Many people like to believe that fish are the most low-maintenance pets to own, but a lot of elements go into it. There’s more to owning fish than just placing them in a tank full of water, properly housing them is key! It’s actually quite a bit of work, while fish require little space, that little space needs a lot of attention! Here are some top tips on how to maintain your fish tank and keep it clean – give your pets an adequate place to live!

Pick the right kind of tank

First step when getting fish is to get a water tank for them! Now, there are plenty of options, as water tanks come in all shapes and sizes, it all depends on your needs. With that being said, the first requirement is the size of the tank, depending on the number of fish, and the other is picking a water tank that’s easiest to maintain, as it can make things so much easier for beginners! People who want to own fish, but don’t want to spend too much time on maintenance, should strive for getting a water tank that’s easiest to clean! 

Change the water regularly

The water in the tank can get dirty pretty fast, so it;s important to regularly change it and give your fishies clean, fresh water! This can also help with keeping the water tank much cleaner looking, as there would be less water buildup and stains on the glass. Using high-quality water is important for the fish, but also for keeping the water tank in better condition. Consider changing the water the right way and switching up around 20 to 30 percent of the water every two weeks rather than completely changing the water once a month! This will help with the overall cleanliness and maintenance of the water tank over time! 

Put plants in the tank

Plants are great accessories for water tanks – but your priority should always be functionality over aesthetics! That’s why adding plants that are actually useful to the tank is a way better idea! Adding a natural cleaner like hornworts can bring a lot of benefits! This type of plant produces more oxygen, and at the same time filtrates the water by absorbing the harmful things in the water, making it cleaner and easier to manage! 

Clean the decorations

If your tank has different kinds of decorative pieces, it’s important to regularly clean them, not just the area around them. This can take some time, especially if the decor is detailed, but cleaning it correctly can improve the overall cleanliness of the water tank! Dirt and other food particles can accumulate on the surface and it can make the water dirty sooner. So to preserve and prolong the condition of the water tank, make sure to clean the decor! 

Scrub the glass

The whole tank needs to be scrubbed and cleaned properly every once in a while. If possible, palace your fish and all of the decor somewhere else, and thoroughly clean the whole tank. Some buildup is bound to happen over time, so it’s important to get it off as much as possible – it’s better to do this frequently than to let it get super dirty. That way it’s harder to clean and it can take a while! It also depends on the material of the tank itself, glass is usually the easiest to clean, while plastic can get tinted over time and it’s generally not good to hold water in plastic containers for long periods of time! Glass tanks are great, but some maintenance is still needed! 

Use a filter

Using a filter is optional, many people use it, especially when dealing with larger tanks and lots of different fish. Since there are so many different kinds of filters, in all shapes and sizes it’s important to choose the one that suits your tank the most, especially when it comes to sizing! There are even natural filters, in the form of microorganisms that do the cleaning naturally, while on the other hand there are artificial filters that do the trick as well! It’s also important to regularly check up on the filter, especially artificial ones so that it works and filters the water properly! 

All in all, it’s not hard to clean the fish tank and take care of your fish correctly, it just takes a bit of time. If you are not ready for this kind of commitment, there are many ways to cut down the cleaning process like getting a self-cleaning tank and adding high-quality filters and materials! Fish deserve to live in a clean, put-together environment and people should definitely pay more attention to making their pets satisfied!