Aquarium Care

Well balanced aquarium

The hardest time to keep a balanced aquarium is when the aquarium is first being started. You add water – usually from the tank – and you condition the water as best you can but still, you sometimes lose fish in the beginning.  What is the best way to balance your aquarium?

The nitrogen cycle is an important aspect of your fish tank. It’s also called the nitrification cycle. It actually turns dangerous ammonia into nitrite and finally into nitrate, which is much safer for the fish. Ammonia is given off as part of the waste products of the fish and fish food, and is relatively toxic to the fish. Nitrifying bacteria come from the air and go into the water, starting the nitrifying cycle and help dangerous ammonia levels to go down.

A quick and easy way to balance your tank and keep it clear is to use one of the EcoBio-Block products which contain nitrifying bacteria. These multiply in the blocks and then spread into the water and attach to various things in the tank. The bacteria will then break down and reduce ammonia and nitrite levels. For example, you can start a tank with ammonia levels of 0.75 and small nitrite level of 0.1. Within a few weeks of using the EcoBio Block product, you can normally achieve ammonia, and nitrite levels of zero. The nitrogen system of the aquarium is properly balanced by the bacteria in the block and you lose much fewer fish because you don’t have an unhealthy system.

You need to balance the pH of your aquarium as well. Some can be a bit alkaline, meaning that the pH is too high or it can be acid, which means the pH is too low. Check the pH of your system using a pH test strip and then consider whether or not you need to change the pH.  Most fish can tolerate a pH of between 5.5 and 8.0 and if it is an established system with healthy fish, you may not want to make drastic pH changes in your system. If you need to lower the pH, you can try adding a piece of driftwood to your tank or add peat to your filtration system. You can raise the pH by adding coral or a seashell. Such gradual changes aren’t likely to hurt the fish but will help the fish gradually adjust to the pH changes.

All tanks eventually get some algae and some is beneficial. Too much algae, however, makes your tank unsightly and you need to prevent this as much as you can. Begin by keeping direct sunlight away from your tank. This holds true for the lighting in the tank, which should be on for no more than 12 hours per day. Make sure you go through frequent water changes so that the nutrient levels are diminished in the tank. Use algae eating fish, such as mollies, suckermouth catfish or Siamese Algae Eaters. All of these will keep your algae levels down in the aquarium.

It takes a lot of maintenance to keep your tank well-balanced. You can use a product like EcoBio-Stone to help keep that balance with a lot less maintenance. Such blocks last at least two years and will keep your fish tank healthy for a long time to come.

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If you have had an aquarium at home for at least some time, you must have surely been faced with the problem of algae. Unfortunately, all fish owners will have to deal with it sooner or later. Algae can be divided into four major groups – blue green, brown, red-brush, and green.

Green algae is the type that many people are familiar with and lives within any aquarium that gets an abundance of light. The two more frequently seen green algae within fish tanks are the hair algae and hard “green dot algae”. Hair algae are long thin strings of algae which are simply cleaned from the tank, and the green-dot algae looks like green dots of algae attached to the side of the aquarium and it is very hard plus time consuming to get rid of.

It is common for brown algae to show up in a fish tank which has just been started and it typically shows up in the initial two weeks. If it shows up in established tanks it means that the owner of the aquarium has to check the nitrate as well as phosphate degrees in the tank. Brown algae is abnormal because it lives in aquariums which don’t get a lot of light, therefore the aquarium owner needs to clean the entire tank and increase the lighting. It’s not uncommon for brown algae to vanish when the conditions of the tank stabilize.

Red-brush algae is not a good news, as it is very hard to remove it manually. In most cases, the cause behind its appearance lies in a high water PH.

If you have something that looks like a slime in your tank, it indicates the appearance of blue-green algae, which actually is a cynobacteria. This is not only going to be dangerous for the plants in your aquarium, but is also likely to cause harm to the fish.

Among the easiest methods to reduce the volume of algae within the tank is to lower your lighting utilizing the smallest wattage you can. Keeping your aquarium lights on for less then nine hours a day will limit the amount of time algae has for photosynthesis.

Utilize distilled water as you clean the saltwater aquarium or swap out the water because altering your water every two to three weeks will limit the amount of time algae may thrive within the tank. As you swap out the water ensure you vacuum the rocks and keep utilization of additives as low as possible, changing the pre-filter pad every week. Stock the tank full of algae consuming fish. With saltwater aquariums that would be – Hard Star Fish, Yellow Tang Fish, Blennies, Turbo Snails, Angel Fish, and small Hermit Crabs.

Using an algae magnet when cleaning your tank can also prove to be very helpful. If you make use of it during each cleaning, your aquarium has a high chance of remaining algae free. For the extra stubborn spots you will probably have to resort to using a razor blade. Fortunately, if you do manage to apply all of the above tips, chances are you will not have to worry about algae ever again.

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Testing of water in a fresh water aquarium involves two steps, the first is when you first start an aquarium and the second stage is when the tank has already been established and you have fish in them.

Fish thrive or die, depending on the water quality, so it is imperative for their health that you understand the sort of conditions and the quality of water that your fish need to live healthily. This is not uniform for all fishes, so a bit of study is necessary.

Procedure for a new fish tank:

You first need to establish that the nitrogen cycle has taken place. This is important because after this cycle has occurred it is safe to add fish. Fish waste and undigested food lead to an ammonia spike. This is the first stage of the nitrogen cycle and you can detect this by an Ammonia test. After this friendly bacteria called Nirosomonas start to breed, causing a nitrate spike. This is the second stage of the nitrogen cycle.

The third stage occurs when nitrospira bacteria breed converting the dangerous nitrite into less harmful nitrates. Once this occurs it is safe to add fish. Add the fish gradually, testing the water every couple of days, partially changing the water if there is too much ammonia or nitrite in it. This cycle takes place over a few weeks so it is important to keep testing the water so that you know which stage of the cycle you are on.

There are three test kits that are a must for any fish tank owner, to monitor the nitrogen cycle, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate testing kits. You also need a pH testing kit to check the water for acidity. This is important because if there is too much of a difference in the acidity level of the tank they lived in before you bought them, they may die of stress or shock.

Once your tank is established you do not need to keep on testing all the time. However, you still need to check the water for nitrates. Even though nitrates are not as harmful as the nitrites and ammonia, too much nitrate can also be detrimental to the health of your fish. To avoid any kind of problems, make it your habit to check the water quality and carry out regular water changes so that your fish are healthy and active. You can control the nitrate build up by adding plants and nitrate eating fish to your tank and monitoring the quality of water.

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