Cleaning a Dirty Aquarium - Fish Tank Maintenance
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Hello everyone, it’s Pierre and welcome back to the channel!
This video shows how I clean one of my tanks while doing an 80% water change. I start by setting up a DIY water polisher made of a gravel vac tube attached to a small pump. I fill the chamber with Poly-Fil batting and submerge it after which I plug it in.
Then I use another DIY device made of PVC pipe and a squeeze bulb to drain about 80% of the water. I attach a DIY strainer so fish and shrimp don’t get accidentally sucked up.
While the water is draining and the pump is running, I remove algae from the glass with a paint scraper. I also stir up the substrate to allow mulm to be captured by the polisher.
I also trim plants and remove dead leaves. I use a toothbrush to remove algae and diatoms from the surfaces of broad leaves.
After adding dechlorinator, I refill the tank and replace the floss in the polisher. I leave the polisher running to further clarify the water.
Take a look at the before and after shots to see how much cleaner the tank looks after the whole process!
As always, thanks for watching and happy fishkeeping! If you enjoy the content, please consider subscribing. Let me know if you have questions, I’m always happy to answer them!
#Maintenance #Aquarium #DIY
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Животные
Hello! I’m new to your channel, and I wanted to express my gratitude for this video! It’s like a work of art! The way it lowered the nitrite and nitrate levels in my fish tank, resulting in crystal clear water for the first time, is truly astonishing. I can hardly believe it; thank you! I purchased everything from Amazon, and it worked like a charm. I’m absolutely thrilled-my 75-gallon freshwater African cichlid tank is positioned right by the main entrance, and it’s become a stunning focal point. Thank you immensely, you’re genuinely the fish expert! My fish extend their heartfelt appreciation!
Thank you so much for the kind words and I am happy that your tank is looking crystal clear! It’s a pleasure to help fellow hobbyist. 😁 Happy fishkeeping!
I got one of those little pumps. I got an extra thing to clean the tank and I got that poly thin thank you very much man for this idea.
You’re welcome! ☺️
That was so satisfying to watch!!!❤
Glad you liked it!
Gonna be honest, it's reassuring seeing this.
Been doing a ton of daily 20% water changes on my tank since I've been worried for my fishes' health after it fogged up- they're healthy looking, and the nitrates/nitrites and ammonia practically dont exist, but I kept seeing that algae fog.
I heard that apparently doing an aquarium blackout can have a somewhat similar effect if you specifically just wanna remove the algae.
I should probably add that I use a draining gravel pump to clean the substrate of any residues pretty similar to a sort of hybrid between your vacuum and drain. The water changes are definitely making the water less foggy, though I feel like I could definitely use a vacuum like the one you got.
@@DZELION good to hear! The Poly-fil does a great job of straining out tiny suspended particles. You can use a flocculant water clarifier to clump up the bits and make it easier for the vacuum to work! Happy fishkeeping!
All my aquariums are always crystal clear...... except now. I've made a huge amount of changes to my tall tank, new fish, plants and rearranging everything. I've vacuumed like a mad man. And still it's cloudy. Not the white cloudiness you get from a Bacterial bloom. But dirty cloudy. I have a lot of filtration in all my tanks, and normally I have no problems. This looks like a great solution. Gonna run to the store for a small pump and try your method. I have a lot more plants and wood and fish than yours. Hate to disturb the fish over and over. But it needs to be done. Thanks for adding the video. Subbed and Liked!
Sometimes it helps to use a flocculent or water clarifier before the polisher. Good luck dude! Thanks for the comment and the sub! I really have to make more new vids LOL
Check out fatherfish
Good stuff Pierre!
Thanks Don! See you on the forum bro 😎
Good job, dope song too!!
Thanks boss!
Beautiful fish tank ...❤
good advice love this video
Thank you!
Wow this is amazing
I put real dirt sand and plants and went down to a waterfall in California coast and took some leaves and pebbles and my tank has been clear
Nice!
This was brilliant thank you
You are welcome! 🙏
Beautiful
@@ramakantapanda4856 ☺️☺️☺️
Im gonna get my first fish ever im so exited i am thinking of getting a low maintenance fish cuz im still in school and do alot of work but i just want 1 fish . Last time i got l 3 fishes and idk how they all were fighting alot and killed each ither . Can u pls recommend some good fish for my needs ?
It's hard to go wrong with a Betta and put it in a 5 or 10 gallon tank. Make sure you learn about cycling the tank and filtration, etc. Also use a heater, they need 75 to 82 degrees F. Have fun and happy fishkeeping!
use uv internal filter it will keep crystal clear
I just vacuum the gravel every 2-3 weeks, and refill the water as I’m losing it during cleaning, scrape the glass, change the filter and it seems to stay very clean although my tank is a third the size of this one so that probably plays a big part. I’ve never seen my tank this dirty even after going on vacation.
A “dirty” looking tank can be very healthy. Like I’ve mentioned in another post, I let the mulm and algae accumulate here for illustration purposes. The nitrates through this entire time were ZERO.
@@TheFishBeastI figured that was the case.
What brand vacuum do you use??
@DP-lx1jn @DP-lx1jn it’s a generic pump from Amazon attached to a small tube… let me find the video with what it looks like…
Hey! How do you feed your fish when you go to vacation???
Sorry for my bad English
This a much safer way!
Me as a newbie i didnt understand what did you do with the pipes honestly and the pump
No problem! I used the pipes to drain the water from the tank (through a hose). The pump was used to polish/clean the water before and after I refilled the tank!
I am super stoked to learn a faster , more convenient way to clean my aquarium!! I do have a ? However..What type of fish I'd the dark blackihh blue one?? Is it a female swordtail?
It’s a female molly of some sort! Not 100% sure 😁
Nice ❤
Is it safe to change water while the fishes are freely swimming?
As long as you dont suck them up inte the tube there is nothing wrong with letting the fishes swim around.
Personally I think this water change is way too much (80%) in one session, but it all depends on the fishes and if they are used to this amount of volume on the water change.
Great comment! You are right. Hardy fish like live bearers can tolerate massive water changes better. It matters more when there are a lot of nitrates and other stuff that has accumulated in the water. In this case my nitrates were at or close to zero so I just changed the water to replenish minerals and clear it. Some people even do 95% water changes!
Yes you can clean and change the water when the fish is inside the aquarium
What’s the water polisher I can’t tell if it’s sucking water out or pushing water in thanks for the video talking would have helped
It sucks water in through the big tube which contains the filter material. The particles get trapped and it pushes out clean water.
@@TheFishBeastit’s a filter :) why do you call it a polisher?
I got you bro. A polisher is a type of filter that is designed to trap smaller particles to clarify or “polish” water. It isn’t meant to house beneficial bacteria like a standard “permanent” filter.
Is it okay to change all the water at once?
Yes
No, u will get rid of all beneficial bacterias that needed for ur fish to survive, which will cause disease or deaths to ur fish
@@kking9637 sorry this is incorrect. It is known that the bacteria lives in the filter media and also coats the hardscape and substrate. Almost no significant amount of nitrosomonas and nitrobacter live in the water column.
@@TheFishBeastThat is true but adding new water if you did not prep it first will stress out the fishes when the new water parameter is different than the old cycled water that was in your tank. And most tap water have a good amount of chlorine that is no good for fish. And stressing out the fish too much if they are not used to the new water yet will make them get sick and if the chlorine is not treated in the water, it will harm the fish as well.
@ i do use dechlorinator (you can see it in the video).
I can't find a water polisher anywhere. Where can I find the one that you're using
@@vulcanstein5707 just get any little pump from Amazon
Do u turn off the hearer
Yes 👍
What kind of fish are these?
Mollies, platies and swordtails and flag fish
Pretty sure I saw the fish sigh & say “darn it. Now he can see us again & we’ve got to start all over again!”
Fish: “Get poopin’!”
😂😂
hello, I have a fairly large table-type aquarium, and last night I forgot to turn on the cleaning pump after feeding them. In the morning, in addition to the fact that the water was very cloudy, the fish seemed to have no air and that by tonight some would even die. I cleaned the sponges of the pump but at the moment no change. any advice?
Sorry to hear that! When you say cleaning pump, do you mean the filter? Is the filter inside the aquarium or in a sump? Also how many gallons is the tank, what fish are in it and how long has it been running?
what is the black paper you've put around the tank?
@@DileeshaSree Hello! it’s just black paint! I do that with all my tanks since I feel it helps the fish feel more secure and also the colors seem to pop a little better against a black background
Ummm.....can I use cotton instead of poly fil floss? Plz rply
Yes! Although cotton May clump together more easily than floss
Thanks😌
Do you and how do you clean your filter? How often do you recommend cleaning your filter? 😊 and do you have any videos on starting a new tank?
For cleaning this particular filter (sponge filter) I just squeeze it out to dislodge the built up crud and then that gets vacuumed out with the water change. Sponge filters are great because they are low maintenance and work really well - a downside is they are pretty big and kind of ugly LOL
Our fishes keeps on dying when we are cleaning. Any information what were doing wrong??
Sorry to hear that! Is your tank cycled? What fish do you have and what size aquarium? What are your water parameters before cleaning? How much water do you change? Reply here so I can help!
There are different philosophies on how much and how often to change water, but 10% to 25% every 1 to 2 weeks is a good rule of thumb. Small frequent water changes are best. Don't vacuum the gravel yet, as you may disrupt the good bacteria that are just starting to colonize your aquarium.
@@kking9637 thank you for your comment! Can you give me a scientific explanation on why small frequent water changes are better? I change the water based on nitrate levels. What level would you consider to be the threshold for changing the water? And what do you use to figure how much water to change?
Hi mam maybe you didn't put in enough of anti cholrine or maybe something is wrong that's why they are all the time dying
So you say that the water is all normal and the only high is your nitrate. Okay you do an 80% water change and unless you change it with water that has all normal levels in a perfecr world suitable for the fish, the sudden changes in all parameters will affect the fishes if the water is not treated. Compared to let say 25% or less change will have a lesser affect in the water parameters from the old water that a fish breathe in. So doing a smaller water change will change the water parameters alittle compared to a big water change that will change it alot higher. So for my opinion, doing a smaller water change frequently will make the fishes less stressful from less changes in the water parameters compared to a big water change that the fishes will need to get used too since everything else in the water will probably change slightlly unless it was treated. Plus the chlorine in tap water... that is no good for fishes.
Awsome 👀✌🏽👍🏽
Thank you brother!
Can you get ghost shrimp to clean it?
Yes they can clean the particles and stuff but you still need to vacuum the gravel and change the water
What kind of pump do you use?
It’s a generic Chinese pump 80-90GPH (300L/hour) for $8.99 on Amazon
where can i get that water polisher , if its a diy plz help
@@Vishu2711 I made it using a small 40 or 80 gph pump from Amazon and a tube and vacuum. Very easy!
I got a fish tank now,Day later after I brought some fish,The tank water went of really cloudy,Could not hardly see much in it,Put some stuff in it,After a few days later,The tank water cleared up now,I can see right through it now,See the goldfish swimming about
Did you cycle it? Glad it cleared up!
can you tell me the name of that water polisher. i cant seem to find it on the web
I believe it’s this one a.co/d/1kNNTl3
I had my aquarium with crystal clear water and suddenly i have a bacterial bloom i don’t know whats happened any help much appreciated thanks
Did a fish die? Was it fully cycled? I can help, just give me the data/info.
@@TheFishBeastI’ve had it for close to 1 month let it cycled with conditioner for 3 days before adding a fish it is a 20 gallon tank was clear for the first couple days then the water got hazy then started turning green in the course of a couple weeks and now I just been adding nitrifying bacteria starter for 2 days now and not so bad just light green and I have only done one 25% water change
@@Matt341 it’s best to test your water and ensure that the tank is fully cycled before adding fish. You really don’t need bacteria starters. Just a source of ammonia like fish food and test the water until ammonia and nitrites disappear and you have nitrates. At that point do a water change and add fish. Hope that helps bro! 😊
@@TheFishBeast I got it all back under control now thanks man appreciate it 🙏🙏
@@Matt341 good to hear bro!
90 percent of a clean tank is based on your filter you have . I can go a year without doing anything to my tank and it stays clean.. but I also have like a 400 dollar filtration system
thats impossible. Glas will always get dirty due to algea feeding on fishpoop. There is no way around that.
Honestly bro it really depends on the bioload and the available surface area of the filter medium to harbor the nitrifying bacteria. A huge tank with a small bioload can probably go a year even using a cheap $20 sponge filter.
Where did you get the water polisher?
Hi Madison, I made it. Used a small pump and the suction part is from a water changer
Where did you get that pump?
Amazon
Did you put in new tap water or just recycled the old water you took out?
Always use new tap water with dechlorinator when doing water changes.
I’m curious because it comes straight from the tap, do you put the dechlorinator in as it fills, before, or after? Or does it matter? I go bucket by bucket because I’m scared I’m going to hurt the fish by doing it wrong straight from tap
@@furbabyfleece6375I have the same question did you find out I don't know what to do
@@yoliyoli23 I didn’t tbh, some sources say it’s okay and other say to not do it. Ideally I think it’s best you put the dechlorinator in first but from what I’ve read you can put it in after but it’s just not as effective.
how did you make that submersible pump? what did you use?
??
Hey Gary I used a SongLong mini pump from Amazon (comes in multiple brand names) and attached a small gravel vac to it (can’t remember where it was from).
@@TheFishBeast cool thank you, how did you connect it? when I look I don’t see a way for the gravel catcher to connect.
@@garylomonaco5219 I super glued it to the intake
Good noon, where can i buy those materials used for clening the aquarium, i'm here in Butuan City, what store will i purchase?
Hello! Try Pierre’s, Mazaua or Po Tropical pet shop first to see if they have the pump and the tubing. The pipe fittings can be from a hardware store. The Poly-fil or similar polyester fiber might be available at BDCI Yarn at Lower Doongan. Good luck!
How would you clean the corners without damaging the caulking? Thank You in advance,,,
I don’t go too close to the corners.
@@TheFishBeast Thank You
Is it not a problem for the fish that the water got so cloudy?
No, the water was a little cloudy from floating algal elements but the nitrates were at or close to zero. I just maintained and polished it… parameters are ok! 😁
Man, You change 80% of water xD that should be clear xD its nothing special xD
You think it was the amount of water I changed that cleared it up and not siphoning out the particulate matter suspended in the water or capturing it with the floss? xD
Hmmm… I’d like to see it! Please post a time lapse video of you stirring the substrate and scraping the algae with an 80% water change but don’t do the filter floss step. xD
I’m curious to see if your theory is correct. xD xD xD
Bro by tank 2.5 feet tank😢
I changed minaral water 3 days ago the tank verey very cloudy in 3 days 😢
Only small 4 fishes using
Please reply bro ❤
Did you cycle the aquarium? What are your parameters. And what do you mean by mineral water.
i would move fish to another tank while cleaning
No need. It will cause more stress.
Какую воду заменить ?
водопроводная вода с дехлоратором
Black background kai tarike ke hote hai
मैंने इसके लिए पेंट का इस्तेमाल किया
I did the exact same thing but all my fish died
Oh no! Did you replace the filter media?
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My fish tank will stay clear until I put a fish in it and. In a couple of days its turning cloudy and green. Why? I've been trying for 10 months
@@territulloh9361 how much are you feeding? Is the tank cycled before you add fish? It could be a bacteria bloom.
need to get one,My fish tank gets very cloudy after a while,Today,I empty out a lot of the water,The gave it a refill of fresh water,Cleaned the filters out on the pump,Next thing,I see baby gold fish swimming about in the fish tank,The fish tank pump not doing well keeping the water clean,I paid enough for it
do you test your water parameters?
cool but the fishes must be streesed
Not as stressed as fish in a tank with super high nitrates
@@TheFishBeast that's what I meant. just got lost in translation.
Ja tak jigdy nie będę miap
Co masz na myśli?
How is anyone impressed that doing a near 100% water change will give you clear water. That's like telling me the way to get swirl marks off of your car is to repaint it.
Thanks for the insightful comment, boss. However, if the sediment and mulm aren’t removed or otherwise dealt with and if the algae isn’t scraped then simply changing the water is unlikely to clear up the tank. Try it and see!
@@TheFishBeast Have you tried putting a daphnia colony in your tank? They eat the algae and serve as fish food too.
@normaalewoon6740 I haven’t… interesting. Will enough survive being eaten to maintain a colony?
Also I love the black hole profile pic!
@@TheFishBeast Thanks and good question. Lots of plants and few fish helps the daphnia population maintain itself. I'm not sure when it will be stable though. You can put them in a net inside your aquarium, to give them a place to breed safely and clean up the water. A small hole or canal can serve as an exit to the main compartment, where the fish can eat them.
@@normaalewoon6740 thank you! 🙏
madness...ahahaha 80% water changed..pfff Beginer
Learn how to spell “beginner” my friend. And give me scientific proof that large water changes are “bad”. Otherwise… well, you know what to do. 😁
@@TheFishBeast If you didn't understand anything, that's okay
@@theturbomedia1 still waiting for a legitimate scientific explanation for your assertion. I have a biology degree and am also a medical doctor. I understand science very well.
Haters gon hate, the dumb get dumber haha @@TheFishBeast
@@fortniteguyz77justaveragen85 🥴🥴🥴 truth!
If you let your tank get that dirty you shouldn't have one .
Oh DAAAAYUM we got ourselves a sanctimonious Srinivas here! The tank looked dirty but the nitrate levels were undetectable. A lot of the “dirt” was just algae on the glass. I also purposely allowed it to accumulate for the purpose of filming this video. Thanks for your comment!
@anggr4549 boy you have all the answers don’t you bud
🤣😂
Says the guy who probably just watches fish vids on RUclips at 3am and never owned a fish a day in your life 🤣🤣
@@arcticzerogaming2100 💯
Kuch samja nahi bakvas video banaya thoda logo ko samje aisa video banao itna fast nahi achha
@@swapnilkadu9255 भाई आपकी टिप्पणी के लिए धन्यवाद, हाँ मैं अगली बार एक बेहतर वीडियो बनाने की कोशिश करूँगा! आपका दिन मंगलमय हो, मेरे दोस्त
too bad, you cant clean or remove 50% and above water, this is painful to watch
What do you mean? You can do even a 100% water change. Not sure where you get your info, my dude. Sorry for causing you pain! 🤣
@@TheFishBeast no, it is a HUGE MISTAKE..whatever..keep going in this wrong direction..
@@theturbomedia1 please show me scientific proof that doing large water changes is harmful to fish. Explain what sort of metabolic derangement a fish’s homeostasis undergoes when this happens. GO!
Am I the only one that cleans my fish tank every day I get so scared that my fish could die
Doing that every day May actually stress your fish more and mess up the parameters!
You should check out father fish. I took his advice and used real
Fertilizer
Sand from the beach
Real plants
And I went to a waterfall in Big Sur and got leaves and pebbles
I feed them shrimp and have one filter
My tank is clear
What kind of pump is that that you’re using?
It’s just a generic little Chinese pump from amazon
Where did you get the water polisher??
ruclips.net/video/3u9C9ZCnsZQ/видео.htmlsi=cPyb8qDPvY830bfN I bought the pump from Amazon, it’s just a generic Chinese pump. And then the other piece is from a small gravel vacuum.
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