Went on vacation, fish tank is disgustingly dirty - want to clean it properly?

Question

DISCLAIMER: I am new to the whole fish scene and have very little knowledge about proper maintenance aside from gravel vacuums. I have a 10 gallon tank and a few basic fish.

I went on vacation for 2 months and my friend was supposed to watch my fish for me. She fed them daily but for some reason never changed the filter and didn't use any of the ammonia and algae control chemical thingies I bought... I get back and my fish tank is disgusting... there is gross black/green stuff all over the tank walls, plant things and gravel. 

I used my gravel vacuum and cleaned up as much as I could (30% water change) and added some of the ammonia reducer (it smelled awful and from my understanding that's ammonia build up) and some algae reducer/growth control. 

My question is how do I *SAFELY* clean my tank properly? The gravel is significantly better but the tank walls + plants/ornaments are pretty gross. I was thinking about buying one of those magnetic wall cleaners is that a good idea? and I remember reading that you should never clean out an entire tank (remove fish, clean gravel, plants, etc) is this true?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Stuey · Accepted Answer

Removing the fish is stressful for them. Plus, it really is not necessary.

In your case, remove all the decorations and plants, and clean them in your sink. Just use warm water. No soap. I would get a good stiff brush if things are that bad. Get a brush at the pet store. This will insure it is aquarium safe.

You can do more than one water change in a day. And you can change 50% or more if needed. Use your gravel vac and get up everything that you can. You can do one water change in the morning and one in the evening with no problems. Or one right after the other if you are up for it. Changing 100% of the water will not hurt a thing, if you are changing 50% at a time. Just make sure to use a de-chlorinator if you tap water has chlorine in it.

The magnet cleaners work great. If you have sand, you want to use caution with them. If any sand gets in it, it will scratch the glass. Other than that, they are awesome. I have one on all of my tanks. There are also sponges on handles meant to clean glass at the pet stores. They work too, but the magnet cleaners are much easier IMO.

Ditch all the chemicals you are adding. Get some Seachem Prime for you water conditioner. This is concentrated so you do not need much. It will detoxify ammonia and nitrites if it is needed for that. It will also remove the chlorine from your tap water if needed for that too. If algae is a problem, there is a reason. How long are the lights on for? Are you over stocked or over feeding? Is direct sunlight getting into your tank? Algae problems can be fixed without chemicals. Identify the problem, and get it resolved.

? · Answer

Use an old toothbrush for the sides of the tank, then use a net to get the algae out of the tank. If the ornaments are removable, you need to take them out, except for one if its slightly less dirty. This is because fish need to work with some of the same algae as before. clean the ornaments with a toothbrush. You must remember to clean the ornaments regularly.

Dillon Smith · Answer

take out fishes using the net, then put the fish in a jar or another tank until you done, If you can go out side and or have a water hose use that to get the main mess done. use a scrub or a Towel to fishes the mess up and from there do as you do water clear and then fish After 39 Min's

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Went on vacation, fish tank is disgustingly dirty - want to clean it properly?

3 Answers