Keeping your fish safe

The home aquarium is a completely contained microcosm of the aquatic life. It is entirely dependent on the caretaker to maintain adequate conditions for continued life support. The delicate balance of living organisms in the aquarium requires certain important factors.

1. Maintain adequate environmental conditions with proper filtration - Wastes and pollutants from all sources must be removed before they build to lethal concentrations.

2. Keep a schedule of regular aquarium maintenance - Regular water changes keep conditions stable. Filter media must be renewed regularly to ensure proper filtration.

3. Proper feeding techniques must ensure adequate nutrition with no left-over waste - Never allow food to remain on the aquarium floor, if there is excess left over two minutes after feeding, reduce feed amount at the next feeding. Proper feeding means that all the food is completely eaten two minutes after it has been introduced. This is the most common mistake of new Aquarist's. This can also be lethal to fish because it promotes unhealthy conditions and excess pollutants in the water and the gravel substrate.

4. Polluting material - must be removed before it can decay. This includes plant leaves, excess fish food, etc.

5. Temperature - must remain constant, rapid or large fluctuations can cause stress and illness. Use a quality heater able to maintain consistent temperature. Check temperature daily with a reliable thermometer.

6. Proper Light - must be available for plants, if live ones are desired. Light is also required for proper feeding. Light should be left on for a half an hour after feeding so fish can find all the food.

6. Care - must be exercised to ensure a compatible community. Seek the professional advice of the knowledge sales force at your local pet store.

Maintenance

The best formula for successful fish keeping is to keep a regular maintenance schedule. This must be habitual, either weekly or BI-weekly. Wastes accumulate continuously. Remove as much as possible at every cleaning. At the same time remove some old water and replace with de-chlorinated tap water. Weekly maintenance includes alga removal from inside glass surfaces. Use an approved algae cleaning pad so as not to scratch the glass. Clean the gravel using properly sized Hagen Gravel Cleaner or Multi-Vac. Drain about 10% - 20% of the water. Unplug all electrical accessories before placing hands in the aquarium or prior to removing water. NEVER take out all the water and clean the entire tank; the biological filtration will be destroyed. Be sure to replace any water you remove with properly conditioned and de-chlorinated water. Replacement water should be the same temperature as the aquarium. Drastic temperature change causes stress and disease. Filter media should be checked and regularly changed as required. Leave some old media in the filter to promote bacterial population of the new media. Don't change both foam and charcoal insert at the same time. It is much better to change them on alternating weeks, rather than putting all new media in the filter. Changing too many things at once may result in having to biologically restart the aquarium. After the water change and filter media have been changed, add the weekly dosage of Cycle to filter intake or simply add to the aquarium. When reconnecting electrical items, check that the temperature is correct. It is a good idea to check temperature regularly to be sure that the heater has been supply consistent heat to the aquarium. It is wise to place your hand on the glass every time you check the thermometer. This will give you a "feel" for the temperature as well. Be sure all other electrical items are working properly.

Filtration

The filter system for any aquarium performs the largest part of the job keeping conditions habitable for fish. Without adequate removal and reduction of wastes, Toxins and pollutants, fish cannot survive. No matter the filter type chosen, filters are required to remove particulate waste, liquefied wastes and organic toxins produced in the aquarium. In addition, active conditioning of the water characteristics to desired values could also be considered a type of filtration. Filtration has been roughly divided into three categories, Mechanical, Biological, and Chemical. Mechanical - the removal of particulate waste material from the water. Normally some form of strainer is placed is in the path of a channeled flow of water to trap and capture suspended particles. Common filter materials for this job have limited life and must be cleaned and replaced regularly. Mechanical filtration has also been used to describe the action of carbon as it removes liquefied wastes from the water as well. Mechanical filtration is the most common form of filtration. Its best used to remove organic material from the aquarium water before it can decay and pollute the environment. Filter media performing this job must be regularly maintained so that it does not become clogged and allow waste to re-enter the system. Biological - refers to the removal of organically produced nitrogenous wastes by bacterial action. These poisons result from standard life processes of all the inhabitants of an aquarium. This is generally referred to as the NITROGEN CYCLE in the Aquarist's hobby. Many beginners are unsuccessful with a new aquarium simply because they do not realize the importance of a well developed biological filtration capacity or that this ability requires time to develop. Without strong biological breakdown of toxins, the fish will literally poison themselves. Chemical - the active control and change of specific water characteristics. Some products and filter materials actively remove chlorine from water (activated carbon), changing the actual characteristics of the water along the way. Other chemical reactions remove heavy metal ions, change pH to acid or alkaline, add hardness to the aquarium or remove carbonates to soften the water for specialized requirements. There are quite a number of products available that actively change water characteristics to desired level. Chemical filtration is the active change of water characteristics by the aquarists. Within the broad definition falls the removal of carbon dioxide produced by respiration and the replacement of oxygen to the system at the water surface by strong agitation.

REQUIREMENTS OF AQUARIUM FILTERS

Optimally an aquarium filter must keep the aquarium environment pollutant free and within tolerable limits for proper life processes. The three filtration styles are important and must be represented to some degree in any filter system. All filters will perform mechanical particulate removal to some degree; the integration of the other forms will vary quite a bit depending on design. A prime consideration should always be how much water the filter will pass through it per hour. A classic rule of thumb for proper filtration is to ensure that the aquarium contents be moved through the filter chamber at least four times an hour. This is a good minimum, the more water movement, the better chance all wastes will be treated.