An aquarium is an enclosed environment , so any waste material released by the living organisms within it end up in the water and substrate. Unless they are removed at regular intervals , these waste materials are biologically transformed into toxic by-products like ammonia , nitrate and phosphate , which affect the water quality and harm the fishes’ health.

If you do not maintain the aquarium well , the poor fish and plants will be living in a sewer filled with pollutants and toxins , and their health will suffer.

Water changes involve more than just removing water from the tank and replacing it. Other factors such as the condition of the replacement water and the amount of water to remove , also come into play. These can affect the water quality , and thus the state of your aquarium’s health.

Colonies of beneficial bacteria grow on every surface in the tank. These bacteria are part of the biological filter ; allowing them to thrive will help improve the quality of the biological filtration system.

If you use gravel as a substrate , simply removing water from the tank only eliminates dissolved pollutants but does not eliminate the detritus and organic matter trapped within the gravel granules. If left alone , these waste materials will eventually decompose and pollute the water.

Using a gravel-cleaning siphon will remove these trapped waste particles ,and oxygenate the substrate as well , allowing nutrients and oxygen to reach the biological bacteria living on the gravel.

The aquarium size , the number and species of fish , and the types of aquarium accessories will determine the amount of maintenance required.

A small tank with a heavy load may need half its water changed every three days. A large tank with just a few fish may only need a small fraction of the water changed every week of fortnightly.

Ideally , more frequent and smaller volumes of water changes should be made. These avoid the problems of drastic fluctuations in water parameters , so the organisms in the aquarium need not cope with sudden changes in their environment.

On the other hand , too frequent water changes should also be avoided , as these disturb the fish and plants , and prevent beneficial bacteria from developing.

Under normal conditions , you should remove 10 to 25 percent of the total water volume. Try not to exceed 50 percent at a time. Do a complete water change only in emergencies such as a disease breakout or accidental water pollution.

Find ways to make your cleaning chores easier - Start afresh …

Is your aquarium in such a shoddy state that it is unfit to be seen by visitors ? In the first place why did you put off cleaning your aquarium ? If it is not from plain laziness , but mostly because you dread handling smelly water and the gunk that has accumulated in the aquarium , such a situation can be avoided !

Simply practice smart ways to keep your aquarium in good shape with less effort. And what better time to kick-start these new habits than right now ?

Resolve to clean the aquarium at least once every fortnight from now. It will be even better if you have the energy and time to clean it weekly , as it will be easier to maintain , and you can prevent diseases from taking root or spreading. Remove and replace only about 20 percent of the water each time. Make larger water changes only if the water is very dirty , or any of your fish are ill or carrying a disease.

As far as possible , try not to do a large water change above 25 percent. Fish become accustomed to their environment over a period of time. If you have not cleaned your aquarium for over a month and then try to do a 50 percent water change to make up for it , you will actually do your fish more harm than good. That is because a drastic change in the water parameters will cause your fish to become stressed and more susceptible to disease. A wise approach would be to do a 20 percent water change first , and then another 20 percent water change five to seven days later.

Find ways to make your cleaning chores easier , quicker and less messy. for instance , you could use a cleaning vacuum that leads directly to your sink. instead of sucking through a conventional gravel vacuum to drain water out of your tanks , the cleaning vacuum allows you to drain water out of your tanks and refill them very quickly.

Use a filtration system that incorporates carbon as a filtration media , and ensure the carbon is replaced every three to four weeks. Carbon is a substance that helps eliminate bad aquarium odours.

Clean the glass walls of the tank and gravel each time you do a water change. This way you avoid a complete overhaul. If you take everything out of the aquarium and clean it all , you will be destroying beneficial bacteria , thereby disturbing the delicate biological balance and placing undue stress on the fish and plants. If you need to clean the aquarium decorations , progressively clean different items at different times. Keeping algae-loving inhabitants in your aquarium will also help prevent heavy algae growth on decorations.

Do not overfeed your fish. the extra food will sink to the bottom and start decaying there. Rotting food smells bad.

If the neglect is due to laziness , think of it this way : The point of keeping an aquarium is to derive pleasure from your fish , so cleaning the aquarium is the least you can do to return the favour - by creating a nice and healthy environment for them to live in.

Drawing up a cleaning schedule can also help. Try your best to stick faithfully to the routine. You have to take a bath at least once a day , so treat aquarium cleaning not as a chore , but as a way of giving your beloved pet fish an infrequent bath to keep them looking spiffy !