It is important to ensure that the object that will house the fish during the water change in the tank does not have soap residue, as this can be harmful to the animals.
It is often thought that fish need much less care than any other animal, and this is a great misconception. There are many things you need to care for your pet to have the best possible well-being, including lighting, water, aquarium cleaning, and water change routines. On this occasion, we are going to focus on the latter, since cleaning is a fundamental part of this animal’s health.
Many people believe that by having a filter in the fish tank they no longer have to be constantly changing their pet’s water, and this is another big mistake since the filter only helps to preserve the cleanliness of the water in the aquarium, but it does not clean it completely. Therefore, it is recommended that the water in the aquarium be changed once or twice a week. Given this, there will be many people who wonder how to do it since this action requires a certain amount of care and delicacy, especially with the fish that you will have to remove from their usual environment.
For all these reasons, and based on the advice we are going to give you below, changing the water will become a matter of carrying out a few simple steps that will ensure the well-being of your animals at all times. Related Article: Neon Fish: Characteristics And Necessary Care
Find a surface to house the fish
The first step you will need to take is to find a place similar to the aquarium where you will keep the fish while you are changing the water. Once you have chosen a container, you will need to make sure that it does not have soap residue, as this can be harmful to the animals.
You will have to do this the night before so that the water on the surface where you will later place your pets settles and has a temperature similar to that of the fish tank and so that the chlorine levels go down. It is advisable not to shine directly into the tank with sunlight or other artificial light, as this can cause the temperature to vary.
If you don’t have time to do all these things and you need to change the water urgently, you can also use a de-chlorinator, which will give you the same result much more quickly.
Moving the fish
Once you have checked that the water in the new container is at the same temperature as the fish tank and you have removed the chlorine, you can proceed to move the fish. This should also be done with special care so that the pet suffers as little as possible. Some people catch the fish with a fishing net and place the new container near the fish tank so that the time in which the animals are out of the water is as short as possible and they do not suffer. Another more advisable alternative, which will not run any risk of suffering the pets, is to insert a small round object inside the aquarium that does not contain traces of soap. Once this is submerged in the water, you will have to wait for the fish to enter it and when this has been achieved, you will only have to remove it from the fish tank. Related Article: Aquarium Air Pump Or Aerator: What You Need To Know
Changing dirty water in the fish tank
Once we have removed the fish, it will be time to change the water in the fish tank. To do this, and being careful not to throw away objects that are inside, such as plants or rocks for the fish to play with, you must remove the dirty water. Once this is done, the best thing to do to keep the entire contents clean is to remove the objects that were inside, place them in another container, and wash them with hot water and salt.
Afterwards, the aquarium will be cleaned, which has already been explained in previous articles where advice is given on the special care that must be taken when using the objects and elements suitable for the care of the animals.
Introduce clean fish tank objects
Once this has been achieved, all the objects that were in the fish tank that have also been cleaned will be put back in and the aquarium will be filled with water again. In this last step, you will have to follow the same steps that you have taken previously to prepare the container in which the fish were going to be found during the cleaning of the aquarium. Therefore, you will have to clean the water and make sure that it does not have chlorine and is at the same temperature as the other container where the animals are.
Transfer the fish to the fish tank with clean water.
And just as the animals have been moved from one place to another before, this time they will be transported to the aquarium after having changed the water and having made it ready again for their enjoyment and health.
If it is the first time you are going to change the water in the aquarium, it is advisable to be accompanied by another person to help you carry out all these steps in the most appropriate way and with the greatest care. It would also be a good idea if while one person is changing the water, another person is watching the fish at all times. Since they can often jump out, so you should put a lid on the container so that they do not get out.