Having a beautiful aquarium requires the proper aquarium cleaning supplies. These supplies help the environment of your aquarium to stay healthy and continue to look nice. Cleaning your aquarium takes daily, weekly, and monthly effort. With proper effort and the right equipment, cleaning your tank is not difficult.
One of the first pieces of equipment you will need is something to clean algae off the glass. You can buy algae pads at your local pet store. Do not use sponges from a normal store, as they may have harmful chemicals or soap on them, which can kill your fish. Some manufactures make algae pads that are on a stick, so you do not have to stick your hand in the water to clean the algae. You can also buy a special product called a glass magnet. This tool has a magnet that you hold on the outside with an algae pad on the inside. You move the magnet, and the pad cleans the algae. Go for the smaller sized pad, as they are easier to use, even if you have a large tank. Sometimes you will have stubborn algae that will not respond to the algae pads. In that case you will need a glass scraper. If you have an acrylic tank, do not use a metal scraper.
Every fish tank owner will at some point get hard water lime build up on their equipment. Do not use standard cleansers to remove this, as they will kill your fish. There are special cleansers made for aquariums to remove this lime build up. Also, purchase a safe glass and hood cleaner. You will be tempted to use traditional glass cleaner when your tank gets fingerprints on it, and this is a bad idea. Some of the chemical can get into the water and kill your fish. The safe, nontoxic cleaners available at your pet store are a must. An example is a product called Lime Off. Remember, anything you spray around your tank will get into the water.
One of the most important cleaning supplies you will need is a siphon. The siphon is usually a plastic tube that siphons water and cleans the waste out of the gravel. While you siphon the water, waste gets sucked out too, but the gravel is left behind, because it is heavy. You will need a good bucket to use for pumping out the dirty water. Have a water conditioner on hand to condition the water you will be putting into the tank after using your siphon.
Your aquarium net will need attention too. If you remove dead or sick fish, the germs will get on your net, and can be transmitted to your healthy fish. Net Soak is a product that will remove the harmful bacteria from your nets.
Finally, you will need a filter brush. Filters have pipes with bends and curves that will get clogged with algae or lime build up. A filter brush will allow you to get to these hard-to-reach places, thus extending the life of your filter.
Cleaning your aquarium is easy if you have the proper supplies. Cleaning is essential to maintaining the proper balance of good bacteria and clean water. Have these supplies on hand before buying your first fish. This will ensure that you always provide the best environment for your new pets.
