Your fish tank is a place where conditions are always changing. These conditions must be routinely checked or things could go horribly wrong in a short time. All fish tanks set-ups are slightly different so routine maintenance will differ from tank to tank. What is important is the need to establish a maintenance routine and stick to it. This article offers a suggested routine which covers the important points to keep your aquarium healthy.
Every day
Feed your fish in the morning and again in the early evening and check the water temperature. Look at your fish for signs of injuries or illness – a fish with drooping fins and seems ‘hollow-bellied’ is most likely diseased. Some of your fish could be behaving out of the ordinary – this may indicate courtship or spawning, and remember that some live bearing fish produce tiny fry so look carefully! You will be able to check any fish which are active at night or twilight at the evening feed.
Once a week (approximately)
Test the acidity (pH level) of the tank water which for most fish should be between pH6 and pH9; the idea here is to maintain a stable pH environment not stick exactly to one level. In tropical aquariums, check the condition of the heater/stat (heater and thermostat unit) as they can develop leaks and may break if knocked by one of the larger fish. It’s a good idea to have a spare heater/stat in reserve for replacements. In a coldwater aquarium clean out the filters and rinse with COLD water to avoid killing any micro-organisms before refitting the filter.
Once ever 10 – 14 days
Change 20-25% of the tank water to keep the water quality good using a length of siphon hose. Gently disturbing the surface of the gravel with the end of a working hose will remove the old water and detritus at the same time. The topping-up water should be left in a bucket at room temperature for 24 hours to allow dissolved gases to escape and the temperature to stabilize. You can then go ahead and gently top up the tank to reach no more that 2 in. (5cm) from the top to keep any fish from jumping out.
Once every 3 weeks
Now is the time to clean out the filters in your tropical tank and not at the time of a partial water change. A partial water change disturbs colonies of beneficial bacteria living in the gravel and cleaning the filters affects beneficial bacteria living there. For the sake of the bacteria, the two operations are staggered in time. Do NOT rinse the filters with hot water and preferably rinse them with old aquarium water rather than chlorinated tap water. Check your water plants for growth and take cuttings, you can prune and thin out plants if necessary.
Of course, it may not be possible to do all of the above without interruption from time to time. Going on holiday for instance will be OK if the tank has been well maintained before going away; just remember to restart your tank maintenance routine as soon as you get back.
Robert has been a pet keeping fanatic since boyhood when kept slow worms, a tame Jackdaw and fish in addition to the usual cats and dogs. He likes to write how-to articles about pet keeping because pets deserve the right treatment and care. He also is the webmaster of several websites such as [http://www.mensshoulderbags.org/] which helps people find great deals on mens shoulder bags [http://www.mensshoulderbags.org/].
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Turberville/311082
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. It is the old what goes around comes around routine. fish tank water filter