What to Expect on your First Aquarium Cleaning

Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes

Is your Serenity Aquarium all set up at your facility?

Maybe you’re brand new to Serenity and haven’t gotten your aquarium yet. Either way, this resource has helpful info for you.

Are you familiar with our fish tank cleaning process?

If not, read further for a brief overview of our cleaning activities and how you can prepare your space for our arrival.

Following a Schedule that Works for You

Our sole mission at Serenity is to take the stress out of aquarium ownership and our professional technicians, support staff, and dedicated cleaning schedule do just that.

Throughout your partnership with Serenity, we will work closely with you to give updates, reminders, or any other important information you should know.

Preparation for the Initial Cleaning Visit

Clear away any furniture or fragile objects from the area around the aquarium. You should also have a path cleared from the aquarium to a sink for water changes.

We use a 100ft hose that connects the aquarium to a sink and a water-changing system that uses water pressure to clean, drain, and fill your tank.

Also, guests and residents can be in the room during fish tank cleanings. In nursing homes, for example, many residents enjoy watching the cleaning take place.

They will often ask our service techs questions about the cleaning process and the exotic fish inside. Customer relations is important to us, and we welcome the conversation.

Cleaning your Serenity Aquarium

A local service pro will perform the service with little to no disruption to your facility. It will take him or her between one and two hours to fully clean your aquarium.

Some of our main tasks include:

  • Cleaning the glass
  • Cleaning gravel and decor
  • Draining and refilling the tank
  • Checking and maintaining the equipment

Cleaning the Inner Walls of your Tank

serenity service rep cleaning the inside of the glass of a fish tank

The first step of our cleaning process is removing algae from the inner walls of your tank. We use a magnetic scraper made just for this task.

This takes only a few minutes and contributes heavily to a crystal-clear view of the aquascape.

We give you an extra algae scraper to do this between service visits.

Algae may build up on the inner walls every few days, so we ask that you set aside about five minutes a couple of times a week to remove algae.

Your service tech will demonstrate the glass cleaning process and any other client maintenance.

Cleaning Gravel and Underwater Decor

serenity service rep cleaning the gravel with a gravel vacuum

Using a gravel vacuum with a special nozzle, we carefully clean the substrate to remove harmful bacteria, old food, dead scales, and other decaying material.

We also remove, clean, and reinsert underwater decor for the same reason.

We keep all your fish in the aquarium during this process, which saves us time and limits stress on your fish.

Draining and Refilling the Tank

serenity service rep removing water from a fish tank

Using a Python Clean and Fill System, we carefully remove old food, dead scales, and other decaying material. With this 100-foot hose, we also drain and refill your tank.

The alternative would be filling a bucket and dumping it in a sink multiple times.

We don’t remove all the water, as this could drastically alter the chemical balance in the tank. Visit our fish tank cleaning page for a more in-depth look at our cleaning process.

Aquarium Maintenance

Serenity service technician cleaning aquarium sump system

Finally, we drain, clean, and rotate the components of the Seamless Sump®.

We then replace the filter sock and bio media that help maintain a healthy fish tank environment.

We’ll also replace any equipment or fish if necessary.

Once this is complete, we refill your tank, start up the equipment, wipe off the outside of the glass, and dust off the stand and canopy.

These routine services will ensure that your aquarium stays in the best possible condition, no matter how long you’ve had it.

All Done!

Your service tech will pack up their equipment, thank you for your time, and head to their next appointment.

Remember, this process takes around 1 to 2 hours, so keep that time frame in mind when preparing for your cleaning service.

If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our dedicated service team will be happy to assist you anytime during business hours!