A betta fish is a common pet for everyone be it an adult or small child. These pets are commonly used as awards in festivals as well as other competitions. The pet is ideal as they are easy to feed, and it takes little effort to clean the fish tanks. The Betta fish is resilient, and you do not have to be an expert to take care of the fish. However, proper cleaning of the fish tank is necessary if you want your pet to survive and the entire cleaning process takes less than an hour.
I recommend checking out this video:
Ensure Proper Cleaning
You must clean your Betta fish tank regularly. If you delay the cleaning process, the water will be polluted with debris, and the water pH and hardness will rise. A dirty Betta fish tank will not only make the water contaminated and create harmful compounds, but it is also dangerous to marine life and can kill your fishes. To clean your Betta fish tank properly, just follow this simple guide that will teach you in simple steps on how to clean a betta fish tank.
Step by Step Process on How to Clean A Betta Fish Tank
We strongly advise regular cleaning of Betta tank, we also urge you not to take the cleaning lightly and do it properly regularly. Follow these simple steps to clean the tank.
Start With Clean Hands
Before you start to clean the tank, you must first thoroughly wash your own hands. If you begin to clean the tank with dirty hands, you will only add new germs to the water and contaminate the tank with new threats to your fishes. Do not make the mistake of cleaning your tank with dirty hands if you want to complete cleanliness of the tank.
Get Your Tools Ready
These are optional but they are great to have. Makes things a lot easier!
- Marina Betta Waste Remover for Aquarium
- TOM Aquarium Gravel Vacuum
- Two Little Fishies BettaMag Magnetic Cleaner
- SunGrow Betta pH Test Strips
- Deep Blue Professional ADB12012 Betta Scoop Fish Net
Make Sure Nothing Electric In On
Next turn off all electrical connections to the tank. You should make certain there are no electrical appliances that can accidentally fall into the water while you are cleaning it. When you have unplugged all electronics near to the tank, you can begin the cleaning process.
Changing The Water
You will now start by changing the water in the tank. Ideally every week you should change 30 percent of the water. You need a good scooping device that you can buy from the market to remove the water. You can also use a regular cup for this, but then you need to set aside that cup for water changing only. Take out your Betta fish and put them in another bowl. It is preferred that you use some of the same aquarium water in the bowl where you shift the fishes temporarily.
Use the scooping equipment to remove around 30 percent of the water. You should not replace all water in the tank as it creates pH level changes in the water. A complete water change can kill the helpful microorganisms in the water.
Cleaning The Tank
You can either clean the tank with water in the tank, or you can move the water to a separate tub. However, it is better to clean the tank by removing the water first. It will give you more access to the tank when you are cleaning it. You can take out the water by using a small suction pump. If your tank is small you can simply pour out the water in the tub.
If you are cleaning the tank with water in it, you should use a good gravel vacuum to remove fish waste and dirt from the substrate. If you are cleaning the tank after removing the water first, you can clean the empty tank by hands and rinse it thoroughly with hot water. If you make a small investment and buy a good water tank cleaning vacuum and filter system it can save you some time of cleaning.
Don’t Forget The Decorative Items
All removable rocks, wood, and decorative items are to be removed from the water tank then clean the water tank with warm water. Take all underwater accessories out and clean them properly.
Clean the filters and remove any blockages and specks of dirt from the filter. If you are not sure how to clean the filter properly you can follow the instruction manual that comes with all filter systems.
Use a good de-chlorinating substance and put it in the bucket of new water that you will add in the tank. Let the water rest till it is at room temperature and then you can add all the water in the Betta tank.
Putting It All Back
Carefully place all the things back in the tank and plug in the necessary electronics. This is the good time to give one final look at the tank. If you feel any part of the tank need further cleaning do not stall it for the next time. You should make it a habit to properly clean the tank every time you are changing the water.
Carefully put the Betta fish back into the tank.
Your Betta Tank is Cleaned!
We hope that the simple guideline cleared any misconceptions you have regarding Betta water tank cleaning. It is not a very complicated process and the entire process can be done in an hour by using simple equipment and household accessories.
Betta fish tanks can be big or small. Cleaning the big tank is easier as reaching the corner of the big water tank is easier and removing water and fishes can be done easily. Small tanks are somewhat difficult to clean and require more equipment to ensure proper cleaning of the tank. The larger tanks are mostly available at competitive pricing and if you have space in your house or workplace it is better to buy a big betta fish tank and put more betta fishes in it. You will be amazed at how easy it is to clean a betta fish tank.
If you are still confused, you can hire an outside service. Fish water tanks cleaning services are offered by some aquarium service centers. While it is an option to hire professional to do the cleaning but ultimately you should learn to do the fish tank cleaning yourself.