How to clean/scrub out a tank w/o shocking the fish?

[Cyphus]

How far can I go with the cleaning, without making it 'too clean' and put the fish into shock when I put them back in the tank?

3 male bettas are currently living in a divided 10g tank, w/ filter & heater. Each section has a java fern plant in it...... and the tank used to have gravel, but I removed most of it. When I scooped up the rocks today, I found out that the siphon wasn't doing a very good job at sucking up all of the fish waste.. >.> =X

Right now.. I am frustrated w/ their finrot. I have not added any medication to the tank yet, but I had increased w/cs from 75% w/cs every 3 days to 75% w/cs every 2 days~ and the finrot is still progressing!!!!!!!

I want to disinfect everything in the tank: filter/filter media, plastic canvas, heater.. I can use warm water/ vinegar (and rinse them out thoroughly afterwards) to do this, right?

I also want to start the treatment of aquarium salt (1/2 tsp per gallon) & either: a) tetracycline/jungle fungus elimanator or b) Maracyn 1 & 2. Do these sound ok?

Should I also throw out the java fern?? Could it harbor bad bacteria that's causing the finrot? I am reluctant to do that, as I had spent $18 for the 3 plants, lol.. but the lives of my fish are far more impt! Is there a way to disinfect the plants?

[Narnian]

I'm a noob, so take my advice with a grain of salt........but I've heard you can disinfect plants by holding them in a bleach/water mix (10% bleach to 90% water) for 3 minutes. But only the leaves, NOT the roots, so you'll have to manually hold them.

Then rinse rinse rinse and let it sit for a bit in a de-chlorinated water solution (to neutralize the bleach).