Kelly Tarlton aquarium divers share tips on how to keep the best environment for your fish

For the divers of Auckland's Kelly Tarlton's Sealife Aquarium putting on scuba gear and cleaning tools to take a dip with the sharks is a daily occurrence. Photo / Supplied

Caution: wet floor.

For the divers of Auckland's Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium putting on scuba gear and cleaning tools to take a dip with the sharks is a daily occurrence.

Divers are often spotted diving below the surface of the 1.1 million litre shark tunnels and its likely because they are cleaning.

During Clean Your Aquarium Day, Sea Life Kelly Tarlton's curator Andrew Christie said he wanted to lend a few tips about keeping an ideal environment for fishy friends kept by aquarium hobbyists.

Throughout the year, Sea Life Kelly Tarlton's in Auckland maintained a strict cleaning schedule, he said.

Annually staff spent over 1000 hours doing underwater cleaning each year.

"We are ridding the tank's surfaces of unwanted grime and built-up organic matter to ensure its underwater residents continue to receive the highest possible standard of care."

When it comes to cleaning personal aquariums, Christie said there were a few ways.

"Maintaining a clean aquarium is incredibly important for the health and wellbeing of its residents.

"It is important to regularly clean your tanks – whether they be freshwater or saltwater – and ensure all your filtration systems are working properly. It is also important to check your fish are looking healthy," Christie said.

For the ideal environment, there was a "balance you must find".

"There is fish produce waste products and the food that is not eaten, you are basically creating a whole environment for them to live in.

"It's not just like having sheep on a farm where there is air and grass. We have to create the whole environment."

The frequency of cleaning was key, a daily ritual for the divers at Kelly's.

"I'm happy if divers are in there every day.

"It's all very well to have a fish tank, your little Piscean friends are as important as your cats and dogs."