How to Clean a Betta Fish Tank? Clean water is essential for the wellbeing of your betta fish. Aside from being visually unappealing, dirty water can also lead to illness and disease in your pet. You should make it a habit to take care of your betta’s tank properly by doing some basic maintenance. Below are steps that you can do at home by MemFish:
How to Clean a Betta Fish Tank?
1. Prepare Your Water Ahead of Time
It is best if you clean the tank all at once instead of cleaning only one part each time because this will prevent dirt and debris from getting stuck in the long run which may be difficult to remove even with a net or sponge scrubber. Before actually starting on cleaning your betta fish tank, prepare a bucket of warm water. You can mix fish tank de-chlorinator or a few drops of vinegar in the bucket to remove chlorine and other chemicals present in the tap water which may harm your fish.
You will also need some household cleaning materials like a sponge scrubber, a big bucket to transfer fish tank water to, net or filter bag for scooping out debris, and drying towels for laying down parts as they dry such as decorations and gravel.
2. Remove Betta Fish From Tank
Before you start on cleaning the inside of your betta fish tank, it is best if you first take out your betta. Place him/her in a bowl filled with warmed up water from the tank. The warmth of the bowl will help your betta fish breathe easier. After a few minutes, transfer him back to the tank. However, you should not leave your pet unattended for too long because if he/she gets too stressed out, he or she may get sick and even die.
3. Remove Decorations
Since it is best if you clean the entire tank at once, removing decorations such as plants and rocks from the bottom of the tank is also part of this process. You can take them out one by one using a net so that debris stuck on there do not fall off easily (you can use vinegar mixed with water to loosen up dirt). If possible though it’s better to just remove everything from the tanks all at once.
4. Remove Tank Water to Save
After removing all or most of the decorations, it is now time to remove as much water from the tank as possible. The aim here is not to make the container dry but instead just simply remove most of its contents so that cleaning will be easier and faster. A lot of debris gets stuck at the bottom during cycling so this is also an ideal time for you to clean it thoroughly. You can always save any water left over in a bowl or something similar if you think there are still some things that you want to keep living inside there (such as fish).
5. Pour Out Remaining Water
Pour out remaining water into a bucket with no more fish inside using a net so you can save it for later use. Use a clean paper towel or cloth to dry the walls of your fish tank once most of water has been removed from it.
6. Clean Decorations
At this point in time, you should be left with only decorations and a very small amount of water at the bottom of your betta fish tanks. Take each piece individually and scrub them with vinegar mixed with warm water to remove any dirt that may have stuck on there. Rinse everything thoroughly before putting back inside the tank as replacement.
7. Clean Gravel
Again, take out all gravel pieces one by one using tweezers or some other tool to remove debris from their edges and sides without damaging them. Clean, rinse and put back inside the tank as replacement since it is good practice to use the same type of gravel in your betta fish tanks.
8. Clean and Scrub Tank
If you have more time, you can try cleaning out some areas that are quite deep so that any remaining debris from cycling will be removed properly. The first step here is to fill up the tank with just warm water by using a bucket (this is also a good way of preparing your betta’s new home). Use vinegar mixed with water together with net or filter bag for scooping up dirt and leaving it on one side of the container while rinsing thoroughly on another side.
You may place small mesh or strainer into one side to lessen the chances of leaving any debris in there. Rinse well in order to remove all of the vinegar. You may want to rinse more than once if you feel it is not enough especially on the walls where dirt can accumulate a lot. Never forget to clean the tank’s cover as well since that is usually where dirt accumulates most – take time and scrub thoroughly until every bit of grime has been removed. After rinsing, make sure that your betta will have fresh water so refill it with some warm or cold filtered tap water and place clean decorations back inside (remember, do not use boiling water).
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9. Put Gravel and Decorations Back in Tank
Place the gravel back inside first before adding decorations since it can make cleaning a lot easier later on. Pay attention to the way you place them inside as well so that the filter and heater will not become obstructed later on.
10. Refill Tank with Old and New Water
Pour warm or cold water back into your betta fish tanks using a bucket or other container for easy pouring. You will want to add at least 1/3 of this volume of water instead of filling the tank all over again – this has several advantages including getting rid of most impurities from previous cycling process, lessening the chance of catastrophic failure during new one (this is something to consider if your filters are not working properly) and also making the cycling faster because there is already a supply of good bacteria inside the tank.
11. Put Your Betta Fish Back In
Now that your betta fish tanks are all clean, filled up with water and aquarium decorations back in place, remove the gravel cover from the bowl or container where you have kept your male betta fish and rinse it thoroughly before putting it back again. Transfer him to his cleaned home using a net if there is any dirt left on his body or fins by shaking them off first so he will not get hurt during handling. Use warm water for rinsing/cleaning your male betta fish as cold water can sometimes kill him – do not put more than three drops of soap in there though since too much soap will also be toxic to your male betta fish. Some people also use a bucket of water and pour it back into the betta’s tank once or twice to make sure that there are no impurities from male betta being left behind in the container – this is especially important if you have used warm or hot water for washing, rinsing or rinsing your betta. Add some new aquarium decorations and let your male betta fish settle down again in his cleaned up home.
Note : It would be best to keep your male betta fish inside an aquarium bowl or container during cycling since he can easily get away from the nitrite and ammonia smell otherwise. Also, please note that after cleaning out old water inside your main tank, do not put him directly back in there yet since you have not yet cleaned that part – use the container or bowl to avoid exposure to ammonia and nitrite levels inside your tank which can kill him.
source https://memfish.net/how-to-clean-a-betta-fish-tank/
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