Thursday, September 8, 2016

Important Tips About Aquarium Maintenance

By Gregory King


There is a difference between an aquarium which is regularly maintained and one which is not. The maintained ones are not only pleasing to look at but also healthy for fish. When it comes to aquarium maintenance in Ohio, it does not mean the aquarium has to undergo full overhaul. It is important to have a schedule of carrying out maintenance and understand how often it should be maintained and the methods to use.

When considering fish tank cleaning, one needs to closely monitor feeding of the fish. Essentially speaking, you should never overfeed fish. They need to be given food that they can finish within two minutes or so. If they are overfed, there will be piles of remnants of the food that were not eaten. It will also lead to poor water quality. This explains the need to have fish fed on optimum amounts of food. This way, maintenance is done less frequently.

There are various methods used when cleaning aquariums, with the simplest being vacuuming using siphons. The method involves sucking water into a bucket. When doing cleaning for the first time, you should only do so on half of the gravel, with the remaining half done in the next cleaning. This is so that good bacteria are never wiped out entirely whenever cleaning is done. Siphoning and replacement also ensures water quality is kept high at all times.

The algae which on occasions accumulates on the inside of the glass is never fun to look at. This will call for use of what is known as an algae scraper. It uses magnetic force for holding the scraper on the inside. There is also another tool with a scraper on the end of a stick which can accomplish the same goal but in a different way. On a minimum, it is important to clean surfaces that one looks at regularly. This keeps the glass and view of fish crystal clear.

Fake plants need more regular cleaning. However, even live plants will need to be wiped of algae every once in a while. The task does not however have to be done regularly; it can be done on an as needed basis. Live plants benefit immensely from algae cleaning since the algae compete with them for nutrients. The algae have to be eradicated so that live plants thrive.

If possible, you should also have a quarantine aquarium. This is mostly used to keep fish which are sick. The separation of sick and healthy fish ensures the ailing ones recover relatively faster and also that the particular disease does not spread. The quarantine tank is also used in acclimatizing fish being brought in for the first time.

During cleaning, the mechanical components should be cleaned well. This is to ensure they are functioning properly. The air pump should be working well so that water within the tank is well oxygenated.

On an ideal basis, aquariums need to be maintained by professionals. While some routine tasks can be done individually, others need services of professionals. There are many service providers to choose from.




About the Author:



>
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

0 comments: