Freshwater Aquarium Maintenance - The Routine You Should Follow
The real challenge to owners is keeping their tank running correctly. They get it working fine but then all sorts of issues come along which are totally unexpected!
Dirty Water.
Had enough of dirty water? So are your fish.
If you want your tank to be nearly completely self cleaning you should try a power filter. It uses chemicals to filter out almost everything including dirt, odours, discolouration and even general impurities. If you can put up with changing the filter every three to four weeks then you should be very happy. The filters are usually disposable, so there's no hassle and no leaning over a sink for hours hoping that it gets clean.
Algae.
Algae is the blight of many tanks and our eyes are always drawn to it away from the fish.
The easiest, most practical, and quickest solution is simple. Find yourself a Plecostomus. He will keep your tank clean of algae, his nickname is 'algae eater', but he is no great looker. Plus, this ugly algae eater has a wonderful personality!
If you don't have an algae eater, then you're going to have to remove it yourself, by hand. There are a number of tools that you can use, they vary in price. Remember that algae loves the sun! A shaded tank will have a much smaller algae problem than one that is in sunlight for a few hours each day.
Strong Scents.
To ensure this does not happen you must change your filter more regularly as this will harm your fish. fish cannot live in those conditions.
Unclear Water.
Overfeeding is the usual cause of this. Do not feed them any more than 3 times a day and no more than they can eat in 3 to 5 minutes. This should remove the problem. If not then try bottled or distilled water. Most grocery stores sell it at around 60 cents a gallon.
Change The Water
Use a siphon to remove about 25% of the water every week or at least every two weeks. Basically, you put one end of a hose in the tank, put the other to your lips, and suck. Once the water is flowing run it into a bucket and drain some from the tank. Then just put some fresh water back in the tank. Once a month, you're going to want to clean your aquarium tank - part of the experience many people hate.
Scrub the inside of the aquarium glass gently with a sponge, this will remove anything that is stuck on there. Scrapers are widely used but beware, they scratch acylic aquariums.
To clean the decorations soak them in hot salt water and scrub them with a sponge not forgetting to rinse them afterwards. Soap should never ever be used. Your fish will be killed very quickly by the residue.
Many people use a gravel vacuum to clean the dirt and old food that's been left down there. Use the gravel vacuum according to its instructions, there are several sizes available for different size tanks.
When You Refill Your Tank.
Water used to refill the aquarium when changing its water should be at the same temperature. Get the water temperature right and using the kitchen sink and a garden hose attachment go from tank to tank (if you have more than one) and keep everyone happy. But remember that tap water wasn't made for fish keeping. Heating a 5-10 gallon bucket of distilled water is often a better option then using tap water!
John A Thomson is a freshwater aquarium maintenance expert. For more information on freshwater aquarium maintenance visit www.freshwateraquariumsecretsonline.com.
