Aquarium maintenance

Here is a great way to maintain

One of the most important jobs in the aquarium maintenance is taking care of water. Water change should be performed every 2 weeks. You don’t have to change all the water every time; you can just complete it with 20% freshwater.

A good habit is to replace the water extracted while “vacuuming” the gravel. This way you can remove all the residues from the substrate.

Also it is recommended to keep an eye on water parameters. Keep water parameters within normal limits, because big variation of water parameters could kill your fish. You should always check the water pH level, nitrates and nitrites levels and water salinity (for saltwater aquariums).

Filtration system is also a big part in the maintenance process. A good filtration system is needed for a healthy environment. You can choose to have a biological filtration system, this is the most important, a mechanical filtration or a chemical one. You can have all three of them. Also filter inserts like floss, cartridge, activated carbon which should be changed every 4 weeks.

Basic Daily Aquarium Maintenance Tasks

Check the equipment every day to be sure that there are no malfunctions. Equipment check includes: filters, heaters, lights.

Water temperature, always check the temperature fish are mot resistant to large temperature variations. You could check the temperature every morning and night.

Watch the fish every day, take a little bit of time to observe the fish swimming or eating, as they could have behavioral changes which would indicate signs of stress or disease.

Weekly Maintenance Tasks

 Count your fish - in the case of death a small fish can decompose quickly and can result in ammonia or nitrate.

 Take care of dead plants - if you have live plants, try to remove the dead parts of the plant.

 Change the water - through a siphon hose clean the debris from the surface then empty about 15 – 20% of water. Change it with fresh clean water.

 Clean the gravel - Remove the algae.

 Clean the aquarium walls.

 Clean the filter inserts - but be very careful with the biological ones. You shouldn’t kill the good bacteria.