As a responsible pet owner of course you want to provide your fish with the best environment you possibly can, and that includes how you keep and maintain tropical fish tanks and their accessories. After all this is the home for the fish and where they'll live out the rest of their days, but they need to rely on you to maintain it, clean it, keep it warm, and everything else that's needed for that home to be safe and sanitary. It's not that hard to keep tropical fish tanks clean and healthy for your fish if you follow few simple steps and guidelines, so let's go over those here so you can be sure you're doing the best job possible.

First remember that you don't want to use any harsh cleansers, chemicals or abrasives when cleaning tropical fish tanks, especially anything with bleach. Chemicals and bleach always leave a residue no matter how much you rinse and these things are very bad for your fish. If there are algae stuck to the side you can use a razor or straight edge on glass tanks or a special cleansing cloth for acrylic tropical fish tanks. This will get rid of the buildup without damaging your tank. For cleaning everything else on the tank use a damp rag and lots of hot water, and a toothbrush for the accessories such as the heater and filter parts.

A special vacuum is used to clean the substrate or gravel on the bottom of tropical fish tanks. This type of vacuum will get any harmful buildup and bacteria without needing to remove and upset the entire collection of gravel, which is never a good idea. Some people make the mistake of thinking that the entire tank needs to be emptied and everything cleaned but this isn't safe for the fish. Wipe down your decorations and any buildup on your vegetation and clean the filter; this is the best way to clean tropical fish tanks without upsetting the chemical balance of the water.

Doing a water change is also important when cleaning tropical fish tanks. For large tanks you simply pull out about 10%-15% of the water and replace it with warm tap water; for smaller tanks you'll need to do this with about 25% of the water. Always add a water condition afterward; this is readily available wherever you buy tropical fish tanks. This water condition helps get tap water to the necessary chemical levels to sustain tropical fish.

Remember that you never want to clean tropical fish tanks too much or too often. Being overzealous will strip the tank of the good bacteria that fish need and that help to keep everything else in balance. Just do a general cleaning about once per week and you should be okay. If you notice problems in your tropical fish tanks such as green or cloudy water, there are additives you can use to clear up these problems as well.