Aquarium Care

It is best to set up a fish tank if you love the aesthetics of displaying a clean, glittering, and well-decorated aquarium. A fish tank requires regular cleaning and maintenance checks. So, you should put in some time to care for it. A little love will really make fish tank maintenance a whole lot fun.

Water clean-up and conditioning

Probably, the first thing you might notice about your fish tank is the scummy water. If the water is no longer clear, you know that it is time for a total change. Do not wait for the water to look like something out of a drainage pipe. Make use of a method of changing water that suits you best. There are people who use a bucket to keep the fish in water, while a hundred percent of the fish tank water is being replaced. Others prefer changing about 20% of the water at a time, two times a week. Whatever the case, you should de-chlorinate the water that you will be putting into the tank.

Change the water.

Aside from the tank, the water is one of the primary clues as to how much scum is invading the aquarium. Dank smell and dark coloring are signs that your fish tank needs a total change in water. If you do not want to have to change every droplet of water at one time, you may have to change about 20% at a time. This process, however, should be done at least twice a week. If you want to follow this method, you need to make sure that you change a percentage of the water before the water changes in coloring and smell. This means that you cannot miss the twice a week regularity

Check the filter and bacteria growth.

Fish tank maintenance does not only focus on the tank itself but also on the organisms living in it and the equipment attached to the tank. The said equipment are installed for the reason of helping the fish survive at ideal conditions. The devices should be maintained in tip-top shape so that they can continue serving their roles.

Keep on checking the temperature in your fish tank.

The temperature is vital to fish tank maintenance. This is because your fish may not survive temperatures that are too cold or too hot. If temperatures are allowed to go haywire, you may not have anything to call your aquarium. Aquarium thermometers should make it easy for you to see if fish tank temperature is going over or under the limits.

Provide a certain amount of light.

How much lighting do your pet fish need? Find out the amount of light your particular breed of fish. This means that you cannot mix fish with very different lighting requirements. When you know the amount, maintain this level. Do not overdo lighting because this can cause fast algae growth.

Provide enough oxygen to your fish.

Fish tank maintenance entails fish survival as one of the top objectives. You should ensure that your fish have enough oxygen. This means that the water has to be cleaned regularly so that oxygen can be properly absorbed. If there are too many organisms competing for oxygen in the tank, then it would be best to install an aerator. The aerator can ensure that there is enough oxygen for every organism.

Do not forget that an important point of fish tank maintenance is the care of your fish. Check your fish regularly for a change in coloring, listlessness, and other odd behavior. Immediately remove any dead fish.

Sean Kerring is a marine fish enthusiast and breeder who has been raising and breeding fish for over twenty years, when his parents gave him his very first betta. He always uses the highest quality aquarium products, including various brands to get the highest quality results out of his regular fish tank maintenance. Learn more at marinedepot.com.

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Cloudy Aquarium

Many a new aquarium owner has panicked when their tank has taken on the appearance of what one such owner described to me as “a smoke filled room at a party.” In aquarium lexicon, we call such smoky appearance “cloudiness” because of its resemblance to the wispy clouds that sometimes appear in the sky. Everyone who keeps fish as a hobby wants their tank or tanks to be sparkling clean and clear at all times. Cloudy fish tanks look unsightly, and the water in these tanks can seriously harm the health of your fish. What causes these cloudy fish tanks, and what is the best way to get rid of the cloudiness?

The water clarity in a fish tank is generally affected by several factors, and the color of the water can often be a clue as to what is causing it to be cloudy. The water in a fish tank that has just been set up will often display a gray or white tint. This is called a “bacterial bloom” and it is very common in new tanks, for the nutrients and the bacteria in the water are imbalanced.

If your tank is so new that you have not added fish to it, dust from one or more of the decorations you added, or from the gravel or other substrate you placed at the bottom of the tank may be the cause of the cloudiness you see. Any item that goes into your fish tank must be made for that purpose, and you must rinse it well beforehand. When bacterial bloom appears in a fish tank that has already been established, your tank filter may not be working properly. You may be overfeeding your fish, or you may have too many fish in too small an aquarium.

A green cloudiness in your tank water means you are dealing with a sudden algae bloom. There are several reasons for an algae bloom some of which mimic the causes of a bacterial bloom. For example, when there is too much waste matter in your tank, be it left over food or the waste products from your fish, the bacteria from this waste converts into nitrates. As these nitrates grow in number, an algae bloom is imminent. Leaving the tank light on too many hours a day encourages the growth of green algae, and so does a high phosphate level in the tank water.

You may sometimes see a yellow color in your cloudy fish tanks. Decorative driftwood, decayed plant matter from aquarium plantings, fish waste, and dissolved organic carbons, often called DOC, can all be the cause of yellow cloudy water. Occasionally, you may also see a brown cloudiness in your tank water. This is caused from an overgrowth of brown algae. Brown algae can be caused by the tank not getting enough light, or from certain types of driftwood that have been placed in the tank.

By eliminating the causes of the different varieties of cloudy tank water, you can make caring for your aquarium much easier. Partial water changes of 10 to 20 percent of the water can help, as can making sure the filter on your tank is of the proper size. In order to remove the cloudiness from the water, and to make sure it does not come back, you need to see to it that your tank has a good supply of beneficial bacteria. This point confuses many newcomers to the aquarium hobby. They are so sure that bacteria are a bad thing that they balk when told it is needed in their tank! However, once they understand about good vs. bad bacteria, they are eager to know what they can do in order to maintain a colony of the good bacteria. Fortunately, there are some good solutions available. One of the best for cloudy water is the EcoBio-Block. When hobbyists learn of the advantages that go along with placing a product from EcoBio-Block in their aquarium, they agree that this is the easiest solution to the problem.

These products contain live beneficial bacteria, which multiply and make their way into the tank water every 30 minutes or so. They work in new set-ups as well as established aquariums to establish a nitrifying bacteria colony. This will take care of most cloudy water naturally, cuts down on the need for water changes and vacuuming the gravel or substrate, and will last for years. You could almost say that EcoBio-Block products are an aquarium owner’s best friend!

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Owning a fish tank as a big responsibility and many problems can arise during this time. Whether you are moving to a new house, renovating or just need to move your tank, there is a right way to move the tank so the fish are not shocked or die. There are a few ways to move a tank, depending on the size shape and location. The easiest way will be shown step by step in this paragraph.

First, you need to figure out how far you are moving the tank. The size of the tank also needs to be taken in account for. If you are renovation or need to move the tank from one part of the house to another, the distance is a big factor in moving your tank.

Keeping the fish safe should be your first priority. In any instance the fish should be taken out of the tank before it is drained or moved, If you have another aquarium or small tank for carrying fish in, then I would suggest moving the fish into the extra tank, If none of these options are possible than put the fish into bags, like you would at a pet store. Remember the fish cannot stay in the bags or a small-unheated tank very long because of heat and air.

Keeping the fish safe should be your first priority. In any instance the fish should be taken out of the tank before it is drained or moved, If you have another aquarium or small tank for carrying fish in, then I would suggest moving the fish into the extra tank, If none of these options are possible than put the fish into bags, like you would at a pet store. Remember the fish cannot stay in the bags or a small-unheated tank very long because of heat and air.

While you are in the process of moving your aquarium, I would suggest cleaning it. The aquarium has to be drained anyway so why not clean it. When you are cleaning the aquarium, make sure to wash the plants and other accessories well. Soap residue can harm the fish or even kill the fish.

When you are ready to re fill the tank, fill it with the right type if water for the fish. Put all the accessories and plants back before the fish, Make sure the heaters have been going for awhile, so that the tank is to the warmth the fish need. If the water is too cold or hot the fish will go into shock. Float the fish in the water, just like when you purchase new fish, to prevent shock. If you follow these steps then your tank will be happy and healthy.

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People have owned home aquariums for centuries, and arguably, their fish and aquatic setups got along very well without aid from the modern contraptions you would find at any self-respecting aquarium supplies dealer today. These new devices available today, the aquariums chiller, the powerful lighting or the protein skimmer, were not just thought up by bright marketing departments to part you from that last dollar; these were made for the true aquarium enthusiast, one who tries to expand his aquarist’s horizons delving into areas of aquarium-building heretofore unexplored: raising saltwater coral reefs, or raising exotic fish from cooler climes.

Building a coral reef in your home is no easy matter; these reefs occur naturally close to the water surface out in the sea, and are accustomed to receiving the full benefit of a day’s sunshine. There is no way you could keep these at home illuminated with just a couple of florescent lighting fixtures. Successfully raising coral reefs and the life forms dependent on them requires that you invest in lighting technology that’s really out there- metal halides, Very High Output fluorescents and so on. These do solve your lighting issues raising corals and other tropical life, but not without raising a problem or two of their own. Intense light will always come with intense heat. In the ocean, the heat, as much of it as the sun is able to supply, is pretty much lost in the vast volumes of the ocean’s waters.

An aquarium tank has just so much water, and can be heated up a degree or three with just a few hours of intense artificial lighting. When you switch off the lights at night, the small body of water that the aquarium is, it can hold the heat for only a couple of hours before the temperature in the tank plunges. The temperature swings can be distressing to your aquarium’s inhabitants, for the discomfort they cause and also for the amount of oxygen that warm water will quickly lose. And here enters the aquarium chiller.

Aquarium chillers can be quite expensive, running into hundreds of dollars for a reliable unit. You might think that using a fan would cool your tank adequately: there is a little added wrinkle to the problem though. To have a fan constantly playing on the top of the water will certainly cool it a couple of degrees; the fan will also hasten evaporation. It won’t be easy to top up the water levels either. In some cases you will need to spring for a special reverse osmosis filterto easily do this all the time.

It’s not really difficult buying a chiller; you just measure your tank for volume, and you buy a unit in proportion to the size. If you don’t live in a particularly hot desert-like area, a midsize 30 gallon tank will require a 600 BTU aquarium chiller and a large tank will require as much as 4000 BTU. Think of an aquarium chiller as an air-conditioner for your aquatic friends. Aquarium chillers can often be quite noisy, and can turn out to be stress contributors themselves. Check out online forums for the best brands to buy, and the best feature-choices to make.

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There are many things to consider when selecting an aquarium tank. One of them is the size of the aquarium. To determine the ideal size for you, you have to know the kind of fish that you are putting in the aquarium and exactly how many of them. Also, try to find out how big your fish can grow. If you buy a fish without finding out its maximum growth size, you may someday find your aquarium tank too small or too crowded. Remember to choose the aquarium that will be big enough for all the fish at maximum growth size.

The amount of water that the fish needs is also a factor to look into. Follow this rule of thumb to find out how much water your fish will need. A fish that will grow to adult size of less than 4 inches, like guppies and tetras, will require a gallon of water for every inch of fish. A large fish like the cichlid will need at least 55 gallons and the angelfish, at least 29 gallons. It is essential that your aquarium tank is able to hold the amount of water that all your fish need.

Size of aquarium tanks vary from two and a half gallons to several hundred gallons. They come in various shapes too: rectangle, round, bow front, hexagonal or cylindrical. If you’re a beginner, you might want to buy the prepackaged kit that contains all that a beginner will need to start. This may include the aquarium outfitted already with filter, heater and light. Pick the smaller tanks for starters for minimum maintenance. Just remember, not too small or your fish will not have enough room to be healthy.

You will have two choices in materials for your aquarium tank. Glass tanks are generally less expensive and more available. Glass will not scratch easily but can be very heavy. They also are not as flexible as acrylic so shapes are limited. Acrylic tanks, on the other hand, being lighter, boast of a wider range of shapes and sizes that you can pick from. They are, however, more expensive and more easily scratched.

A filled aquarium will weigh about 10 pounds for every gallon of water. So a large aquarium will really be very heavy. Bear this in mind when choosing your stand. You do not want to put it on anything that might collapse under the heavy weight. There are specialized aquarium stands built in metal or wood that could provide the necessary support for your aquarium. Some even have compartments for your aquarium supplies. Be sure also that your aquarium comes with a lid or a ‘hood’ and that it’s the right size for your tank.

After making your choice and purchasing an aquarium tank, put it in a bathtub or your backyard and fill it with the right amount of water. Connect and plug all the equipment like the heater and the filter and let it stand overnight. You should always do this before putting in the fish to determine if there are leaks and that your equipment works properly. With the correct aquarium tank size and type, and proper precautions in ensuring the safety of your fish, you guarantee them a happy and healthy life in your aquarium tank.

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