Aquarium Care

Nature aquarium started as an upgrade from an ordinary aquarium making hobby to an art. It is where an aquarium that was originally intended for fancy fish was aquascaped with real live underwater plants. In ordinary aquarium, the emphasis of the hobby is the fish, while the emphasis of nature aquarium is the habitat and aquascape of the aquarium.

This art was popularized by a renowned Japanese photographer Takashi Amano. His specialty is naturistic photography which gave birth to his new art, nature aquarium. It’s like giving real life to all his photos and putting it inside the glass. His photography brought him to different parts of the world, and his nature aquarium became popular worldwide.

The aquarium that we are talking about is not an ordinary aquarium. Its main idea is about creating a miniature ecosystem inside the glass under a controlled environment, where fishes, bacteria, invertebrates, aquatic plants, and all other aquatic living organisms can live together as if they are living in the open wild.

There are several kinds of aquatic plants that you can plant inside the aquarium depending on your preferences and artistic imagination. “HC” or otherwise known as Hemianthus callitricodes can be a perfect choice for carpeting while Ludwigia Arcuata is a perfect choice for giving a purple color background for your aquarium. Dwarf Hairgrass is a good choice for creating a mountain like view. Again, it is all up to your own artistic imagination.

For the fishes, please note that since it is a miniature ecosystem, it is not really advisable to have huge fishes like Arowana or Oscar. It’s not what we are trying to achieve here. It is best to have small fishes such as Guppy and Tetra. If you can have some other colorful small fish, the better. But please, no Gold Fishes alright?

Also try to consider some invertebrates such as small shrimps and snails. They eat algae and some other harmful bacteria inside the nature aquarium. They can help maintain the balance of the ecosystem inside the tank.

Algae can also destroy the beauty of your aquarium that is why it needs to be controlled. But don’t bother yourself to totally eliminate it. Else, you will have an imbalance ecosystem, and you won’t have some food for your invertebrates. Just note that the goal here is to have a well balance ecosystem.

An alternative to invertebrates is a fish called “Siamese algae eater”. It is one of the best fish algae eater out there. But it is recommended to only have 1 Siamese for every 20 gallon tank.

Lastly, you also need to take care of the CO2 and oxygen, lighting, filtration, and substrate systems of your aquarium. These things are essentially important in growing the plants inside the aquarium. A mediocre quality of these tools won’t do any good to your plants.

Takashi’s hobby has become a business later on when he founded the Aqua Design Amano. He started this company that design high quality equipments for nature aquariums. Though they are quite expensive, the quality of these equipments are just so amazing and perfectly fit for your desired aquarium. It definitely one of the highest quality brand out there specifically designed for nature aquariums.

Bince is a nature lover. To learn more about nature aquarium, you can visit our site www.natureaquariums.org.

Technorati Tags: Animals, Aquarium, Aquascape, Aquatic Plants, Arowana, Art And Business, Art Nature, Artistic Imagination, Business Nature, Color Background, Dwarf Hairgrass, Fancy Fish, Harmful Bacteria, hobbies, hobby, Hobby Art, Japanese Photographer, Living Organisms, Nature Aquarium, pets, Purple Color, Small Fish, Small Fishes, Underwater Plants, Which Gave Birth

by Ruby Bayan, OurSimpleJoys.com

One of the joys you will experience in fish keeping is making sure that the underwater kingdom you have conjured remains in its ideal, pristine condition for the longest time possible. Feeding and looking after the health and wellness of the plants and fish is just one aspect of tank maintenance; housekeeping is another.

Keeping your aquarium clean doesn’t have to be unpleasant or tedious. Some minor tasks can be done regularly to avoid, or delay, a major cleanup or an overhaul. Usually a tank overhaul is necessary only when severe pollution has occurred, and a new setup is the only way to remedy the situation. If you can take care of your aquarium community diligently enough, there will be no need for a major cleanup for many years.

Let’s look at the essential tasks in keeping your aquarium setup clean and well maintained.

Maintenance Routines

Your aquarium contains living organisms that feed, respire, grow, age, and expire. From bacteria and other microorganisms, to algae and broad-leafed plants, to an assortment of exotic tropical fishes; the ecosystem in your aquarium comprises a slice of natural life. As caretaker of this ecosystem, you must be there to ensure that the natural balance is maintained.
On a regular basis, therefore, these are the things you need to take care of:

1. Half an hour after every mealtime, remove all uneaten food. They will rot, clog the filters, and make your water toxic for the fish.
2. Daily, check all the equipment supporting your aquarium. Be sure all working efficiently because when filters, lights, aerators, or temperature regulators fail, there is a major risk of pollution and distress.
3. Observe the fishes – isolate and medicate those that look weak and sickly before the whole tank becomes contaminated.
4. Check your aquarium glass cover – clean as necessary so that tank illumination is not hampered.
5. Check for the growth of algae. You can scrape it off the walls with an algae scraper, a scrub pad, or a magnetic cleaner.
6. Trim overgrown plants and remove dead leaves and branches.
7. On a weekly or bi-weekly basis, perform partial water changes to minimize ammonia and nitrate build-up. Replace no more than 20% of the total water volume, and be sure that the replacement water is of the same temperature and composition as that of the tank. In between water changes, add fresh water to make up for quantity lost through evaporation.
8. Siphon off wastes and debris that have accumulated on the substrate, the plants, décor, and at the corners of the tank. Stir the top of the substrate a bit to unearth the dirt and debris. You can use a siphon hose or a glass tube sediment remover. This task can be performed while siphoning off water for the regular water change.
9. Clean or replace all filter elements (carbon, filter wool, sponge, etc.) every two-to-three months. You may also need to have your power filters and pumps checked and serviced for worn out parts.
10. Replace fluorescent and UV lighting once or twice a year because these bulbs degrade with use.
11. Consider using a water-conditioning product like EcoBio-Block to clarify water and reduce the need for water changes.

If despite diligent maintenance, you find yourself having to deal with accidents, pollution, or a change of mind, here’s a short tutorial on how to do a general overhaul of your aquarium.

Technorati Tags: Aerators, Aquarium Care, Aquarium Glass, Aquarium Maintenance, Aquarium Setup, Fish Keeping, Health And Wellness, Living Organisms, Maintenance Routines, Mealtime, Minor Tasks, Natural Balance, Pristine Condition, Ruby Bayan, Tank Maintenance, Tank Overhaul, Temperature Regulators, Tropical Fishes, Underwater Kingdom, Uneaten Food