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Useful Details 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.

Among the many methods that can be used in cleaning, vacuuming is among the best. The simplest vacuums will act like siphons and suck water into some bucket. It is recommended that for the first cleaning, only half of the gravel is cleaned and the other half the next time. This way, good bacteria will not be wiped out completely after every cleaning. The other benefit of the siphoning out and replacing the water is that the quality of water is kept high at all times.

It is for certain that on occasions algae will accumulate on the inside of aquarium glasses over a period of time. This calls for use of a tool called an algae scraper. The device uses magnetic force to hold the scraper from the inside. The other tool that can be used has a scraper at the end of a stick. It accomplishes the same goal but differently. Cleaning of algae should at least be done on surfaces which are looked at regularly. It ensures glass and hence view of fish are crystal clear.

Fake plants need to be cleaned more regularly. However, even live plants might require to be wiped of algae growth once in a while. This is a task that can be done on an as needed basis. The live plants will greatly benefit from algae removal because both are in direct competition for nutrients that they require to thrive. As a matter of fact, aquariums that have live plants need to have regular cleaning out of algae for live plants to 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.




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