When it comes to regular maintenance of your aquarium, it is essential to pay enough attention to cleaning the gravel in your aquarium. That is more so because the things like uneaten food, fish waste, and other dirt fall to the bottom and sticks to the aquarium stones. This makes them unclean and thus needs a complete cleaning.
Why should you clean aquarium stones?
Well, if you want to have your aquarium in good condition, it is important to focus on cleaning it regularly. However, cleaning the aquarium does not mean simply cleaning the water. Cleaning the substrate and gravel is equally essential.
The aquarium stones collect a lot of debris such as Fish waste, uneaten food, decaying plant matter, and other types of waste elements. These elements can make your water smell foul. It can also result in issues such as ammonia spikes in your water.
It should be noted that ammonia – even in low quantity can make you fish sick. Frequent water changes with a focus on cleaning the aquarium stones help keep the ammonia levels at zero.
How to clean aquarium gravel?
There are basically three different methods of cleaning the aquarium gravel. We will use vinegar, bleach, and peroxide to clean aquarium stones. You can use any of the appropriate methods to clean the aquarium stones effectively.
- Vinegar can help clean the rocks with slight algae build-up. The acidic nature of vinegar can help remove the algae effectively.
- If you have hard algae buildup on the aquarium stones, using peroxide should be the best option.
- Bleach should be the best choice for the toughest stains and hard-to-remove algae.
In no case should you use soap or detergent for cleaning aquarium stones. They can leave residue and can be dangerous for your fish. Also, it is advisable to keep separate buckets and scrubs for cleaning the aquarium stones to ensure that there is no residue left.
Method 1 – Vinegar to clean gravel
You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to clean the gravel. Use separate scrubbers and spray bottles for cleaning the aquarium gravel.
- Remove all the gravel from the aquarium
- Make a spray solution with a 50:50 mixture of vinegar and water.
- Spray the gravel with a thick coat.
- Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Use scrubs to clean up the gravel.
- Rinse with water
Give them a good rinsing and put them back into the aquarium.
Method 2 – Use Peroxide to clean gravel
You will need a 3% hydrogen peroxide. You should be able to get it from a normal drugstore.
- Fill the spray bottles with the hydrogen peroxide.
- Spray the rocks with hydrogen peroxide and let it sit for 30 seconds to one minute.
- Scrub the rocks and let them foam. You can spray more peroxide if you observe algae growth still left.
- Rinse under water
- You can spray more peroxide if needed.
Put the rocks back into the aquarium after giving it a thorough rinsing.
Method 3 – Using Bleach to clean gravel
This should be the last resort for cleaning the aquarium stones. It can be the ultimate solution if you observe green spots on the aquarium stones.
You should use plain bleach for cleaning the aquarium rocks. Avoid the scented ones or other commercial bleach that may contain additives.
- Remove aquarium stones from the tank and place them in a bucket.
- Make a mixture with one part of bleach and 20 parts of water.
- Keep the gravel submerged in the bleach water for several minutes.
- Give them a good scrub
- Put the rocks in the bleach solution once again and leave them for 15 minutes
- Check if the algae has been removed. if not, repeat the procedure.
- Once the rocks are clean, submerge the rocks in fresh water and rinse till they do not smell bleach.
- Put the rocks in a bucket of tap water and add dechlorinator. I would advise using around 4 to 5 times more of dechlorinator than you typically use.
- Let the gravel soak for 15 minutes.
- The rocks should now be ready to be back in the tank.
Closing Thoughts
Gravel and aquarium stones can have biofilm and algae growth which can make the water look dirty. There are several methods that should be handy enough in letting you clean the stones. Most of the time, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide should help you get the task done.
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