Article: Use a specialty algae scrubber or a lint-free cloth to gently rub the inside of your tank. Apply consistent and light pressure while making small circles on the surface. It is okay if pieces of algae fall to the sand as they will be siphoned up shortly. Resist pushing too hard on your tank as it can cause damage or make the tank possibly tip over. Place your fingers into the sand at the bottom of your tank. Gently push the sand from the bottom to the top. Repeat throughout the tank floor until all sand has been upturned. You will see that debris and deposits have settled on the surface of the sand. It is sometimes helpful to go over the sand surface one time with the siphon prior to raking. Lower your siphon until it is about ½ inch above the sand’s surface. Move the siphon in a back-and-forth pattern, holding the depth level, as you pick up debris and dirt. Target any particularly large particles. You can expect for the siphon to pick up some sand particles with this method. You can then re-rinse those particles and re-introduce them to the tank or you can throw them out. It is often a good idea to add in new sand every few weeks anyway. Take your time picking up the clean decorations and putting them back into the tank. You can follow the same pattern as before or you can mix it up with a new design. Make sure each piece is anchored and move around the freshly cleaned sand as needed. Replace the water that you removed by adding in the treated water to your tank. You can pour directly from the bucket, although that may disturb your tank and fish. A better option might be to use a jug to add the new water in slowly. You can also deflect the water with a plate as it is added in which will lower the chance of damage even more. As soon as you’ve completed the water change you can plug all of your tank appliance back in. Watch to make sure that they are operating properly before leaving the tank alone.  You may want to leave your tank light off for a few hours following a water change. This can help your fish to relax following what may have been a stressful event. Check the temperature of the replacement water with a thermometer before adding it to your tank. Both water temps should be roughly the same or you risk shocking your fish.

What is a summary?
Scrape off algae. Rake your fingers through the sand. Remove surface debris with a gravel siphon. Replace all decor. Pour fresh water into the tank. Re-activate your heater, filter, and lighting.