# Dirty Tank... what-do-i-do?



## FishFanatic123 (Oct 20, 2005)

:fish: My fish tank gets dirty every 2 weeks, is there a better way to clean it than dumping all the water out (fearing my fish will go down the drain of my sink) cleaning tank and gravel and replacing all the water? Can someone offer advice? :fish: i have a male betta fish :fish: i have a filter but it doesn't help much! :fish:


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2005)

okay...there are many things wrong with this situation. first of, with a cycled tanbk, you never COMPLETELY clean the tank by replacing 100% of the water. have you heard of a partial water change? a 20-30% water change should be made once a week. and what size tank is this? what are your water perameters?


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## DUSTIN323 (Sep 21, 2005)

How big is the tank and what type of filter do you perform water changes??


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## Martina (Oct 11, 2005)

Dont worry ..take it from a newbie - fishkeeping is a science  - but its fun. I can recommend you to do a lot research online (www.elmersaquarium.com click on aquarium handbook), or you mind start with one basic book like "The simple guid to freshwater aquariums' by David E. Boruchowitz HTH


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Scuba kid: If it is a betta, aren't they used to not being in cycled tanks? I know a lot of people do 100% water changes for bettas because otherwise the water gets nasty. But it would help to know what size tank it is in, fishfanatic. And welcome to the forums!


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## FishFanatic123 (Oct 20, 2005)

itsa 5 gallon tank :fish:


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## FishGuy1564 (Oct 18, 2005)

5- gallons are a lot easier to handle, you dont need a syphen. Espeacially for a betta. Bettas don't need to have a cycled tank. Try getting maybe a small vaccuum for the tank.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I'd cycle the tank and do small water changes every week 20-30%.


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2005)

^^thank you. i agree.


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## FishFanatic123 (Oct 20, 2005)

what does cycle mean?


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

It means let the tank go through the stage in which bacteria settle in and create a biological filter. Through this filter, Nitrogen transform through several forms, making Nitrogous compounds available in your water less toxic and easier to remove through partial water change, such transform can be understood by looking into the Nitrogen cycle. After the stage has completed... fish can be introduced.


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Ooops I forgot about the main subject.
As for my own experience with my bettas, you can run a 10% water change every day and a 100% every week or every 2 weeks. Remember to have a good source of Chlorine-free water available since the water changing schedule is quite tight.
You've never told us your type of filter. For a 5 gal tank, some just don';t use filters altogether, daily maintaince is enough. Or if you can solve the problem with your filter, it's even better, of course!
So can you give us more details on the filter? Why do you think it doesn't work well?


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