Do i Remove the fish while cleaning the tank ?

[kborade]

1) Do i need to remove the fish from the tank while monthly Cleaning the tank ?

2) Once I add the gravel / sand to the tank , do i need to remove it for Cleaning every month ?

3) Do i disturb the fish when i change the locations of the drift wood or stones every month ? ( With respect to their hiding places and homes )

4) Do i need to do the cleaning of the gravel / sand using gravel every week ?

[Algenco]

NO
NO
NO
Yes

[cocoa_pleco]

1-2-3 are all no, removing the fish and substrate would just be a huge pain in the arse and stressful. all you have to do is once a week give the substrate a vac and change some of the water

[robnepper]

Hello, welcome to the forum!

1.)No. You do not need to remove the fish. That may prove to be more stressful to the fish than leaving them in.

2.) No. You don't need to remove the gravel. It has more functions than just looking good. It is a vital part of what is called your " biological filter". If you continually remove and clean the gravel, you will be messing with that particular aspect of your tanks chemestry.

3.) Maybe, but that's ok. Depending on the type of fish that you have, you will be helping to curb territorial aggression and giving them something new to look at and explore.

4.) I would recommend that you leave the gravel alone while your tank is being biologically established. Once again, you don't want to mess around with a tank too much in it's early stages. Do your weekly water changes, 25 to 30 % and a light gravel vac, ( just skimming the top to remove visible waste ) every week and just leave every thing else alone.

These answers are basic but they do assume that you have read the free e-book this site offers. They also assume that your tank is cycled prior to adding fish.

The Questions we have for you are:
1- what kind of fish do you have, if any yet?
2- do you have a test kit if any kind? If so what are your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates read at?
3- What are you using as a substrate?
4- how big is your tank?

Please answer these ?'s for us so that we can better assess your needs. We are here to help and want the best for all hobbyists and will not pull punches with our advice. We are great full that you are asking though!!

[kborade]

Thank you friends for your instant reply for my querries
I will suerly take those things in mind when i start cleaning my Tank .

Rob , Thanks to you too
That was a nice descriptive and informative answer from your side .
Actully Just to answer your questions
I have 2 Guramis , 2red fin shark , 3 tiger barbs and 7 Tin foils in that tank
I havent checked my tank for nitrates and ammonia
I dont have any kit for that .

[Wild Turkey]

Another one for
NO
NO
NO
Usually

I would buy a master test kit asap.

[Northernguy]

I agree with all the others!
There is a free E-book on the left,please download it and read it.It will answer a ton of questions.If you have any others please start posting!

[henryscat]

I'm sure you know the answers to these specific Q's by now but I would also like to add the advice of reading the E-book from theis site.
It's aimed at the beginner and helped me no-end to establish my tank!

[DrNic]

I agree with the
No
No
No
Yes
set of answers.

Every 3-4 months I will do a really heavy clean on my gravel, particularly under the areas where my plants are that I miss during weekly cleanings. This usually kicks up a lot of debris into the tank. This is the only time I'll remove my fish and it's usually only for 30-60 minutes.

[korith]

If you get yourself a small gravel vac, you can use it to do water changes and clean the substrate at the same time. Just to pick up the debris (flake, waste).

You shouldn't really need to remove the fish ever, unless you are really overhauling the tank.

Adding and moving accessories is ok even while fish are in the tank. Just leave a fake plant or something on the other side of the tank they can hide out in, while your in the tank.

[fraggle]

kborade how big is your tank?

Have you done any research on the fish in your tank?
Not having a go at you, just letting you know a couple of things:

Tin foil barbs can get to 14 inches,
Gouramis (depending on the type) can get pretty big too up to 10 inches
It's great you've got more than 1 tiger barb, but even with 3 they can be pretty nippy and since gouramis are slow moving, it's not usually recomended that they be housed together, it can help to have them in a school of at least 6.
Red fined sharks are very territorial, unless you have a really really big tank, they will fight, it's not recommended that you have more than 1 in a tank.

Just giving you a heads up mate.

[bereczky_sanyee]

kborade how big is your tank?

Have you done any research on the fish in your tank?
Not having a go at you, just letting you know a couple of things:

Tin foil barbs can get to 14 inches,
Gouramis (depending on the type) can get pretty big too up to 10 inches
It's great you've got more than 1 tiger barb, but even with 3 they can be pretty nippy and since gouramis are slow moving, it's not usually recomended that they be housed together, it can help to have them in a school of at least 6.
Red fined sharks are very territorial, unless you have a really really big tank, they will fight, it's not recommended that you have more than 1 in a tank.



Just giving you a heads up mate.

yeah I know. Don't be dissapointed, I felt the same way when I heard that a kissing Gourami can't be housed in a 10 gal tank. But heads up and you will resolve your stocking problems in one way or another.

[kborade]

Well thanks for the useful information .

The problem is the Petshop advisors .

They just sell without any knowledge .

I got all these fish for aprox 700/-

As i didnt had any knowledge about the compability of the fish , I even asked the advisor about it , but he gave me these and as a begineer ,I landed up stocking the same . They are cute angels . I hate playing with the lives of these cute angels .

I dont know why these advisors do this only for few bucks and business .

Anyways I ll keep this in mind from hence forth .

[korith]

The problem is the Petshop advisors .

They just sell without any knowledge .


It's a problem here too, some stores are just wanting to make a quick sale. A lot of the time the people working there just don't know or don't care to find out.

Even if the person there sounds like they are giving you good advice, always double check. Lots of resources like this forum and other places online to get info.

Maybe you can trade in the fish that won't work out to the place where you got them.

[TazManiac]

The problem is the Petshop advisors .

They just sell without any knowledge .
The best way to shop for fish, IME, is to have the information that you require in advance and know what fish you are able to keep and what fish you are looking for when you get there.

I don't trust anything that two of the three fish shops here say, one is fine though, without also reading it somewhere online or in a book to substantiate it.

Aaron

[bereczky_sanyee]

yeah it's like when they sell you a 1gal. plastic tank, and let you have a goldfish in it (saw it). Or when they sell you oscars without asking you what size tank do you have?

[Lady Hobbs]

If your tank is being cycled or newly cycled, watch with that cleaning....period. Over cleaning is a no-no so read up on cycling before you go into the cleaning mode.