Small Teaching Aquarium Cleaning Procedure

Five steps to a clean Small Teaching Aquarium, clean in this order:

1. Inside glass
2. Habitat-rocks, plants, fixture
3. Sand
4. Outside glass and fixtures
5. Filter

Algae Pads/Scrapers

Clean the inside of your small teaching aquarium with an algae pad. Many algae scrapers exist including long handled scrubbers and magnetic scrubbers; choose the style that works best for you because any algae pad will do.

CAUTION: DO NOT use common cleaning  pads; many contain “deadly” soap or chemical residue.

For stubborn residue, use a razor blade to scrape it off. Caution: If your aquarium is acrylic, use a plastic razor blade, metal razors scratch acrylic.

Bleach
Remove habitat including rocks, artificial plants and decorations with noticeably algae growth.

Caution: Do Not clean them with soap or detergents, it is impossible to completely remove the “lethal” soap from your small teaching aquarium.

Scrub all selected components with an algae scraper removing the algae and dirt from rocks and plants. For stubborn areas, soak in a mild 10% bleach solution for 15 minutes. Clean and rinse thoroughly. Caution: In order to eliminate residual bleach, air dry all components completely before reintroduction. Live plants survive bleaching; however, stem plants will not tolerate bleaching. Soak live plant for two minutes in a 5% bleach solution before rinsing completely.

Caution: When Vacuuming, remove all rocks, decorations and plants in order to avoid debris settling on the newly clean habitat.

Caution: Assign and mark a new bucket for aquarium use only. Old buckets generally have “lethal” soap or detergent residue left behind.

Siphon
Vacuum away the debris with a siphon. Many siphons exist and they all work. I like the Python because it eliminates my need for buckets. Some siphons draw water through a filter reclaiming the water though some smaller particles will pass through the filter and return to the tank.

Caution: Vacuum the entire surface thoroughly removing all debris.

Glass and Lime Cleaners
Clean the hood, light, tank top, and outside glass. Caution: common glass cleaners contain “toxic” ammonia and “deadly” lime cleaners are dangerous. Use vinegar or cleaners designated as Aquarium Safe Only

Filter Cleaning

Return all inhabitants and wait a two of weeks before changing the filter. If the filter is changed at the same time as the other cleaning, an unsafe ammonia spike may occur because all the beneficial bacteria that eliminate the toxins might be removed.

Clean and replace the filter media entirely.  Experts caution that replacing the filter media removes too many of the beneficial bacteria, and triggers a new tank break-in cycle, but most agree that sufficient bacteria inhabit the rocks, plants  and gravel to preventing the tank from cycling when the filter is replaced. The filter used on your teaching aquarium may determine your approach filter cleaning.

Carbon and ammonia absorbers or ion-exchangers should be replaced often because their absorbing qualities are exhausted rapidly.

Mechanical filter such as ceramic rings, filter fiber and sponges should be gently rinsed and returned to the filter quickly. Caution: Use the same temperature water as the small teaching aquarium water and quickly returned to the filter and many of the beneficial bacterial colonies growing on filter will be returned

Clean the filter tubing and other parts of the filter assembly. A filter brush helps remove the sludge that builds up in all the hard to reach places.

Maintenance

Cleaning your small teaching aquarium often will prevent the need for major cleanings. Do these simply things, scrape the glass weekly, vacuum the sand every time you do a water change, clean the habitat as necessary, clean the filter monthly replacing or rinsing media as needed, soak your fishnets in an aquarium safe disinfectant, and your small teaching aquarium  will stay beautiful and beneficial.