Monday, March 23, 2015

Tips On Aquarium Maintenance Dayton, OH

By Lelia Hall


You do not always require the assistance of a professional to do weekly water changes in your home aquarium. Using the tips given below on easy ways for aquarium maintenance Dayton, OH, it should not take more than three hours to clean the fish tank. It is imperative to remember that the larger the fish tank the easier it is to clean.

Never leave the lighting system on for 24 hours. This is because light stimulates the growth of algae, which may grow and excess will decompose depriving fish of oxygen. It is a good idea to have about six hours of light per day. However, this will depend on the type of the pond, whether planted aquarium or reef aquarium. Give an amount of food the fish will not waste, but eat right away.

Ensure you maintain an optimum amount of light intensity for the fish to survive. Therefore, do not allow excessive light intensity in the aquarium. This is because excessive amount of light will stimulate the growth of algae. Too much algae will then decompose depriving fish of oxygen. Hence, you need 6 hours of light a day.

It is important to count the number of fish regularly. This is because in case of death of smaller fish species they will decompose and cause pollution of the fish tank. This will in turn cause very high levels of ammonia and nitrates. Too much, nitrate in the aquarium that will encourage excessive growth of algae. Many algae cause the fish to die due to depletion oxygen in water.

Remove the silt and gravel. This is by use of a siphon to suck up some slime that collects gravel and decorations. In case you have under gravel filter, clean the gravel as you change the water. It is important you remove the gravel when you do a weekly clean up of the pond. It will prevent accumulation of decaying organic matter that might block the passages and restrict water flow.

Ensure you test your pond for critical parameters like pH, carbonates and nitrates. Where nitrates accumulate in the fish tank, algae will flourish rendering the fish not to have adequate oxygen. This may result in death of your fauna due to suffocation. Change 10-15 % water regularly every two weeks. In addition, you will need to vacuum the gravel. Clean your gravel vacuum with hot water after every cleaning.

Make sure at the end of every month you replace cartridges, carbon, filter inserts, floss and among others. In addition, you inspect tubing, air stones skimmers and other parts for proper connections. You need to clean the top of the tank for lighting not to be affected. Never use detergents to clean the fish tank.

Remove any dead fish immediately. This is because smaller species can decompose very fast resulting in production of ammonia, nitrites and eventually nitrates. Therefore, regularly count the number of fish. Keep the levels of nitrates in fresh water below 10ppm. High levels of nitrates encourage excessive growth of algae choking the fish due to lack of enough oxygen in the water.




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