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Fish tank cleaning varies, depending on the type of aquarium and the level of cleaning required. Here’s what you can expect from the most common fish tank cleaning services:

Water testing

The first step of fish tank cleaning usually involves testing the water. Your cleaner will use a testing kit to check ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH levels. High ammonia, nitrate, and nitrate levels can become deadly for fish, so they’ll aim to keep these to a minimum. The pH should be between 6.5-7.5 for freshwater fish and 8+ for saltwater fish. They’ll also check the water temperature to make sure it’s suitable for your fish species.

Water changing

Most aquariums need their water changed every week to dilute the waste. Before changing the water, your cleaner will use a gravel vacuum to remove waste at the bottom of the tank. They’ll remove about 10-15% of the water volume and replace it with fresh conditioned water, removing debris, nitrate, and phosphate waste. If issues are found from water testing, your cleaner may also make adjustments by using an ammonia remover, conditioner, or filter.

Routine cleaning and maintenance

Aside from testing and changing the water, your cleaner will do a general clean of all surfaces inside the tank. In particular, they’ll clean around ⅓ - ¼ of the gravel per clean to help filter out decaying matter, leftover food, and faeces. They’ll also service your filter, inspect your hardware, and check for potential problems.

Aquarium glass cleaning

An important part of fish tank cleaning is maintaining the glass. Your cleaner will remove algae from the internal glass using a special algae scrubber, working from top to bottom. Once all the algae are removed, your cleaner will siphon it out of the tank with an aquarium vacuum. Finally, they’ll remove any marks and fingerprints from the external glass by wiping it down with a soft, damp cloth.

Fish pond maintenance

Some fish tank cleaners also offer fish pond maintenance services. Most fish ponds will need cleaning every month, depending on the size of the pond, the type of fish, and type of filtration system. Your fish pond cleaner will start by testing the water to see if anything needs balancing. They’ll skim leaves off the surface and remove any sludge from the pond base. Next, they’ll remove about 25% of the water and replace it with fresh, de-chlorinated water, before cleaning the pump and filter.