Aquarium maintenance per day, per week and per month

Aquarium maintenance… I gotta be honest, I find it one of the most annoying parts of this fun hobby. But hey, that’s probably because I’m a bit lazy!

A lot of beginner aquarists think: doesn’t the filter actually take care of aquarium maintenance? Well yeah, technically it does. The filter definitely handles the heavy lifting.

But your aquarium maintenance doesn’t stop with your filter. If you want a healthy tank, you’ll still need to do a bunch of other things regularly. Think about water changes, checking your CO2, cleaning the aquarium glass, …

But what does an aquarium cleaning schedule look like, and what exactly needs to be done? You’ll find the answers in this blog post. To make it easy for you, I’ve created an aquarium schedule and split this article into daily, weekly and monthly aquarium maintenance.

Daily aquarium maintenance

If you ask me, the daily aquarium schedule is more about enjoying your tank than about cleaning it.

What’s best to do every day?

• Check the temperature: keeping the water temperature stable is super important for your fish and shrimp. Sudden drops or rises can have disastrous effects. So, quickly checking every day if the water stays within range is smart.

  

• Check fish & shrimp: a quick look at their behavior and numbers never hurts. You’ll notice fast if something’s off. See a dead fish? Remove it so it doesn’t rot in the tank. This is also a great moment to feed your fish. Check if there’s leftover food and adjust the amount if needed. Too much waste pollutes the tank and can even lead to blue-green algae.

• Check plant growth: how do your plants look? Do they have a fresh color and keep growing well? Aquarium plant maintenance is all about observing your plants and giving them what they need. Plants that suddenly look unhealthy, get deformed, or develop holes often signal that something’s wrong. If you see strange growth, check if your CO2 cylinder still has enough pressure, your CO2 system is running properly, and add some aquarium plant fertilizer if needed.

• Watch out for algae: the sooner you spot algae, the easier it is to deal with them. Algae are a pain, so it’s best to get rid of them right away. Read more about how to fight algae in aquariums.

In short, daily aquarium maintenance is basically about visually checking your tank.

And of course, enjoying your aquarium too!

Weekly aquarium maintenance

The weekly aquarium cleaning schedule takes more time and effort, but it’s a key part of the hobby if you want to keep enjoying it.

What should you do weekly to keep your aquarium nice and clean? Number one: water changes!

• Change the water: as you know, I’m a big fan of regular water changes in aquariums. Especially if you use CO2 and have lots of plants or fish, replacing 25 to 50% of the water weekly is no luxury. There are different techniques for water changes, check out this blog post. Just make sure the values of your fresh water don’t cause big swings.

• Clean the aquarium glass: use the lower water level to clean your aquarium glass. Filter floss works well, and for corners, grab an old toothbrush. If decorations are dirty, clean them the same way.

• Trim the plants: trimming weekly means you never have to do drastic pruning. It helps keep your aquascape in shape, prevents certain plants from taking over, and boosts growth. Want to know everything about pruning aquarium plants without hassle? Read this article and you’ll be a trimming pro in no time.

By sticking to the same weekly aquarium cleaning schedule, your aquascape stays under control. No big shocks or sudden changes to the tank’s ecosystem.

All in all, it’s a breeze—and who knows, you might even start to enjoy it! 🙂

Monthly aquarium maintenance

Monthly aquarium maintenance is mainly about cleaning your filter.

Make it a rule never to clean all the filter parts at once. Simple reason: you don’t want to disrupt the bacteria colony in your aquarium too much.

How do I clean my filter? I rinse the filter floss in old tank water and put it back. Meanwhile, I scrub the hoses with a hose brush and clean the parts (such as the impeller) with filter wool. If the rubber seals are dry, you can rub them with a bit of Vaseline to avoid leaks.

Another golden rule: don’t clean the filter and do a water change at the same time, for the same reason—it would disturb the bacteria balance too much.

Conclusion: aquarium maintenance doesn’t have to be a boring chore!

Cleaning your aquarium doesn’t need to be a dreaded task. Just by being attentive and doing a daily visual check, you already achieve a lot.

On top of that, aquarium maintenance is mostly about routine. Once you figure out the right aquarium cleaning schedule, it almost goes by itself.

• Weekly aquarium maintenance: water changes, cleaning the glass, and trimming plants
• Monthly aquarium maintenance: cleaning the filter if needed

And when you think about the gorgeous aquarium you get in return with the right aquarium schedule, you’ll do it happily! Got more tips for me? Drop them below!