Month: July 2018

Tropical fish and equipment is very expensive. Regular maintenance is required to keep equipment running well enabling it to last longer. It also allows the fish to have a good quality of life and live longer. Performing maintenance on an aquarium every two weeks keeps harmful bacteria from multiplying and gives fish a safe environment.

Fish waste and extra food eventually falls to the bottom of the tank and gets stuck in the gravel. A bottom filter removes some of this waste, but not all of it. A build up of waste along with respiration from the fish causes the pH of the water to become contaminated with substances that are toxic to the fish. Regular cleaning reduces these dangerous levels.

Certain equipment is necessary to enable swift and easy maintenance on an aquarium. Use several plastic buckets only for aquarium maintenance. Do not use it for household cleaning or gardening as it can introduce toxic substances that kill fish and contaminate the aquarium. Aquarium vacuums, along with the required hoses, are necessary to drain water and pick up solid waste in the gravel at the bottom of the aquarium. Algae scrubbers safely scrape algae from the sides and front of the aquarium. Extra hoses plastic hoses are handy and filter fillers and activated charcoal may be necessary.

Before beginning, unplug any aquarium electrical equipment. Remove statues and ornaments for a heavy cleaning leaving them alone for regular maintenance. Fill the vacuum end of the aquarium vacuum tube with water and place it in the gravel. Put the other end of the vacuum hose in the bucket that is set lower than the aquarium. Some aquarium vacuums require the person performing maintenance to suck on the end outside of the tank to get the flow started. Others automatically begin when moving the vacuum head up and down or side to side. Battery operated aquarium vacuums start with a flip of the switch. Hold the vacuum head over the gravel or place it right in the gravel and vacuum from one end to the other. Once visible debris stops going into the head, vacuuming is complete. Never drain more than 30 to 40 percent of the water in a tank when cleaning. Check filters and clean or replace them if necessary. Replace water with water that is about the same temperature as the tank water treated with declorinator and restart all electrical equipment except heaters, which are started 15 minutes later.

Maintaining an aquarium saves money that spent on filtering systems and new fish. It also keeps the aquarium beautiful and presentable in the home or office.

Imagine a fish tank that has nothing but fish in it! Boring, to say the least! To make your aquarium attractive, you need to accessorize it. There are all sorts of ornaments on offer in the market today. First, you need to take into account the size of your tank and the kind of effect you wish to create. Of course, the most important consideration would be the type of fish you wish to breed in your tank. The ornamentation of a tank is more for people than for the fish. In fact, certain species don’t like gewgaws. The extras seem to get in their way. Oscars don’t like greenery, let alone trimmings! On the other hand, some fish would be lost without some place to get away’. Others need some place to call home’, while a few need something to play around, surprising as that may seem. If you have both small and large fish in your tank, the smaller ones would appreciate something to protect them from being preyed upon.

Select what best suits your requirements from the local pet store or an exclusive fish store. On display, you will find traditional accessories like ships and castles. You could choose seaweed and other branched greenery or imitations of these in various materials. You could pick up shimmery stones of varied hue or pretty baubles to embellish your fish tank. Besides these, there are any number of new fangled accessories to suit every pocket.

Some people are fascinated with amphibians. If you are one of these who keep pet amphibians in your aquarium, the requirement is different. These creatures love waterfalls that terminate in a pool they can luxuriate in. Waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes. You can best replicate their natural habitat by providing for a virtual forest’ of water plants in their tank.

When you choose ornaments for you aquarium, keep in mind what the fish you would like to raise are partial to. Get some literature and read up on their preferences. Certain fish are more sensitive and even a few accessories may traumatize them. Goldfish make excellent pets as they don’t need much care and they don’t seem to mind what’s in the tank with them. Therefore, you can go wild and do what appeals to you. Small fish don’t seem to mind either. So it’s entirely up to you on how you do up’ the tank for small fish.

If you make your aquarium especially attractive, it could become a conversation piece. Use accessories that simulate their natural habitat. That will certainly keep the fish happy! You, your children and your friends can spend hours enjoying the antics of the fish. This occupation is known to be therapeutic, to boot. So be imaginative in decorating your tank. Create your own ornaments or stick with the conventional. The outcome should give you and the fish pleasure.