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A regular complete cleaning of the aquarium is not necessary.
From time to time it is recommended to completely empty the aquarium once a year and to thoroughly clean and boil the substrate and all decorative objects. This recommendation can also be found in some older aquarium books.
From today’s perspective, this recommendation is outdated. Capturing, storing and reinserting means stress for the fish. Plants must first re-root in the ground. Bacteria in the substrate that break down pollutants are destroyed. An aquarium needed 6 – 12 monthsto get in properly. Only after this run-in or running-in period are the metabolic processes in the aquarium optimally coordinated. An annual cleaning therefore destroys the balance that has just been formed in the aquarium. An aquarium can be operated for several years without such basic cleaning if it is properly set up and cared for.
Proper setup and maintenance includes:
- the introduction of sand or fine gravel as a substrate. Coarse gravel is less suitable.
- a small stock of fish.
- that well-groomed fish and plants match the existing water values.
- an adequate running-in period of at least 3 weeks with regular measurement of the nitrite value.
- that algae are regularly removed or avoided.
- that excess mulm is sucked off.
- that the filter is only cleaned when necessary.
- that they are fed sparingly.
- that the water is changed regularly.
- that basic water parameters are checked regularly.
When a complete cleaning of the aquarium can be useful
However, thorough cleaning may be necessary if rotting spots have formed in the substrate. This can usually be recognized when gas bubbles that smell like rotten eggs rise from the ground. The cause is mostly leftover food and other organic matter that seep into the soil and rot there. Coarse gravel is particularly susceptible, as it is particularly easy for larger organic parts to seep in there. Sandy soil is correspondingly less susceptible to soil rot.
Thorough cleaning may also be necessary after particularly serious illnesses with an extremely large number of deaths or after the addition of medication. In such cases, however, it may make more sense to completely dispose of the gravel and plants and to wash out or disinfect the aquarium thoroughly with acetic acid.
Aquariums by experienced aquarists are usually operated for five to ten years or longer without thorough cleaning. A basic cleaning is only carried out when the aquarium is to be set up again.
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How to carry out a complete cleaning of the aquarium
- During cleaning, the fish are temporarily stored in the largest possible container with water from the aquarium. Depending on the season and the duration of the cleaning, heating is required.
- During cleaning, the plants are temporarily stored in the largest possible container with water from the aquarium.
- The filter continues to run in another container so that the bacterial culture does not die off.
- About half of the aquarium water is kept in different containers.
- The aquarium is cleared out and cleaned.
- Substrate, decoration and equipment are cleaned.
- The aquarium is set up again.
- The aquarium is closed. about a third filled with old aquarium water.
- The plants are used.
- The filter is reconnected to the aquarium.
- The aquarium is further filled up with old aquarium water.
- The fish are placed in the aquarium.
- The aquarium is finally filled up with fresh water.
Deviations from this basic plan are of course possible or necessary in individual cases. Another alternative is to only ever clean one part of the aquarium more thoroughly.
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