Foreword:

Ok, depending on the size of your tank- the type of fish that you have, and how many will be the determining factor here. However- I will give you my stats- and my routine, and you can sorta get an idea from there. On all my tanks- I clean them weekly. doing a 50% water change. This is how I do it. Here is a list of items that you will need.

• A gravel vacuum (See Pic1).
• A bucket for the dirty water.
• A water conditioner (Stress Coat) is what I use, but any water conditioners that removes Chlorine, and neutralize Chloramines will do.
• A fish only sponge scrub brush
• Clean water.

Syphoning:

Siphoning is the easiest way to remove water from a tank. For large tanks, using a 'water python' or other long hose allows one to dispense with the bucket and siphon water directly into a drain or outside to the garden. When removing water via siphoning, you should also clean (vacuum) your gravel. Hoses are available at local fish stores and include a gravel cleaning attachment. The basic idea behind them is to connect a wide mouthed tube to the end of the siphon hose. When the tube is plunged into the gravel, the water flow churns up the gravel, but only the detritus (dirt, mulm, etc) is light enough to be siphoned out.

Algae:

To remove algae from the side of your tank, a plastic, non-soapy scouring pad can be used. Pads made especially for this are available at your fish store. If you have an acrylic tank, be especially careful that the pad isn't hard enough to scratch the side. Many types of algae can be wiped free using the floss inserts made for Whisper filters (cheap and can't scratch). In some cases you may want to leave the back glass with a bit of the algae - it looks more natural and some fish like mollies eat it.

Preparation:

First I turn off my pumps/filters- and heaters. Heater tubes can crack and you are definitely at risk of electric shock so please make sure all your power is turned off. Then using the gravel vacuum put it down into the gravel. It will pull out all detritus (dirt, mulm, etc) stuff. Don't worry about the gravel; it will fall back to the bottom. Please do not skimp on the vacuuming of the gravel this is very important in maintaining your aquarium. In so doing as you vacuum, the water level will drop. When you have reached the desired % amount, take your scrub brush, and wipe down the front of the glass, in some cases you may want to leave a bit of the algae, some fish need this algae to thrive (mollies) Also be very careful if you decide to use a scrub brush on an acrylic tank- as it may scratch it. At this time you may want to wash off any decorations and plants, with the tank water. Take out your filter pads, and wash them in tank water - this is done weekly- once a month do a complete breakdown of the filter and wash all the mulm from the intake, the inside of the pump, and the water inflow- a toothbrush comes in handy for this.

I do not recommend this method on a new tank set up. I didn't start doing this till after my tanks had already cycled After you have wiped down your aquarium glass, sides, rocks, and such... put in your the recommended amount of water conditioner, (for your size tank) and fill your aquarium back up- make sure you have the new water going in the tank as close to the same temperature as the tank water itself. Don't want to shock the fish! Wipe up any excess water; turn back on your filter, and heater. You're done!

P.S Special thanks to Loachaholic for some edits on spelling and procedure!