.

What One Needs To Know About Aquarium Maintenance

By Elaine Guthrie


The keeping of fish does not merely involve purchasing them and putting them into the tank. There is more than that. There are important conditions that they require to survive and without which they would not do well. These conditions are only going to be provided if the tank is maintained well. There are a number of routine practices that should be followed when considering aquarium maintenance in Cincinnati OH. They will need to be strictly followed so that fish thrive.

The biggest factor that maintenance entails is the stability of the tank. As long as all things are running well and the fish are in good health, there will not be the need for major changes. This is even in the case where hardness or pH is slightly out of range. The only parameters that will require immediate attention are decrease or increase of major water parameters. Other parameters will be considered during routine services.

Water in the aquarium will need to be changed at least once after every two weeks. There is no need to change the entire volume of the tank. Just about 15 percent will suffice. The main technique used is to replace water that is extracted as the gravel is vacuumed. This will get rid of any foods which are uneaten plus the residues which settled as substrate.

It is not possible to see water chemistry and therefore it needs to be checked every once in a while. This is best done by checking the tank chemistry as the water is being changed. Some of the most vital parameters are nitrates, nitrites and carbonate hardness. A pH that ranges between 6.5 to 7.5 is okay for the majority of species. The figure can however be adjusted if it is out of range.

The filters will need to be functioning well and therefore the inserts used on them ought to be changed monthly. If however the fish load is higher, the frequency of change should increase. In the event that the inserts have trapped particles, these will decompose the same way they do if they are in the tank. For the filters, they need to be cleaned every month through the use of water from the tank as it is changed.

Maintenance practices are carried out with varying frequency. This can be daily, weekly or monthly. For the daily maintenance, one needs to ensure that all equipment is running properly. This is in addition to observing the fish as they feed. This will help to notice any change in behavior that mostly signals problems within the tank.

There is weekly maintenance that involves counting the fish. If in any case there is death of fish, smaller species will tend to decompose much faster than the bigger ones. This leads to build up of ammonia and sparks of nitrites. Finally, this leads to high nitrite levels. Walls of the aquarium will also need cleaning every week.

The expiry dates on bottles and boxes should be checked monthly. There should not be use of supplies after they have expired. Expired kits will give false readings. This may prompt one to take actions that are not necessary.




About the Author:



No comments :

Post a Comment