Our Clean Fish Tank

So, they say you should do a full tank cleaning on your fish tank every 6 months...and there is a reason for this! Our tank was dark green and you couldn't see our fish except when you fed them...because they would come up to the surface for the food.
I spent all day (5 hours worth) cleaning the tank. I took the fish out and put them in a new trash can with some of the water from the dirty tank and our spare air-rator to keep them going...I had to almost empty the tank to catch the last 3 fish...they were super quick!
I then spent time emptying the rest of the water from the tank...it's a 25 gallon tank and I was emptying 4 1/2 gallons each time...but it takes forever using the syphon! I took out all the items that were in the tank and everything went to the bathtub minus the items with cords and the actual tank.
I spent a good hour emptying the tank. An hour deep cleaning all the plants, statues, and an extra 30 minutes for the fish gravel. I also cleaned the heater, the filtration system, and the hood.
Part of my 6 year anniversary gift to Josh was cleaning the tank. But I also moved it to the location I wanted it (I've asked him for 2 years now, but I've done it without him so YAY!). I also bought him a new bridge (since he loves bridges so much) to go in the tank...It looks super awesome!
I then had to reassemble it all! I put in the bridge first, the sign, and the neon rock. I then added all the fish gravel, the log and the plants. At this point, it's time for water. I added water at about 4 1/2 gallons each time. But you have to be careful when adding the new water at 4 1/2 gallons at a time because it can rearrange your tank without want. I used Josh's new bridge to my advantage for this...pouring the water on the bridge to disperse it.
Once all the water (which had water conditioner added at the tap), I had to add some of the ammonia remover and then some non-iodized salt to balance it out. While you'd like to add the fish immediately, there's many factors that have to be considered. For one thing, I had added warm water to the tank, but it was too warm for the fishes. Secondly, you have to use pH sticks to make sure the water is right for the fish. Since the water was too hot and the full tank of water was not yet balanced, I didn't get to add the fishes until after dinner tonight.
All in all, it was a VERY loooooooooooooooooooong day today cleaning the tank. However, the end result is a beautifully clean fish tank that looks brand new from afar!
Below is a few snap shots of the tank and a couple of videos. The first video is of CeKariya talking about the tank and the fishes...she absolutely loves them, but still isn't sure that they can't get to her. She just keeps gibbering in the video and you can only make out part of the conversation. Jamion is in the back ground asking what the "sign" says (NO SKINNY DIPPING) and I ignored his question until I ended the video. The 2nd video is of the fish swimming, The Lion King playing in the background, and Roscoe talking to me about the fish.
Enjoy!

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