Introduction

How often should I clean my fish tank? This is the main question everyone asks when they think about establishing a freshwater aquarium or have one already. Establishing the right frequency and replacing the proper amount of water is important to keep the right environment for your fish.

My Aquarium

I have had a 75-gallon freshwater aquarium for several years and the main thing I was concerned with when I obtained it was how often I should clean my tank. I did tons of research on the Internet and with the books I bought.

After all this research I was totally confused because they all recommended different amounts of water to remove and replace and at different frequencies. So with more research I established two goals in how often I needed to change the water in my tank.

The first goal was to clean out the tank to remove debris from left over fish food, decaying plant material and fish waste. This waste would upset the environment that the fish need to survive.

My second goal was to maintain the proper chemical environment and prevent too much of a temperature change. Keeping the proper chemical environment is very important to keep your fish healthy. You also do not want too much of a temperature change to prevent shocking your fish.

Cleaning The Aquarium

In order to meet my two goals I decided on cleaning half the tank with a water vacuum once a week. This cleaning required me to put the water vacuum under the pebbles at the bottom of the tank to suck up the debris.

In order to remove the debris from half the aquarium, I also needed to remove about 10 gallons of water from my 75-gallon aquarium.

The water I have removed from my aquarium, with the fish waste, I put in my plants and my garden. This water is an excellent source of fertilizer.

The water I put back in has been sitting in buckets overnight and treated with a water conditioner to remove chemicals the city adds to our tap water. I also filled the buckets with hot water to allow the water to cool down to room temperature.

If you filled the buckets with cold water it is more difficult for the water to heat up to room temperature.

Results

Cleaning half the aquarium once a week and removing a little over 10% of the water appears to be the right frequency and amount to keep the aquarium clean and your fish happy.