How To Clean Your Fish Tank’s Glass?

Knowing how to properly clean a fish tank, including the glass, is important to ensure the general hygiene of the tank, but also keep the aquarium looking it’s best all the time. This is why it is worth investing in a good fish tank cleaner and additional cleaning equipment.

Why You Should Clean Your Fish Tank’s Glass?

Regularly cleaning your glass aquarium is advised to promote a healthy living environment for your fish. This is because an aquarium is an artificial ecosystem in which the fish are specifically selected to co-exist in a restricted environment. Unlike natural habits, decomposers are absent in aquariums, meaning that the food waste and fish excrement mix with the water in the tank with nowhere else to go. If this dirty water is left untreated for prolonged periods of time, it can turn the water toxic and cause waste to build up on the fish tank glass.

Over time, brown or green algae can build up on the inside of the aquarium too. This is caused by direct sunlight hitting the tank or sometimes leaving the aquarium lights on too long. Excess nutrients from uneaten fish food or decaying plant matter and fish waste can provide algae with the nutrients needed to grow. Reducing the light and keeping the tank clean by doing regular water changes will help keep algae under control.

Additionally, streaky white residue can form on the top of transparent aquarium glass as a result of the evaporation of hard water. This residue is usually a lime build-up, which causes cloudy aquarium glass and is quite unpleasant to look at. This is why cleaning an aquarium and fish tank maintenance is important.

How To Safely Clean Aquarium Glass?

It is important to know how to safely clean your aquarium glass. Start with the inside glass, then work your way towards the outer glass and remove any lime build-up that may be present.

Cleaning The Inner Glass

To clean the inside of the glass, use an algae pad to manually scrub the algae off the glass. For hard-to-reach places, an algae brush with a handle makes cleaning easier.

For more persistent stains and residue, use a scraper with a stainless steel blade to scrape the glass. For aquariums made of acrylic, plastic razors are advised as regular stainless steel blades can leave scratches on the surface.If you prefer to not clean the glass by hand, you can invest in a floating magnetic fish tank cleaner to thoroughly clean your fish tank glass. These convenient tools are made of strong magnets which help you clean the inside of the fish tank glass without leaving scratches.

One side of the magnet is coarse and is placed on the inner glass of the tank, while the other softer side goes on the outside. Once the pieces are attached, the aquarium glass cleaner is easily moved around to scrub off the algae. For spotted algae and more stubborn algae build-ups, a floating magnet cleaner with a scraper blade attached to the end will keep your aquarium glass squeaky clean without getting your hands wet.

Cleaning The Outer Glass

Once you have scrubbed the inner glass clean, it is time to move on to the outer glass. Use diluted vinegar or aquarium-safe fish tank glass cleaners or sprays and wipe off with lint-free cloth.

Avoid using regular glass cleaners as they contain ammonia and other chemicals which can become airborne and harm the fish. If you do use a chemical cleaner, make sure you spray it away from the aquarium and onto the cloth before wiping down the outside of the aquarium.

Cleaning Lime Build-up

It can be quite tempting to use heavy-duty cleaners to get rid of the ghastly white residue caused by lime build-up. However, please refrain from doing so as this can be very toxic for your fish. Instead, please use products that have been specifically manufactured to deal with cloudy aquarium glass. Fish-safe cleaning sprays or vinegar can be used to treat lime build-up. You can use scrubbers or pads to remove the stains and, for stubborn build-up, use a scraper with a blade to scrape it off.

General Tips for a Clean Aquarium

Apart from cleaning your fish tank glass, here are some general tips to follow for regular maintenance of your fish tank as a whole. Regularly clean the decorations, rocks and plants inside the tank. These are prone to algae build-up, so use a regular cleaning brush or scourer pad to remove any traces of algae. Soaking the items in a solution of 10% bleach can help with difficult stains.

Wash off the bleach and soak the ornaments in a bucket of water with some water conditioner to remove any bleach residue before placing them back into the aquarium.Use a gravel vacuum cleaner or siphon to remove excrement and debris from the gravel on the aquarium floor. Clean the outer fixtures of the tank including the hood, light and tank top. These are areas where bacteria can hide. Invest in a good aquarium filter to help keep the water clean and break down debris and fish waste.

A filter that has chemical, mechanical and biological filtration elements is most suitable.

Change your aquarium water every 2 weeks to avoid cloudy and dirty water.

Shop Cleaning Equipment Today!

A clean aquarium equals happy fish. Aquarium Kingdom has a large range of cleaning and maintenance equipment that is sure to provide your fish with a clean and healthy environment to thrive in. Shop for aquarium glass cleaners, magnetic fish tank cleaners and much more at Aquarium Kingdom today!