Keeping their tank running is the real challenge of many owners. They have got it set up but all sorts of unexpected things can happen!

Dirty Water.

Fed up with dirty water? Your fish are as well.
Try a power filter, which literally makes the tank almost completely self cleaning. It works with chemicals that get rid of dirt, smells, 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 a problem in many tanks, it is so obvious that we tend to see it to the exclusion of everything els including the fish.
The easiest, most practical, and quickest solution is simple. Find yourself a Plecostomus. He is not a great beauty but he will keep your tank clean of algae, he is sometimes called an algae eater. 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 numerous tools you can use, and they vary by cost.   Bear in mind that algae thrives in sunny conditions! A tank in sunlight for two or three hours each day is going to have a bigger algae problem compared with one in the shade.

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.

This is a big sign of overfeeding.   Don’t feed them any more than they can eat in 3 to 5 minutes and don’t feed them any more than 3 times a day. This should get rid of the problem.   If it doesn’t, try using bottled drinking water or distilled water. Most grocery stores sell it at around 60 cents a gallon.

Change The Water

Most people use a siphon to change 25% of the water every week or two.   You simply put one end of the hose in your mouth, the other end in the tank water and suck.   As soon as the water begins to flow, take the end out of your mouth and let it drain into a bucket.   Then, simply replace the water. Once a month, you’re going to want to clean your aquarium tank – part of the experience many people hate.

To remove anything that’s stuck on the inside of the glass, scrub it gently with a sponge. Scrapers are widely used but beware, they scratch acylic aquariums.
Decorations should be cleaned by soaking them in hot salt water and scrubbing them with a sponge. Do not, and I repeat, do not use any soap at all. The residue will soon kill your fish.

Gravel can be cleaned of detritus by using the very popular gravel pump. Use the gravel vacuum according to its instructions, there are several sizes available for different size tanks.

When You Refill Your Tank.

Make sure you refill your tank when changing the water with water at the same temperature. Using a kitchen sink and a garden hose attachment, you can get the water right and go from tank to tank (If you have more then one) and make sure that everyone is happy.   But remember that tap water wasn’t made for fish keeping. A better option than tap water is often heating a 5 – 10 gallon bucket of distilled water!

John A Thomson is a freshwater aquarium maintenance expert. For more information on freshwater aquarium maintenance visit www.freshwateraquariumsecretsonline.com.

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Posted by admin on June 23rd, 2010 :: Filed under Pets
Tags :: freshwater aquarium maintenance, freshwater aquariums
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