How to Easily Clean a Fish Bowl or Fish Tank Are you spending too much time cleaning your fish bowl or have no idea where to even begin? Here's all you need to know about cleaning your fish bowl or tank from water to algae. How to “Age” Your Fishbowl’s Water Don’t add fresh tap water straight to a new bowl for you fish—you have to “age” the water first to remove gases and chemicals that come from treated water. To this, simply leave it overnight and/or treat it with chemicals from your petstore. Remove Your Fish to a Temporary Bath Remove any decorations, as well as your fish. Some recommend putting your fish in a temporary bath that’s filled with the same water from your tank (even if it’s dirty). If the tank or bowl has been filthy for awhile, you might want to also prepare a saltwater bath to kill off any germs your fish has picked up. Even though goldfish are freshwater fish, salt will help your fish absorb much-needed electrolytes and kill any parasites on his fins.

To get the saltwater ready, run tap water into a separate bowl and let it sit for a day as stated above. Add a teaspoon of non-iodized salt and mix until it dissolves. Then let Goldy go for a swim in the salt water for approximately 15 minutes. Easiest Way to Clean a Fish Tank If you have a water siphon, use it to get out the dirty water and clean the gravel. If you don’t have one, you can also use a wet/dry shop vac, along with some old pantyhose. Place two or three layers of pantyhose over the nozzle of the hose and secure it with a rubber band. After removing your fish to its temporary bath, stick the hose in the tank and start sucking. The dirty water will find its way into the vacuum, but the rocks won’t make it through the nylon. If you have a small fish bowl, dump out the gravel into a strainer and run water through them, then dry with towels before adding back to the bowl. How to Get the Sides of Your Tank Clean If your fish tank is marked with hard-to-remove deposits, just rub the tank with a cloth dipped in vinegar while you’re cleaning it, then wipe with a cloth dampened with water and allow to dry.

The spots should disappear. Just make sure you rinse the tank thoroughly and let it dry (use towels, if necessary) before putting your fish back in. If your fish tank’s got an algae problem, sterilize it with hydrogen peroxide. This multipurpose antiseptic works wonders in the underwater ecosystem: After 24 hours in water it decomposes into hydrogen and oxygen, which means no sweat for your fish! To kill algae on aquarium accessories, add a half-teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide to a quart of water. Then use this solution on the tank accessories while your fish is in his temporary bath. If the problem is really bad, take the items out of the tank and soak them in the peroxide solution for a few days. Then rinse and add back to the aquarium. For more cleaning tips from all around the internet, check out our Cleaning Tips board on Pinterest.  And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Image courtesy of Shutterstock. You May Also Like...

5 Shortcuts to Make Cleaning Your Bathroom Easy Cats and Litter Boxes (Part 1) 5 Quick and Easy Ways to Remove Pet Hair 10 Tips That Will Change How You Clean Your KitchenAdd to GuideAsk a QuestionCategory Turtles0Turtles defecate in the water of their tank, making keeping it clear a challenge. cheap aquarium supplies onlineThis is a guide about solutions for a cloudy turtle tank.3 Articles All Articles   RelevanceAll ArticlesQuestionsNewestOldestMost HelpfulLeast HelpfulMost AnswersFewest AnswersBest AnswersRelevanceQuestionsHere are the questions asked by community members. buy driftwood for aquarium online indiaRead on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.buy diatomaceous aquarium filter

Question: 1I persistently have a problem with the water in my turtle tank being cloudy. It's about 150 gallons and I have four 2inch wide red ear sliders. I put zoo med Reptisafe in the water daily as well as exo biotine. fish tank water exchangerI have two filters as well. fish tank water smellsI clean up any uneaten food and my water is still foggy! fish tank water evaporating fastWhat should I do? By Bell Answer By Robyn0I found this video, although I am not an expert on turtles at all, he says not to feed the turtles in the tank they stay in but to feed them in a seperate tank and he mentions two products: Aquatic Turtle Banquet Block and also Flukers and it said something I could not make out. It is a cleaner I suppose?

Here is the video. http://youtu.be/6DyDS4C86IsHe also said that rocks on the bottom cause cloudy water also. Reply By Liz Zlomke0Try a UV sterilizer. Reply By Liz Zlomke0Try a UV sterilizer Reply By nicwda840Hi i have a female red eared slider who is about 5 inches and in a 55 gallon tank. I have a filter and clean out any excess food and waste. I also do half water changes weekly. Why is my water still look so cloudy Reply By debbiekochajda0Problem with constently cloudy water .1 turtle in 40 gallon tank Reply 0http://www.turt  ater/&page=2 Reply By queenlex660I have a very small turtle tank,I've clean it two days ago and now it's really cloudy. Reply By finbar20050Mine was the same till i started using aquapure capsules now water stays clear. Reply Question: By Bryan0My turtle's water is very cloudy (to the point of not being able to see him though the water) and stinks very badly! I am changing the water every single say and have a very good (and expensive) filter. What is causing the cloudiness and what do I do to stop it?

By Bryan from Vancouver, BC Answer By Frances Adams0Are there rocks, pebbles, etc on the floor of the tank? Turtle tanks do tend to get much smellier than regular fish tanks. We used to keep alligator snapping turtles that the kids would find, until they got too big for me to clean the tanks out safely, then we would return them to the creek behind our house.Check out the site below:http://www.drsf  d=160&c=6016This is what I consulted while we had the turtles, and it was a lot of help. Reply By Lisa1I have two Red Eared slider turtles, and I had to learn the hard way too, but now my tank stays clear. Here's what works for me: I bought a very large tank (55 gallon) and I use two filters; I use "Prime" (purchased from Pet Smart for about $6) to remove the chlorine and keep water clear. It is safe for fresh and salt water, and it only takes about 1/2 a cap full every time I change the water (about once every other week); Don't overfeed, this creates unnecessary waste; to keep the white buildup off the inside glass, I use a 50/50 mixture of water/white vinegar in a spray bottle every few days.

The vinegar smell goes away as soon as it dries; You will have to remove the rocks about once every couple of weeks as well and clean them with bleach and water. Make sure you rinse the bleach off really well before returning to tank. If you can commit to spending about an hour every two weeks to thoroughly clean the tank, you will be amazed at the difference. Reply By Nikki1I have had my Red Ear Slider for about 9 years. I have 125 gallon tank for him. I also worked at a pet store for a few years. Cloudiness is usually caused by a build up of ammonia in the water. You might have spent a lot of money on a filter but it could be a crap filter if it doesn't have the right media in it. For turtles you need a carbon zeolite mix (it is black and white).Keeping rocks in your tank can help but makes sure you don't buy aquarium gravel that your turtle can swallow. Also there is a product called Zoo Med ReptiSafe Conditioner it is blue; I would use this as a water conditioner.Let me know if you have any other questions about your turtle or filter Reply 0I have two small red ear sliders ,,I had same problem with cloudy tank ,until I started feeding them in seperate container leaving them in that water for awhile than they go to the bathroom in that container and the ammonia from them going to bathroom doesn't cloud their tank Reply 0I have two small red ear sliders

,,I had same problem with cloudy tank ,until I started feeding them in seperate container leaving them in that water for awhile than they go to the bathroom in that container and the ammonia from them going to bathroom doesn't cloud their tank Reply By jamieleeamae0I know this was a VERY long time ago but, did you ever find out what the problem was... please get back to me ASAP Reply Question: 0I have had so many problems with my turtles and really need help! My water is consistently either yellow or cloudy. When it's yellow, I use turtle conditioner, but it didn't really work so I cleaned the whole tank again. Now my water is really cloudy to the point it's hard to see right through, I have only had these two turtles for 3 months. Their shells are also starting to go a little white, perhaps shedding? I've been trying to get them in the sun more in case that was the problem. Please help I just want a clean tank with healthy turtles. Should I feed them in separate water to stop the tank from going cloudy and dirty?