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mardi 24 février 2015

Important Details About Aquarium Maintenance

By Earlene McGee


People that own aquariums should consider their maintenance on a regular basis. This is usually not a very tough task but will give newcomers a problem in the early stages. Some of the steps that are included during maintenance are taking the fish out, primary preparation and washing of the aquarium. After washing the tank, the fish can be put back in safely. There are various important facts to consider when it comes to aquarium maintenance.

The biggest factor that is considered is stability of the tank. As long as all things are running in a proper way and the fish are healthy, there will be no need for any major changes. This is even if the hardness or pH is slightly off range. When it comes to maintaining aquariums, only the very major changes in tank parameters will need to be considered. These will need to be attended to immediately.

One of the major practices for any aquarium is water change. Water should be changed after every fortnight. During this time, there will be no need to change the entire volume. Approximately 15 percent should be changed. A way to achieve this is extraction of water while vacuuming the gravel. All foods that were not eaten will be eliminated while also getting rid of other residues.

It will be important to scrutinize the parameters of water in the tank and also the replacement water. In instances when tap water from the municipality is used, it should be noted that the water has a lot of chlorine. Water that has chlorine will lose air fast. The chlorine can be neutralized using water conditioners. For water that contains ammonia, this will need to be gotten rid of. This can be done by nitrifying bacteria.

Municipal water will also have other elements like iron, phosphates and a host of other heavy metals. The local water company should be contacted to find out the composition of the water that they distribute. The information will be important because the lives of fish should not be put at risk. If well water is to be used, it should be noted that it is harder than that from taps. However, it has no chlorine.

Water chemistry is not visible to the naked eye and therefore it is important to regularly check the chemistry as the water is changed. The pH, salinity, nitrates and nitrites are the most important parameters to check out for. The pH should range between 6.5 and 7.5. Adjustments are made if it is out of range.

Functioning of the filter is an important consideration as well. The inserts of the filter are supposed to get changed every four weeks. If the fish load is higher, the change is done after a shorter while. Particles that are trapped within the filter will decompose and thus affect its functioning.

You should check daily that all components are running just fine. The fish need to be keenly observed as they feed. Potential problems are indicated if there are changes in behavior. As a weekly routine, fish need to be counted. Dead fish will decompose and increase ammonia composition.




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