if you want. If any of the decorations are damaged or destroyed, you will need to throw them away.
- You can always add new decorations or rotate the use of existing decorations periodically to make the aquarium look new.
- Add the decorations one by one. Don't let your fish stress you out by drastically changing their habitat.
Step 4. Move the live plant back to its initial position
If you have time to remove live plants while cleaning the aquarium decorations, you can place them back in their original position. Make sure your hands are clean when you put it in the aquarium. Simply move the plant to its old (or new if you prefer) position in the tank.
You may need to bury plant roots in gravel to hold them in place
Step 5. Wash your hands
Always wash your hands after putting your hands in the aquarium. Use soap and warm water. The water from the aquarium is not necessarily dangerous, but it contains bacteria and fish waste.
Tips
- You don't need to clean the decorations as often, unless the existing decorations are very dirty and you need to remove or remove some of the algae that is adhering to them.
- You may want an aquarium that looks clean and perfect, but keep in mind that bacteria and algae are also part of a healthy aquarium habitat. However, if there are too many of them, bacteria and algae can actually harm the fish and take a lot of oxygen from the aquarium. Therefore, make sure your aquarium is kept clean, but not too clean.
Warning
- Getting rid of too many useful bacteria in the aquarium is actually not good for fish health. Therefore, do not try to over-clean the aquarium until it looks perfect.
- Clean and reinsert one or two aquarium ornaments in turn. If you take out or add too many decorations at once, the fish will actually feel stressed.
- Using soap and cleaning products to clean aquarium decorations can contaminate the aquarium. Never use any product, unless the product packaging indicates that it is safe to use for cleaning aquariums and their components.
