Keeping Your Aquarium Clean?

If your tank has been established for at least six weeks, buy a small Plecostomus. He will clean the tank glass and the bottom of the tank for you. Be sure to check at the pet store to be sure that there are not any varieties of fish that will bother it or vice versa. These fish are fun to watch and do a good job. Good luck!

LEIGH

July 31, 20070 found this helpful

CAN YOU ADD SNAILS TO YOUR AQUARIUM? THEY CAN HELP KEEP THE ALGAE DOWN.

It sounds like your tank needs to cycle. You should never change more than 25% of the water more than once a week after a tank is established. You can read more about it here: www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Maddy

July 31, 20070 found this helpful

Hi if you are setting up the tank for the first time you need to get you an under gravel filter this will insure that most of the gravel will be kept cleaner due to the fish waste that settle on the rocks that your water filter can't get and make sure you get yourself the best filter system for cleaning the water in your tank.. I would also suggest an algae eater and ask your pet store how many for your size tank it will help keep the algae down.. Test your water and never empty all the water out of your tank.

Salt water tanks are much more work than fresh water and if it's your first time don't do it yet, you need to have at least 150 gallon tank for the water to be right and the fish are beautiful but costly.. A 20 gallon tank is only good for fresh water fish..Good Luck and they are a pleasure to watch. Enjoy!

If you are getting algae growth on the glass, you may have the aquarium in too sunny a place, or you may be keeping the lights on for too long, or have too much light. If you are getting green algae growth throughout the aquarium, you may have the heater set too high, or there may be too much light.

If you have it in too sunny a place, you could cover 3 sides with paper, I use wallpaper, but any thing you like would do, that will block the sunlight.

I like snails, if you can get them. They are really good for eating algae. The plants that others have mentioned are really good too, but I think snails are better. You could have both.

Maddy

July 31, 20070 found this helpful

P.S. make sure you have some sort of air bubble toy to help with some air in the tank.

If your tank is already established and your problem is cloudy water you can add a water clarifying solution. Many brands will be available at your local pet store. I use Seachem "Clarity" and I would highly recommend it. It will make the water more cloudy for about 2 hours then as the filter cycles the water it will clear right up.

Also, you should be using an aquarium vacuum siphon to clean the gravel every 3-4 water changes. It is important, however, that you leave approximately 2/3's of the gravel relatively undisturbed. Then next time clean a different section of the gravel. That way you are not removing all the important bacteria built up under the gravel. If you do small water changes on a regular basis as mentioned by Deborah you should eventually eliminate the need for any water clarifying additives.

If this does not address your issue please feel free to post more specific information about your tank and I can try to help you out. Good luck!

Sunlight makes algae grow (we learned the hard way years ago when the kids were younger). Set your tank up away from any sun light at all and get a Placostamus (fish that eat algae). Good Luck

Sue

September 1, 20070 found this helpful

Sorry this is so late, I've been away for a while. If you mean your water is getting cloudy then it's the food you are feeding your fish. Not all fish foods are the same, and many muck up the water. Ask at the shop where you bought your fish or supplies from for a recommendation as to what they give their fish, as in the shop the tanks always look pristine!
One other thing, you can get snails to go in your tank, but they don't really cut down the algae, and they over populate the tank and become a problem themselves. For Algae the best thing is to get some plant shrimp or algae eating fish like mollies. (Mollies are known for carrying diseases, but if you add a bit of salt to the water and turn the temp up a few degrees this normally stops them from passing anything on.)

I had this problem also. I would clean the tank every couple of days. Finally, I gave the Ploc. away and that solved the problem. I think it had to do with them.

More than likely if its not the amount of food you're feeding the fish you probably have too small of a filter for the size of the tank. If its algae growth try moving your tank away form sunlight and lower your tank temperature a few degrees. If that doesn't work try switching your light to a lower wattage bulb or a florescent light.