First of all, don’t wash the rocks or tank with soap, do it with salt and then rinse them both very well, you have to change all the water, so your fish don’t die like the last time, don’t put them back in the water immediately, put the containers inside the tank(the fish will still be in the container with the dirty water) this way the temperature changes slowly in the dirty water and they get used to it. Good luck and have fun cleaning the dirty tank!

If its large enought ot lift, carry it to the bathroom. Get a pasta strainer and pour out the gravel and rocks into it slowly, in batches, then run that under the water and rinse all the gravel off. Put all of the clean gravel in a bucket or on the (clean) floor and repeat untill all the gravel, rocks, and dirty water are out of the bowl/tank then run a damp clothe around the inside to wipe off any remaining gunk. Then pour all the gravel and rock back in, take it back to the original spot and add the aged water and float the fish.

If it’s too big, scoop the gravel out in cups after getting rid of the water and carry those to the bathroom instead of the whole tank.

you need to remove the brown with a siphon. You need to stick the siphon into the stones and get any dirt that happens to still be at the bottom.

if you want to get rid of the brown in one shot you really need to allow the brown you stirred up to settle back down and get it all in one shot.

do not do more than a 50% water change, this will shock and possibly kill your fish.

after you have done your cleaning there will be brown remaining in the water. Haze is normal after a thorough cleaning, it shouldn’t take very long for it to settle.

Well the best way to clean a tank is to have a gravel filter and bucket on hand. Its the best way to get the gunk out without really dirtying up the water. The second mistake your making is taking the fish out, don’t do that as the temp in a small container can drop fairly quickly and cause the fish distress. The gravel filter doesn’t cost much and is very easy to use. Stick the end with the clear tube into the tank and suck on the other end, when you see the water come quickly hold that end over the bucket, dip the other end into the gravel and wait until the water turns clear. The third thing is, make sure the water is the same temp as the tank and use a dechlorinater for chlorine and heavy metals in the water, stress coat or prime is good to use, it will help the slime coat on the fish and help prevent them from stressing out too much. If your going to clean the filter, use old tank water and not tap water, if your on city water chlorine will kill off any good bacteria and your tank will recycle itself.

Ghapy has it pretty much spot on. I’ll only add that you should use a water conditioner to remove harmful chemicals and metals from the fresh tap water.

well, you first have to put the fish in a different container, and then change the water

Keeping a fish tank clean is about maintaining it on a regular basis. A good fishkeeper never needs to take out all the rocks or fish.

To get your fish tank clean, do so over a period of time.

Keep the fish in the tank, it’s easier for everyone that way.

Syphon out about 25% of the water and vacuum the gravel while you do this. To get the tank back into shape, you’ll need to do this many times. Do it every day, every other day, every three days – whenever you have time. Gradually the tank will clear itself up and the fish won’t suffer shock because you are doing it over a period time and they’ll have a chance to get used to the new, cleaner conditions.

Because your water is so bad the filter will probably clog up quickly. Rinse out your filter media whenever you need to in dechlorinated water. Don’t clean it out too well, and don’t replace it entirely, or you will lose the good bacteria.

Then in the future take care of the tank. Every week the tank should get a gravel vacuum and a water change of about 25 percent. A well maintained tank stays clean and healthy for good, without ever having to do a dangerous overhaul to the tank, and only takes 20 minutes each week to keep it this way.

Good luck

PS. don’t overstock the tank – it makes it more difficult to keep. Less fish = healthier fish

You need to make sure that you have at least a cup full of the water you took the fish from in the clean water, this way the bacteria and things that have come off the fish will still be in the water once its done.

Well, What I would do is put the fish in a different BIG bowl, like you did, which is good. Then, take the rocks out and clean them by putting them in another bowl, or throw them out
and buy more rocks. Then, clean the bowl very good & you dont really need to wait for it to dry. The best thing to do is clean the rocks if you can. After, put the rocks in FIRST then the fish. :] I did this, it works. Hope this helps.