How Often Do You Have to Clean a Fish Tank?

Some of the best pets that you can have around your home are fish. Fish have the distinct qualities of being relaxing while still having a lot to offer you in terms of affection and feeling you have something to take care of.

One of the main reasons people purchase fish is that they are easy to maintain, do not need as much attention, and are the perfect pet for a busy person. We all are busy, working jobs, trying to take care of families, and adding a pet on top of that can be difficult. This is why a fish may be a great first pet to get if you are trying to find one that is going to work the best for your lifestyle.

With that being said however, you simply cannot forget about your fish because they still need your attention. You need to make sure that their home is clean, that they are getting the light that they need, and that they have enough food to last them a long time.

For any new person who has just bought a fish tank the main question we get asked the most is “how often do I need to clean it?” While the answer is not black and white, we have created an outline for you of what you can do to ensure the cleanliness of your fish tank.

Why clean and how often do you have to clean a fish tank?

In order to fully dive into how often you should clean a tank, you first should understand why you are doing it in the first place. We believe that if you do something without knowing the reason behind it, you may lose the importance of the act you are doing. Just like your room or any area in your house, it must be vacuumed or dusted every once and a while to prevent the buildup of dust.

Dust can lead to allergies which can definitely lead to sickness such as a bad cough or cold. This is why we clean. The same can be said for fish tanks. Algae can grow in the water and so can plenty of other bacteria that are harmful to your fish. This can cause them to get sick and eventually end up dying. Have you ever seen a fish tank that has turned green? It is not a pretty picture. To prevent all of this you must clean you tank.

Ensuring you have a water filter

One of the best ways to decrease the number of times that you have to clean a fish tank is to make sure your tank has a high-quality water filter. If the water is consistently being filtered, the less bacteria or unwanted algae are going to build up. This can only occur if you buy a high-quality water filter. Many of the best fish tanks come with one already installed, so that is going to help you a lot. If you do not have one, you should make the purchase right away and there are plenty of cheap options that are going to decrease the amount of time you have to spend cleaning.

Keeping an eye on your tank

Whether you have a filter or not, the key to knowing how often to clean your tank is to keep an eye on it. At least once a week, go to your tank and look at the state of the tank. Check to see if dirt has built up and observe the quality and clarity of the water. This is going to tell you a lot. If you do this, and every week do a little bit of cleaning, it is going to help you in the long run avoid deep cleans.

Deep cleans

We recommend that twice a year you do a deep clean of your tank. This is the process of actually removing the fish and all of the water to clean out the tank. A deep clean is needed to ensure that the whole system and tank will be restored to pristine condition.

For a regular clean, we recommend doing it just once a month, but if the filter is looking good, you may not have to do that and just do it once every two months.

Keep it clean

To prolong your fish’s life and to keep them happy, take the time to clean your tank and buy a water filter for them.