Weekly Maintenance

• 1). Use a water siphon to remove 10 percent to 15 percent of the tank's water at least once a week. Place the canister of the siphon into the tank. Make sure no fish get in it. Place your thumb over the hose at the other end.
  
  
• 2). Scoop up some water---and no fish---and hold the canister up high, with the hose pointed down toward your water bucket. Remove your thumb and let a little water out into the bucket. Once no air remains in the hose, put the canister back in the tank, with the open end down in the gravel.
  
  
• 3). Take your thumb off of the hose, and the siphon will work like a vacuum cleaner, scooping up gravel, debris and dirty water. Keep an eye on your fish, you don't want any of them sucked into the siphon. If the siphon looks clogged, pull it up out of the water, dump out the gravel, and repeat Steps 1 and 2.
  
  
• 4). Use an algae scraper to clean any algae off of the sides of the tank.
  
  
• 5). Fill a clean bucket---you should keep one that has never been used just for this purpose---with tap water. Try to get the temperature of the tap water as close to that of the tank water as possible. You should be able to do this by touch, you don't need a thermometer.
  
  
• 6). Treat the tap water with a liquid de-chlorinator. Follow the directions on the label as far as how much to use, because every brand is a little different.
  
  
• 7). Replace the water in the tank by using the siphon in the opposite direction. This method keeps you from disturbing the little diver, treasure chest and plants, and lessens the stress on the fish.
  
  

Deep Cleaning

• 1). Siphon off enough tank water to fill a temporary tank or bowl.
  
  
• 2). Use a fish net to scoop up your fish and put them in the holding tank. Do a fin count to make sure you get them all.
  
  
• 3). Siphon all of the water out into your siphoning bucket. Discard it. Plants love this used water, so toss it in the garden.
  
  
• 4). Remove all of the gravel, any decorative things and plants. Place them in a large, fine-mesh strainer in the sink.
  
  
• 5). Mix 1 part regular bleach to 9 parts water, and use this solution to rinse off the decorations, plants and any gravel you are keeping. Do not use any kind of soap on anything that goes into the fish tank; many soaps contain chemicals that are toxic to fish. Rinse everything well.
  
  
• 6). Discard gravel that you want to replace by scooping it into a doubled plastic grocery bag and setting it in the trash.
  
  
• 7). Use an algae scraper to get algae off of the sides of the tank.
  
  
• 8). Clean the inside of the glass with shop cloths and aquarium glass cleaner. Never use any kind of regular window cleaner on aquariums; it is toxic.
  
  
• 9). Fill a clean bucket with tap water that is as close to the usual water temperature in the aquarium as possible. Treat it with a de-chlorinator.
  
  
• 10
  
  Replace the gravel and decorations in the bottom of the tank.
  
  
• 11
  
  Siphon the treated water back into the tank. This way you will be less likely to disturb the gravel and decorations.
  
  
• 12
  
  Scoop your fish gently into their clean tank. Add a little of the dirty water---unless it was really filthy---to the tank. This helps lessen your fishes' stress at being scooped up and moved around.