Maintenance

Since you have started your fish tank and put it through it's first cycle, you have to maintain your tank. As you will have noticed, goldfish make alot of waste, and this if it is left to build can be toxic to your fish. If you leave your tank, the algae and waste (poop and uneaten food) will take over and it will block the view of your beloved goldfish, and if left long enough it will kill them.

Firstly, you must take some water and age it. Take a big drum, (depending on the size of your tank) a new, clean garbage bin will do fine, as long as you don't use it for anything else. Fill it and apply a dechlorinator or conditioner to the water. Leave this water to stand for about two days, to let the chlorine, escape and to settle the water.

Unplug all electrical appliances in you tank, such as lights, heaters, filters, etc. before starting, if not, you may get a shock that could be lethal to you and your fish.

Take a scrubbing brush, preferably one from a fish shop, a magnetic one is the best, and scrub the sides that you view your fish tank from, (the fish will nibble on the algae on the other sides.) until it is clear of algae. If you don't have a brush, an old credit card will do just fine.

Now drain from 25-50% of your tank water, depending on the amount of algae in the water. Use a siphon with a suitable gravel cleaner, and siphon all of the gravel. Use the siphoned water to water plants, etc. or just flush it down the toilet.

Make sure that the water entering the tank about the same temperature as the water already in the tank. If the pH is different, adjust the aged water accordingly. Now, using a different tube, siphon the aged water into the tank. The reason for using a different pipe is to eliminate the chance of sending siphoned waste, etc. back into the water.

Scrub the outside glass of the tank until it is clear, and has no apparent dust.

N.B. Do not change filter material on the same day that you do your water change, as this could remove too many of the good bacteria from your tank. Wait about 3-4 days after the water change and then change the filter material.