How To Undertake Aquarium Maintenance

By James Sullivan


Good maintenance practices on aquariums result to sustainable and healthy aquatic surroundings. In addition, expensive and time consuming issues that normally result from faulty fish tanks can be solved by regular maintenance. Most aquarium owners underestimate the importance of aquarium maintenance on aquatic lives. On average, it will take you less than one hour to conduct this practice. Undertake the following procedures when cleaning your fish tank.

The first procedure involves replacing the tank water twice a month. This procedure seeks to regulate the oxygen and nutrient content in water. As a fish tank owner living in the city of Cincinnati OH, the health of your fish depends on how frequent the water is replaced. Remove any uneaten food chunks when adding fresh water in the vessel since these particles tend to decompose and increase water acidity levels. Furthermore, when adding tap water, one of the ways of neutralizing chlorine found in it is by using water conditioners.

Replace a quarter of the fish tank water with fresh one to avoid eliminating nitrogen fixing bacteria. The nitrogen fixing bacteria facilitates the decomposition of wastes within fish tanks. When all the water is removed, these bacteria are also eliminated hence altering the decomposition of wastes. Furthermore, ammonia levels rise rapidly when water lacks nitrifying bacteria. Ammonia compound inhibits the respiration of fish since it clogs on fish gills.

Water acidity must also be tested on a weekly basis using a potential hydrogen indicator. This procedure should be conducted when water is being replaced. As a general rule, the water acidity must be seven units as measured by a potential hydrogen indicator. Any measurement below seven units means that the water has high acidic levels. In this case, a base element like baking soda may be added to decrease the acidic levels.

A filter should also be used to remove unwanted particles such as dust and uneaten food in water. On the other hand, the filter must comprise of carbon inserts that require replacement after a period of four weeks. Replacing the filter inserts prevents them from decomposing when they react with the particles filtered from water. The filter should also be cleaned monthly.

Maintenance can be carried out daily, weekly and monthly with different procedures. When carrying it out daily, ensure that the aquatic tank is running properly. You can also observe your fish when they feed since behavior changes in their feeding patterns indicates that there is a problem. On a weekly basis, count your aquatic animals to determine if some have died. You should check the expiry dates of bottles and boxes of the aquatic supplies bought from Cincinnati OH aquatic stores. This prevents cases of food poisoning when fish are fed.

Remove the artificial plants and decorations found within the fish tank when cleaning. In addition, use algae sponges when cleaning the surfaces of the container. The artificial plants and decorations ought to be cleaned with plenty of water on a sink every week. They also ought to be replaced on a monthly basis.

Take water temperature readings with a thermometer after every week. Fish require optimum temperature levels for them to thrive. High temperatures may slow their body metabolism rates. On the other hand, extremely low temperatures may denature their body cells and tissues. The rate in which oxygen is absorbed by fish in water is also determined by the water temperatures.




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