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lundi 15 juin 2015

Important Facts About Aquarium Maintenance

By Elaine Guthrie


The practice of keeping fish will involve much more than buying them and placing them into the tank. There are other important considerations. There are various conditions that they will require for them to grow healthily and without these they will not thrive. Proper maintenance of the aquarium ensures there are optimal conditions. A number of routine practices must be followed when it comes to aquarium maintenance in Cincinnati OH.

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.

Change of water is one of the main considerations and needs to be performed once in every two weeks. In majority of the cases, the change should be done to about 15 percent of the tank volume. One of the best techniques to use is to replace the extracted water while vacuuming the gravel. This will help to eliminate the foods that are uneaten and also residues that settled as substrate.

It is impossible to see water chemistry and therefore it will need to be checked periodically. The best way to achieve this is through checking tank chemistry during water change. Among the most important parameters are nitrites, nitrates and hardness of carbonates. For most species, pH should be in the range 6.5 to 7.5. This can however be changed if there is need.

Proper function of filters is very important and the filter inserts will need to be changed at least every four weeks. If the fish load is higher, then the replacement should be done after shorter periods. When there are trapped particles, they will decompose in the filters the same way they do in the tank. Filters should be cleaned once every month using water from the tank as it is changed.

The frequency of maintenance practices is varied. Some are performed daily, others weekly and others monthly. One should ensure all equipment is running well as part of daily maintenance. Further, fish will need to be keenly observed as they feed. It will help to know any behavioral changes that may indicate potential problems.

As part of weekly maintenance, there should be counting of fish. In case there is death of fish, smaller species tend to decompose quickly, leading to accumulation of ammonia and nitrites. Eventually, this leads to high nitrate levels. Walls of the tank are also cleaned weekly.

Every month, one will need to check the expiration dates on boxes and bottles of the supplies which are used. Supplies should not be used after expiration. When test kits are expired, they will give false readings, prompting you to take unnecessary action.




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