Best way to clean out a fish tank!??

[thegunnersrule]

Basically we have 2 goldfish and when we first got them were told never to fully clean out the tank...We were told to take out a jugful of water from the tank and replace it with fresh water one a week and this would keep the tank looking fresh and clean...Well that deffo isnt the case with my tank!! I went to feed them this morning and the water is looking really brown and there is poo everywhere! Ive taken a couple of jugfuls out and replaced it but it is still looking really dirty...I think it really needs a proper clean and the tank itself needs a clean inside as well as the gravel at the bottom of the tank..Can I not put the fish in a separate container with some of the tank water,give the tank a good clean and replace it with all new fresh water?? I know I would have to leave the water for a day or 2 to settle but am worried as obviously I don't want to kill the fish!! But apart from doing that I really don't know what else to do! Any suggestions would be gratefully received!!

Thank you

Take fish out and put in plastic bag with their original water. Put bag in a bowl with clean water (at similar temperature)
Completely clean fish tank out and refill. Put fish in bag in newly filled tank and leave there for around 20 minutes. This allows the water in the bag to reach the same temperature as the water in the tank so less stress on the fish when taking out of bag back into tank.

Would you consider a filter for your tank? They're pretty good, and help keep the water oxygenated too.

Enjoy!

Please post on the fishnet forum for expert advice.

How big is your tank? Goldfish need a huge amount of space and they poo lots. Are you keeping your goldfish in an unfiltered tank?

The gravel, water, filter media, objects in a tank all harbour beneficial bacteria that create a particular environment for the fish so suddenly chucking them in 100% tap water is not the right thing to do at all.

Is there a way you can visit an aquarist (not deaths at home) but something like destination aquatics etc to get roofed dial advice in tank size upkeep filtration etc? Or post on the fishnet forum?

Dont do a 100% water change, if you just chuck them in tap water you'll probably kill them, or at least make them ill, so thats stupid advice. I'd put a post on fishnet forum on here for some advice from experienced fish keepers if I were you

You need a proper tank with a filter and gravel hoover for the bottom of the tank.

DS keeps fish and takes an a few hours every week to keep on top of his tank conditions and the a 1/2 day for a big clean.

Same problem here. Not with gold fish though. It's not good for the fish for you to replace all their water, but ours gets so bad very quickly I feel that's what I really want to do. My two new strategies are- cleaning with a magnet very often, and turning the light off as much as possible. This helps reduce algae. Pets at home will analyse a water sample for you.

No as above do not do a full clean out. Goldfish are mucky fish and do need a big tank, we have two in a 64L tank and I think even that's pushing it a bit. They are fancy fantail and don't need as much space as normal ones.

You need a filter in the tank to help keep that water clean one with charcoal in would be good. But you'd need to run the filter up in some tank water for a week or two without the fish first. I've don't this in a bucket before, putting a fresh filter into a tank can cause problems. You need to seed the bacteria in the filter, which is why you use some of your tank water.

Using a grave filter to remove the dirt from the grave will help, and you can get cleaning sponges to clean the sides of the tank if you have algey (sorry can't spell). Putting in live plants gives the fish much needed greens to eat, you can easily overfeed with comersal food I only fed once a day with flakes or pelates. Any more will increase your waste problem. Plants also help I find balance the water better to. A good local fish shop will sell a good selection.

Fish are harder to keep them people think especially good fish as they are messy. Some other smaller cold water fish are easier to keep and don't require a much space.

Oh yes lights no more then 4-5 hours a day people, a timer is a good idea and be careful you don't have the tank in direct sunlight.

We never an algae problem. We have a 90 litre tank that we inherited already established. It has about 12 tetras/cherry barbs/a dwarf guarami and a pleco that lives at the bottom.

That's all it has in terms of fish. It looks full because it aklso has - living plants like Amazon Sword, Java Fern growing on a log of driftwood, a big log of driftwood, Java Moss on a rock, Anubias, two other living plants I cannot for my life remember the name of, and another moss ball - so there are more living plants and wood really than fish!

Wealso have two big castles, tons of hiding place type ornaments and we do find three things -

(1) Because there is so much space to hide, the fish dont hide, they swim unstressed and we watch them

(2) the small number of small fish we have, actually dont make it seem empty as the many plants and castles really create a lovely environment.

(3) We only feed a pinch of flakes once a day and it goes in no time. Pleco eats algae tablets and is often seen eating moss, fern, bits of the anubias plant and the driftwood.

We don a 25% water change each Sunday and the tank stays crystal clear and the plants looks gorgeous in it with little neon fishies swimming in and out of castles.

Take the fish out and put them in a bowel of water, but make sure the water is at the right temperature before doing this. Use this magnetic cleaner to clean the tank of all algae and scum and the replace the water.