question re what a pro aquarium cleaner will do

[Not Heidi]

I've previously asked about how to do a water change. I started to do it, but I got so anxious after removing maybe two gallons, and after one of my rasboras got too close to the hose intake, that I had to quit. I remembered to match the new water's temp to that in the aquarium, and to put Prime into the new water, but after that I had to quit. I didn't get any cleaning done, either, except for what little gravel cleaning I could do while removing two gallons.

Does anyone know if a professional fishkeeper - someone who goes to homes and businesses to clean large aquariums - would do a water change and clean a 15 gallon aquarium? I could surely use the help.

If you know, please reply. If you're a fishkeeper in northern Orange County, CA, and might be interested, please PM me. I'm not looking for someone who'd do it for free.

Thank you.

[calguy]

1. If you have a good filtration system, it's not that big of a deal.

A 20% periodical water change is all you need. Check out some YouTube videos on the subject, there's tons of them out there.
If your fish look healthy and the water's clear, don't do too much or you could upset the natural balance it takes so long to establish. The slime that accumulates on everything is beneficial bacteria eating the waste nutrients from your fish. Just scrape the front glass so you can see rhem, and leave everything else alone.

[Not Heidi]

2. Filtration

Apparently, I do have good filtration, as the water is clear and the fish are healthy. There's no accumulation of anything on the glass.

I appreciate your input, calguy.

[ForgedCrank]

3. If it

is freshwater system, your concerns are a lot less complicated.
Ideally, you should be swapping 10% of the water each cycle, that means in your case, only 1 1/2 gallons.
Prepare the new water in a clean bucket and allow it to obtain room temperature. Clean the glass and capture as much of the solids as you can with a cloth while wiping, then remove the 1.5gallons while sediment is still clouding the water.
Now add the room temperature water 1 quart at a time every 30 min or hour (or so).
The temperature changes won't be a big deal as long as it's not dramatic and sudden., shocking them with a sudden and dramatic change is how you can cause a problem.
If the water is really bad, do this every week for a month or so, then get on a schedule.
Always cover your hose intakes with a screen of some sort so no fish can get captured by the suction.
I also always gently stirred the substrate or gravel while I was doing this, then after my water change, I would cycle and clean all of the filters. You don't want too many solids collecting as they will rot and turn the water toxic if it gets out of control, but you also need to keep a balance so you dont destroy the bacteria environment that helps keep the ammonia levels from rising. I used inline beds of media underneath my tanks to help maintain the bacteria population.

[Lochloosa]

4. You've had two great responses so far.

If you feel you need to clean your gravel get one of these. Easy to use and effective. See video.

You say your water is clear and your fish are healthy. Why do a total cleaning? It sounds like you don't need to.

The biggest mistake with aquariums is overfeeding. Especially in a small tank such as yours. All food should be gone within a minute or two.

?si=pKvXGqwEeLuSg162

[Not Heidi]

5. Thanks, Lochloosa

I have a gravel vac and I used it for that two-gallon water change I did. Thank you for affirming the other two responses I've had.

I fear I may've been overfeeding. I can't tell, though, because I feed them tiny pellets that don't float but for a few seconds. Would you recommend a different kind of food?

[Lochloosa]

6. I always used flake. I had six tanks from 30 gallons to 110.

My big one was a community tank. Over 10 years I never did a full cleaning on it.

Once you have it balanced, and from your description, you really shouldn't need to.

If you see accumulated "junk" at the bottom you are probably overfeeding. If your fish look healthy and the water is clear then you are doing it right.

[calguy]

7. With small fish in a small tank

Flake food is the only way to go, imo. TretraMin is hard to beat, but there are other good ones on the market as well.