Clean a Fish Tank: Caring for Live Plants in Planted Aquariums

This article guides you through every step of cleaning the fish tank with live plants, ensuring your aquatic environment remains healthy, balanced, and beautiful.

If you are a beginner with an aquarium, new to keeping fish, or a seasoned aquascaping enthusiast still perfecting your freshwater setup, all these methods are gentle on your tank.

Not only will your fish thank you for using them, but your plants will also grow in such close proximity without experiencing distress.

Why Is Cleaning a Planted Aquarium Different?

The aquarium has become more than just a tank; it is a living, breathing ecosystem. You must look after these live plants in keeping with their ceremonial purpose: nitrates are absorbed by them, and together with their natural habits, clean up water quality for you.

But unlike a bare fish tank, a planted aquarium has soil or substrate that stores nutrients, roots deep into the ground for support, and thin leaves that can be easily damaged by rough cleaning.

Thus, cleaning a fish tank with live plants requires a slower and more careful approach than usual. You don’t just scrub off the dirt; you’re also maintaining an ecological balance.

Rather than remove everything, instead go mostly for light touchups, minor water changes with no deep clean and gentle siphoning methods which preserve friendly microscopic organisms (such as nitrifying bacteria), etc., while getting rid of unfriendly reminders from the fish, such as their waste or leftover food.

How Often Should You Clean a Freshwater Aquarium?

If you want a clean and healthy aquarium, regularity is vital. Instead of major but sporadic changes, doing a bit of maintenance every day will prove much more effective in the long run for your freshwater fish tank.

Most freshwater fish tanks would do well with partial water changes every week and perhaps some weeding now and then.

Depending on your bioload, defined by the number of fish you have and the amount of waste they produce, you may need to perform small water changes every few weeks to maintain stable water quality.

A good rule of thumb is to carefully watch your tank water. If you start to see cloudy water, a deposit of solid material on glass and plants, or growing algae, then it means that maintenance is in order.

Following a weekly and monthly cleaning schedule for your aquarium can help prevent sudden ammonia or nitrate spikes that could damage your fish.

What’s the Best Way to Clean a Fish Tank Without Disturbing the Plants?

If you want a clean and healthy aquarium, regularity is vital. Instead of major but sporadic changes, doing a bit of maintenance every day will prove much more effective in the long run for your freshwater fish tank.

Most freshwater fish tanks would do well with partial water changes every week and perhaps some weeding now and then.

Depending on your bioload, defined by the number of fish you have and the amount of waste they produce, you may need to perform small water changes every few weeks to maintain stable water quality.

A good rule of thumb is to carefully watch your tank water. If you start to see cloudy water, a deposit of solid material on glass and plants, or growing algae, then it means that maintenance is in order.

Following a weekly and monthly cleaning schedule for your aquarium can help prevent sudden ammonia or nitrate spikes that could damage your fish.

Should You Remove Decorations or Plants When Cleaning?

Unless they’re completely covered with stubborn algae or look dirty with visible dirt, you don’t need to remove decorations or living plants from your aquarium; and in fact, noting their presence is not only a blessing for your eye but also helps hold onto the beneficial bacteria colonies that cling to them.

However, if any of those leaves are dying off or turning brown, be sure to cut them out carefully. It is also important to remove dead fish or decaying plant matter from the tank immediately. If not, ammonia will build up and kill everything inside.

When cleaning items outside the tank, rinse them in water from the aquarium, never use tap water, as it contains chlorine and chloramines that can harm the beneficial bacteria.

Still, for surfaces which are hard and non porous like plastic decorations on your tank bottom or objects of driftwood which suggest it be suspended in another gentle solution (ensure a thorough rinsing afterwards in fresh water).

Living organisms do not bode well under such conditions, so this way should not be used with them either (it can’t reassemble the cells or kill off anything living).

How Much Water Should You Change at a Time?

A better approach is to implement small, regular water changes. For example, rather than just every few weeks in large amounts. Replace 20–30 percent of the tank water each week.

This not only refreshes some essential minerals each time but also washes away dissolved waste, thereby improving water quality.

In tanks where the water can not be changed frequently or there s a lot of bioload, diapered circling or other harsh conditions that keep fish small and unhappy, making more frequent, smaller water changes is important.

Keep in mind that all new water added to the aquarium should have been dechlorinated before it’s added; tap water is particularly suspect in this regard.

In addition, if we add rainwater or fresh water that is kept in a sponged condition, the lime accumulation will lose its teeth.

Do enrich conditions in the tank. The point is to avoid sudden, drastic changes in water quality, which can adversely affect fish and do things like heat shock plants by extreme temperature swings or changing conditions too quickly for the establishment of healthy roots to be complete.

How Do You Clean the Filter Without Losing Beneficial Bacteria?

Its heart of an aquarium is the filter, where harmful ammonia is converted into nitrate by beneficial bacteria. First turn off the filter and carefully remove the other parts when you clean it.

Be sure to rinse in aquarium water, never tap water, to avoid killing these essential bacteria. If the mechanical filter media, such as the sponge or floss pad, begins to break down or wear out, replace only that part.

The biological and chemical filter media require gentle care but can last much longer, making it worthwhile to maintain them properly for consistent and effective filtration results.

Replace it at the manufacturer’s recommendation, typically every four to six weeks for carbon or chemical media.

If you clean all components at once, keep in mind that the life forms essential to maintaining stable water parameters, bacterial colonies could be lost. So do an occasional overall cleaning for maintenance, but stagger and overlap others.

How Can You Prevent Algae Growth in Planted Aquariums?

Algae can be a headache for every aquascaper. Predominantly an imbalance in nutrients leads it to flourish, such as too much light, high phosphate levels or leftover food, these affect the growth equilibrium.

To offset this tendency, it’s advisable to place a plug-in timer on your light source and make sure it stays lit continuously for 6-8 hours each day. Secondly, avoid overfeeding your fish and instead perform regular water changes to maintain a healthy environment for them.

Incorporating algae-eating fish or snails that feed on algae in excess could also be regarded as a kind of natural control. There are certain plants that are good at taking up the nutrients that this algae lives off, and they include duckweed and anubias.

If you then discover, for example, your tank is beginning to be invaded by loads of snails, or perhaps there’s a lot of uneaten food lying around on the bottom of the tank, cut down on the feeding and see if this helps.

However, it is important to remember that a small amount of algae is normal, even good; it means your system is alive and well.

Should You Use Fertilizers or Stick to Natural Methods?

Whether you choose liquid fertilizer or recycle fish waste chiefly depends on how your particular.

Especially planted tanks generally respond well to a little bit of fertilization, especially if you have chosen large-leaved demanding plants like Cryptocoryne or Anubias that require extra nutrients for their optimal growth. 

On the other hand, a low-maintenance tank often does not need to be dosed too frequently, so long as the balance of fish stock is correct.

If your substrate is nutrient-rich or you use root tabs, then additional applications of liquid fertilizer will be minimal.

The aim is to encourage growth without inadvertently creating excessive algae blooms. Be on the lookout for signs such as yellow leaves or slow growth, as these may indicate that your plants need a boost.

What’s the Easiest Way to Handle Algae on Leaves and Hardscape?

If you notice algae growing on leaves, it is best to remove them in time. During scheduled cleaning, use your fingers, or a soft brush, and make sure to remove the accumulation of algae gently.

For more stubborn patches, rinse leaves with a weak solution of bleach (not inside the tank). Always make sure to rinse them thoroughly before replanting in clean water.

Snails (such as nerites) and fish, like otocinclus, make great scavengers; they eat soft algae at no cost to you.

Only as a last resort, should strong chemical treatment be used, these may cause damage to your fish and disturb water quality.

Better methods instead include prevention, light and stable nutrients in moderation, and a constant flow of water.

How Do You Deal with Evaporation and Top-Offs?

In most aquariums, evaporation is a common problem, especially in open or warm places. When replenishing the water deficit, it is essential to use de-chlorinated or specially treated fresh water to replace what has been lost, rather than relying solely on tap water.

Such practice helps maintain constant mineral levels and prevents the accumulation of dissolved solids. Pure, distilled water alone is not recommended. It lacks essential minerals that fish and plants need.

When adding new water, you should pour it slowly so as not to disturb the bottom material or cause debris to rise up into the water column.

This moment also affords an opportunity to check whether the water temperature is in line with that of the aquarium, for even small shifts can be stressful to freshwater fish.

Can Snails and Invertebrates Help Keep Your Aquarium Clean?

Yes. Also, snails, shrimp, and other invertebrates perform valuable work as nature’s blue-collar workers. Off the top of my head, take the nerite snail.

Not only are they among the algae-eaters endemic to both fresh and saltwater fish tanks, but they also dine on or plant glassy, gunky biofilm, where as a “shameful uncle” might provide maintenance.

They adapt well to both low-tech and high-tech planted tanks and are the preferred choice of aquascaping enthusiasts, one snail can complete an ecosystem!

Take care, however, to avoid overstocking; if overfed or given too many leftovers, pest snails multiply rapidly.

Every life form in the aquarium contributes to the tank’s total emissions of ammonia and nitrite; therefore, stocking must be done with consideration for all its occupants.

What Tools and Techniques Make Cleaning Easier?

A few simple tools can keep your aquarium sparkling and fresh. A siphon or gravel vacuum is very useful for removing debris from the tank without stirring up the substrate.

The scraper can keep algae off glass; scissors let quick-growing plants in the aquarium become more manageable.

Keeping a bucket strictly for water changes-not using any soap or chemicals-avoids possible contaminants being spread around.

When cleaning your aquarium, work slowly and with care. Start with the glass and then substrate; after which go on to your filter, that way any debris flung up into the water by disturbance during periodic cleaning gets sucked out and trapped in your filter.

Be gentle and take your time; rushing through the cleaning process can do more harm than good.

What If You’re Setting Up a New Tank or Replanting?

Rinse the substrate before adding it to minimize cloudy water and allow your tank to cycle properly. Enter fish only after the plants begin growing well.

Check that live plants are buried deeply enough for their roots to anchor themselves, but not smother one another to death.

Incorporate driftwood or rocks to create a structure that facilitates the natural attachment of plants, such as Bucephalandra. Opportunities sometimes crop up.

Does it not make sense, when replanting or introducing new plants, to cut off the old roots of existing ones and remove any dead leaves?

This practice will help you achieve a healthy new start and reduce the accumulation of rotting plant debris in your tank. Always introduce plants with caution, quarantine if possible, to guard against pest snails or so on.

Final Thoughts: Keeping a Balanced, Beautiful Aquarium

Cleaning your fish tank does not mean boring work. It is a vital part of the evolution of a miniature ecosystem! After you have mastered the techniques for cleaning an aquarium with live plants, the procedure becomes one that can even be enjoyable. 

You may start to notice small signs, such as your fish behaving differently in the wake of a water change or how your plants stretch for the light after having been pruned. These details make tending an aquarium such a satisfying endeavor.