Where do you put your fish when you clean your tank?

vote then write something about it. my sisters when they had goldfish would put them in the toilet while they cleaned their tanks!! lol. not very clean but funny!! I usually put mine in the betta container they came in or a small cup. but when I had my first betta, aquamarine, I would fill the tub up, dechlorinate it and put her in it!! lol. Miles

 

i've never had to remove my fish to clean the tank. am I doing something wrong? I just remove no more than 50% of the water and rake the gravel up use my magnet glass cleaner for any bits on the glass...job done! my fish seem happy!

 

We leave our fish in the tanks when cleaning them too. The Bettas sometimes get curious and check it out, but the other fish mainly stay as far away from the cleaning as they can.

I can't say that we've ever given our betta a bath before, like Aquamarine would get..

 

Fish stay in the tank, 25% of the water, along with gravel filth come out.

 

well we don't have proper sized tanks so u have to do a full clean. my parents and sisters would yell at me if I did a bit each day cause we have a 1 gal a 1.5 gal and a 4 gal. I leave oscar - in the four gal - to clean his but nbot the other two. Smiley

 

well we don't have proper sized tanks so u have to do a full clean. my parents and sisters would yell at me if I did a bit each day cause we have a 1 gal a 1.5 gal and a 4 gal. I leave oscar - in the four gal - to clean his but nbot the other two. Smiley

Yea, with tanks below 2.5g (or even below 5 gallon depending on the tank type) it's best to take them out so they don't get hurt.

 

I leave them in the tank as well...I just try and work around them. ;D

 

I put them in a tub.
That is, whenever I do full clean out.

 

I leave them in the tank......

 

ya - I think its really fun having them in the tub!!!! LOL they look so so so tiny!! Smile

 

I leave them in the tank.

 

the fish don't come out of the big tank when its cleaned, but the bettas take home in a pint glass. not exactly small but still a cup.

 

The only time I remove my fish from their tanks to clean, is when the tanks need a major water change, 50% or more.
They go into the hospital tank.

 

I use 5 Gallon buckets or a pitcher depending on the tank I'm cleaning. TinFoil Barbs don't fit so well in pitchers lol.

 

You should NEVER put them in a bathtub, toilet or sink! There are germs in there that will kill your fish and the cleaners (like Ajax) used to clean the tub/sink etc cannot be completely rinsed off and will also sicken or kill your fish. If you HAVE to remove them, always use a container that has never been used for anything else and has not been washed with any kind of soap. A large 4 cup measuring cup you can get from the dollar store would be fine as long as you put a lid on it (like a CD case) so the fish can't jump out.
All my Bettas are in 5 gallon tanks and I never remove them to clean. It's too stressful on them. You should get larger tanks for all your fish.

 

I have been hearing this for a while, get a larger tank, but I have seen some very healthy fish in 2.5 g tanks, vases, our bathroom fish shares his space with three lucky bamboo. livingroom fish is almost three and he lives in a vase above the t.v. His colors are beautiful and has great health. in a 5 g tank do you also put those air and carbon filtration units in? I am curious because I would like to upgrade some of the tan ks in the house but the fish are doing great. the most I ever do is a 10% water change and skI'm the top for scum that the dirty boys make once a week. But not all the fish are really dirty. two out of the five are pigs. but when you clean the water and gravel its like they do their best to make it gross as fast as possible.
mojo

 

The gravel should be vacummed at least every 2 weeks. A lot of dirt settles into the gravel that you can't always see on top. I've always found a 30% or more if needed water change is best and I do that every week. I find the fish are the most active and happy right after a water change. Just because a fish CAN live in a small bowl or vase doesn't mean it should. A larger tank requires less maintenance and the water parameters stay more level. Also, the fish has more room to swim and play. I have heaters, filters and airstones in all my tanks as well as live plants which keep the water healthier, are safer for the fish and look more natural.

 

I know the fish need more space but my parents don't want to spend money on fish stuff when they have other things they need to spend it on :-\ I really can't do anything about it. Smiley

 

Oh my I never heard of someone putting their fish in the tub. that just makes me smile. I would think that there is that possibility of some chemical hurting them. But that kind of sounds cool having your fish swim in your tub lol.

 

They stay in the tank =)) Sir Gawain glares at me with the great betta glare and the others all move as far away as possible except for my corys, sometimes one of them will be brave and come check it out :

 

Well, I voted the last one but....my fish never leave the tank.

 

I never move my fish.
They stay in the tank when I clean it.
When I moved (7 years ago) I put my fish in 5 gallon plastic buckets, one fish in each bucket.

Harry S.

 

I leave mine in their tank.

 

I have a portable plastic tank which I put my fish in when I clean out my tank, first I fill it up with water from the old fishtank. I put "another tank" on the poll.

 

I never have huuuge clean-ups, just lots of regular vaccuuming and water changes. So the fish don't really need to move in my case.

 

I trained my fish to clean their own tanks.

 

my sisters when they had goldfish would put them in the toilet while they cleaned their tanks!! lol. not very clean but funny!!

.....that IS funny. you know, it really depends on how clean your toilet is - in the U.S. we run water that has been filtered enough for drinking to run through our toilets (another reason why we're an ecological joke in other parts of the world) which makes the water actually very very clean.

 

Actually, I've heard that the cleanest tap water is the water in the tank of a toilet (not the bowl). Something about the porcelain works as a natural filter....

 

Actually, I've heard that the cleanest tap water is the water in the tank of a toilet (not the bowl). Something about the porcelain works as a natural filter....

yea, that's true.. hmm.. makes me thirsty..

 

I actually leave my fish right in the tank but I haven't had to do 100% water changes yet

 

you know, it really depends on how clean your toilet is - in the U.S. we run water that has been filtered enough for drinking to run through our toilets (another reason why we're an ecological joke in other parts of the world) which makes the water actually very very clean.

the UK do that too and I never thought much of it, but now you mention it....you don't need chlorine and flourine and highly filtered and clean water to flush a toilet!! btw.....toilets may be "clean, but often full of toilet cleaners/freshners/bleaches/descalers etc etc !

 

don't forget the olive!

 

Wow, I didn't know zebra danios actually had personality. I thought they were utility fish (cycling, basically). She sounds great. Does she bully the other fish like, viciously? To the point that it's a problem? Because I like hte sound of a hardy, entertaining fish, but not at the expense of aquarium peace.

 

The toilet? The tub? You people are sick! ;D . I have to wash there and other stuff too.

I wouldnt recommend washing in the toilet!!

 

The toilet? The tub? You people are sick! ;D . I have to wash there and other stuff too.

I wouldnt recommend washing in the toilet!!

yea, me either.. it's not big enough and takes me forever to get a good bath in it.

 

Does she bully the other fish like, viciously? To the point that it's a problem?

No, not really. At least not to the point of fin nipping. She seems to leave the smallest of the other danios alone. Also, now that we've added a juliI cory she leaves him/her alone too. It seems that she won't bother others that simply ignore her so I think it's more playfulness on her part -- pretty much normal danio behaviour from what I've read. It bothered me at first that she sometimes went after the tetras, but then I realized the tetras were almost baiting her and the other danios. It seems all a game.

She's actually become friendly with the cory and follows "it" around. No, it has nothing to do with the cory stirring up food remnants -- not at all, uh uh. In fact, we tried a sinking pellet for the cory who ignored it for a bit. The Macho Missus made a point of trying to bring the cory back to the pellet, and even dragged the pellet out for the cory.

 

I usually leave my fish in the tank when I clean....

Otherwise, I would put them in the 5 gallon bucket that I use to do water changes..

 

Ditto, Amnagrla.

However, I'm planning a relocationg my 45g to a new spot, so when I do the move, I'm gonna use one of those huge rubbermaid storage tub tote things, this way I can leave the filter running by hanging it on the tote. Hope it works! :

 

Ohh good thinking!