How to Keep a Goldfish Tank Clean

When I started keeping fish as pets, I was warned that all goldfish do is eat and create waste. Regardless, I chose to not only buy goldfish, but devote an entire tank to them. I currently have a 29 gallon tank that I keep 2-3 goldfish in along with a pleco. During the past year I have learned many tricks to keeping up with the amount of waste these beautiful fish create and even how to limit the amount of waste. If you're wondering how to keep your goldfish tank clean, here are a few simple tips you can use.

Do Not Overfeed Your Fish

Goldfish will eat as much food as you give them. It's important to carefully research how much your variety of goldfish should eat based on his size. If you overfeed the fish, there will be more waste and you risk the chance of your goldfish getting swim bladder, which more times than not ends in death.

Add a Pleco to the Tank

Plecos are a wonderful addition to a goldfish tank because they keep the tank clean. To be more blunt, they eat the waste that the goldfish makes. While this may sound gross, it's a natural way to ensure that your tank stays clean.

Use a Filtering System

You should never under any circumstances keep goldfish in a bowl or even a tank that doesn't have a filtering system. Because of the amount of waste created by goldfish a filtering system is essential to keeping the water clean. Without a filtering system, you need to change the water daily, which can be harmful to the fish.

Keep the Gravel Clean

The gravel in your tank may look clean on the top, especially if you have a pleco, but deep down there is probably old food, waste and algae. A gravel vacuum will allow you to easily clean the gravels without sucking up any fish. You should complete this process around once a month, depending on the amount of fish in your tank.

Brush the Sides of the Tank

Another chore you should do is brush the sides of the tank to break up algae. If you have a large tank, your pleco may not be able to keep every inch clean. Thankfully, all you need to do is use a long-handled brush to scrub the sides of the tank any time you see algae start to build up.

Do Water Changes

While frequent water changes can prevent the build-up of good bacteria, water changes are still necessary. You can determine when you water needs to be changed by keeping a close eye on it. This can be done by monitoring the nitrite, ammonia and other mineral levels with strips found at your local pet store. It is recommended to do a 25% water change roughly every two weeks.

You don't have to avoid goldfish in order to keep your tank clean. There are a number of simple things you can do so that you can enjoy these beautiful fish.