Watching the beautiful motions of your fish moving during your free time is calming and somehow relaxing. On the other side, having fish in your beautiful aquarium means that you must be ready to clean it regularly.
Green dust algae will grow if you do not clean your aquarium regularly and it might damage the ecosystem in your aquarium. The growth of green algae also must be controlled because it is beneficial for your fish.
Easy Steps to Clean Aquarium Decorations
When you finally get to keep your lovely fish in the aquarium, the feeling is wonderful. However, if the decorations begin to seem dirty, that is not a good sign. Your aquarium will be full of green dust algae and it can make your aquarium looks dirty.
At this point, you need some detailed instructions to get your aquarium back to looking as spotless and beautiful as before. Here are easy steps for you to clean your aquarium decorations.
- Remove the decorations and move the plants to the other side
Never clean your decorations at the same time because it can be the best place for beneficial microorganisms to keep your fish healthy. Removing them at once will make your aquarium balance’s off. Removing them all at one time will also stress your fish so make sure to do it gently.
If you have living plants in your aquarium, move them to the corner so that you can clean the tank freely. You can also change the old plants with the new ones. Living plants are very beneficial for your fish and aquarium ecosystem.
- Vacuum the gravel starting from the bottom
The most common decoration in the fish tank is gravel which can be covered by algae over time. Use gravel vacuum when you want to freshen it up. Do not forget to replace the water with dechlorinated water once you finish cleaning the decorations.
- Clean the decorations
The first step to clean aquarium decoration is by boiling it in the hot water. Do not add anything such as chlorine or soap into the hot water. Let them boil for around 20 minutes to make sure that all the bacteria and algae are killed.
Then, scrub the decorations using a toothbrush to make it easier for you while removing the dirt and algae from the decorations. Next, prepare a bleach solution to soak all the decorations. After 5 minutes, take them all and rinse them cleanly.
- Put the decorations back into the tank
Before putting all of your decorations back into the tank, make sure you clean them once again using dechlorinated tap water. The water must be fresh in the clean bucket, and you can also use warm water.
Soak the decorations once again in the dechlorinated water for 20 minutes to make sure that all of the chlorine and bleach are cleaned. When the decorations still contain chlorine or soap, it will affect the growth of green dust algae and the tank’s ecosystem. Once it is finished, you can put them back in the tank. Do not forget to place the living plants back in their place.