Whatever the aquarium in the house is, it is an elementinterior, a hobby of one of the household members, or both together - it invariably attracts everyone's attention. You can watch for hours, fascinated, for fish, rapidly sliding in clear water or lazily moving their fins, standing in one place. But the water really should be clear. Because an aquarium with a muddy greenish liquid instead of water and with overgrown walls is a very unsightly sight. Of course, you don't see such a picture often. But beginners in the aquarium business, faced with the problem of water pollution for the first time, do not know where to start. For them, we will now consider how to clean an aquarium.
Cleaning the walls
The first thing a person encounters isrecently got an aquarium - this is the overgrowth of the aquarium walls with algae. They do not pose any danger to the internal ecosystem of your aquarium, but they spoil the overall picture and reduce visibility. Therefore, you need to clean the glass from algae regularly, about once every week or two. It is not difficult to do. There are glass scrapers specifically for this purpose. If you have not bothered to buy this tool, then it can be easily replaced by an ordinary dishwashing sponge, a plastic card or a razor blade. But if your aquarium is made of plexiglass, then you can only use a sponge so as not to scratch the walls. Just in case, we will add that the sponge must be new. Do not forget that an aquarium is a living closed ecosystem, and any impact on it upsets the balance established in it. But for the future, it is better to buy an aquarium scraper, and for your own convenience, it is better to buy a magnetic one.
Ground siphon
The next step is cleaning the bottom of the aquarium,the so-called siphoning of the soil. During the life of your fish, their excrement accumulates on the bottom of the aquarium, which must be removed regularly. This is done using a hose with a special tip. You can buy it at any pet store. The diameter of the hose should be such that all the dirt from the aquarium can pass through it without hindrance. In order to determine whether there is already a need to clean the bottom of the aquarium, stir the soil with something. If there are no bubbles rising from the bottom, it is too early to siphon. If there are bubbles, then use the hose to collect all the debris not only from the surface of the bottom, but also by sticking it into the soil to clean it too.
Change of water in the aquarium
Periodically, a couple of times a week in an aquariumyou need to change the water. Or rather, replace it, because the water in the aquarium is never completely changed - for the fish, and for the entire system as a whole, this is real stress. By changing the water regularly, you constantly maintain its cleanliness. Usually, this procedure is combined with siphoning the soil. During one water change, no more than 30% of its volume is changed, so that this does not affect the health of the fish. The water for the change must be settled for at least one or two days.
Clean the filter
Today all aquariums are equipped with filters,which in most cases not only clean the water, but also aerate it. But in order for the filter to work effectively, it must be cleaned regularly. You need to clean special filter fillers, which are porous sponges. During the filter's operation, dirt accumulates on them, which the filter absorbs from the water. The filter must be washed as needed. This can be seen from the operation of the filter itself. If it does not pump water well, then it is already clogged, and it is time to clean it. The filter, or rather the foam insert from it, can be washed under a stream of clean running water, but it is better to rinse it in water from the aquarium that you pumped out during the change. In no case should you use any detergents to wash the foam inserts. After washing the insert itself, do not forget to clean and wash the plastic parts of the filter, including the head with the nozzle. This can be done with an old (but clean!) toothbrush. Clean all parts thoroughly under running water, thoroughly rinsing off all build-up.
Fish for aquarium cleaning
Many aquarium fish not only make us happytheir beauty, but also help to maintain cleanliness in the aquarium. Among such "cleaners" the first place is occupied by "livebearers", which include guppies, pecilia, swordtails and mollies. Fish that clean the aquarium have a special structure of the mouth apparatus. Thanks to the developed lower jaw, which works like a scraper, they successfully remove plaque from plants, from the walls and bottom of the aquarium. Ancistrus - armored catfish are increasingly used for these purposes. A peculiar mouth apparatus in the form of a sucker helps them not only to hold on and move along the walls of the aquarium and plants, but also to remove organic plaque from them, which they feed on. Therefore, they can also be used to clean the aquarium. We briefly tried to consider how to properly clean an aquarium. This is far from all the wisdom. In the process of working with an aquarium, you yourself will learn to determine when and how to clean your aquarium, what else needs to be done to ensure its beautiful appearance and the healthy existence of fish. We recommend reading:
