Maintaining and Cleaning a Saltwater Aquarium

Step 1 Inspect the fish, if they are ordinarily out and swimming around and are now hiding there could be a problem. Make sure their eyes are clear, they are not breathing heavily and the body and fins are clear of any abnormalities such as tears or chunks missing.

Step 2 Test the water chemistry, use aquarium test kits to test ammonia, nitrate, carbonate hardness

Step 3 Clean algae from the Interior glass, clean or scrape algae off the inside walls of the aquarium with a hand held algae pad or algae magnet.

Step 4 Clean Decorations and Live Rock, normally there is no need to scrub live rock. Fish and invertebrates like to graze on them. If detritus builds up use a turkey baster to blast water at the rocks blowing off the detritus.

Step 5 Unplug Equipment, during a water change it is necessary to unplug or turn off the electrical equipment

Step 6 Vacuum Substrate and Remove Water, Try vacuum as much of the substrate as possible. Small water of changes of 10-15% per week are recommended or you can do 25% every two weeks.

Step 7 Clean or Change Filter Media Clean all mechanical filter media, including foam blocks.  Replace filter socks and filter pads. Replace carbon once a month

Step 8 Harvest Algae When using a refugium to help absorb excess nutrients, harvest part of the macro algae whenever it becomes dense.

Step 9 Clean the protein skimmer, dump and clean out the skimmate collection cup.

Step 10 Clean the Exterior Glass and Outside of Stand

Step 11 Clean Light Bulbs and Fixtures, if light bulbs are exposed to saltwater, salt will accumulate on them, cutting down their efficiency. Unplug the lights, lets them cool and gently wipe them down with a damp towel.