| So you have bought your aquarium, got it all set up | | | | external canister filter. These filtration systems will |
| and the fish are swimming round happily. It would be | | | | ensure waste is not kept within the tank and will |
| nice if all you had to do from now on was sprinkle in | | | | keep the water clearer for longer. |
| a little bit of fish food but the reality is keeping your | | | | 3. Regularly replace some of the water. |
| aquarium looking as good as it can is a time | | | | Every 2 weeks take out 20% of the water in the |
| consuming business. You should keep your aquarium | | | | tank, treat some new water to remove chlorine etc |
| clean for 2 main reasons. Firstly, it will not look good | | | | and add this to the tank. Not only will the keep the |
| if the tank is covered in algae and the fish are | | | | aquarium cleaner, it is a vital step to keeping the fish |
| swimming around in dirty water. Secondly, and most | | | | healthy. |
| importantly, a dirty tank will mean your fish are more | | | | 4. Clean the gravel and filter every month. |
| likely to be unhealthy. So how can you keep your | | | | Every 4 weeks use a gravel cleaner (available at all |
| aquarium clean? | | | | fish shops) to give the gravel a good clean. This can |
| 1. Ensure the aquarium is in the best position | | | | be combined with the fortnightly water change. While |
| Keep the aquarium in a place where the temperature | | | | you are doing this clean the various parts of the filter. |
| will remain fairly stable and keep away from direct | | | | It is important to note that when cleaning the filter, |
| sunlight. The sun's rays will cause the algae to grow | | | | use the aquarium water as opposed to water |
| faster and will mean you are forever cleaning the | | | | straight from the tap, this will ensure the good |
| glass on the tank. | | | | bacteria remains in the filter. |
| 2. Use a good filter | | | | Whilst some see aquarium maintenance as a chore, |
| Every aquarium should have a filter with the size and | | | | many enjoy this aspect of fish keeping. As long as |
| contents of the tank determining the best filter for | | | | you do it correctly you will be able to enjoy your |
| the job. For smaller tanks you can use an internal | | | | aquarium sparkling at its best all year round. |
| filter and for larger tanks over 3ft consider getting an | | | | |