I got my 14gal fish tank for Christmas and it has been set up since then...I have two goldfish in it that the petco lady told me I needed in order to cycle..I know I dont need them now..ok but someone please tell me how to clean the water? How do I take the water out and put fresh in without killing the fish? Do I need to put them in a bad or something?

use a hose or pump to suck out about 1/4 - 1/3 of the water, then replace what you have taken out with water with the conditioner in it. You don't need to take the fish out of the tank

While cleaning a tank and adding new water can be very stressful to fish, one way to change the water without completely shocking the fish is to leave about 1/3 the original water inside the tank.

Yes i would remove the fish from the tank to do this. Fill a bag with the water from the tank and place them inside.

so. filter out about 2/3 the water of the tank. Clean the gravel with a gravel vac or by removing it and rinsing it out in a sink. once you add the gravel back into the tank and replace any of the decorations, add new water, add water conditioner and let the tank sit for a few min ( probably thirty min or so) Float the fish in their bag for 10-20 min and then release them along with the water in the bag back into the tank.

Hope this helps . this is how i've done it in the past and it works. No fish dead lol.

As far as keeping them, good for you. its nice to have fish.

Hope this helps,

~ Dan B.

If you need further help feel free to contact me at goldenarcher1328@yahoo.com

You can use a gravel vacuum, but if you don't have one at the moment then use a large tupperware or something to scoop out some water and dump it in the sink. Then add clean tap water about the same temperature as the tank water. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

You dont need to change all of the water, the rule of thumb is 10% a week minimum...but I tend to do a little larger water change just to make sure, like 2-3 gallons for your size tank.

You need water conditioner to add for every water change.

Eventually get a gravel vacuum to clean out the gravel, you dont want a buildup of poo, that will cause health problems.

Taking the gravel out and rinsing it with tap water can kill the beneficial bacteria that was established during the cycling process.

I simply use a paper towel to wipe the dirt and algae off the glass.

I have a 55 gallon, 20 gallon, and 10 gallon freshwater tanks.