![]() ![]() Water changes are also excellent opportunities to scrub for algae, prune live plants, clean plastic decorations, and replace your pump’s air stone.īe careful of going overboard with your water changes, though. You should also perform a monthly 25% water change and vacuum the gravel at the bottom of the tank. We recommend replacing 10% of the aquarium’s water with fresh dechlorinated water each week. The best way to adjust is by performing weekly and monthly water changes. Testing your water means nothing if you’re not adjusting it based on the test results. You should be aware of the preferred levels of each of your fish and aim for the happy medium between them. Salinity-If you have a saltwater aquarium, you’ll also have to monitor the salinity of the water in your tank.To prevent this from becoming an issue, you should test your water weekly and perform regular water changes. Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate-If these compounds build up too much in your tank, they can put the health of your fish at risk.So, make sure to put your aquarium water through a dechlorinator and test it for these chemicals regularly. Chlorine and Chloramine-These chemicals may make your water safer for you to drink, but they are deadly to fish.Therefore, you should keep water hardness in the moderate range of 100-250 mg/L to make it easier to maintain your pH. Water Hardness-If water gets too hard, it can drastically increase pH levels.So, be sure to keep alkalinity in the range of 120-300 mg/L to help maintain stable pH levels. Alkalinity-Low alkalinity can trigger rapid pH shifts and severely impact livestock health.You should also make sure your pH levels should remain stable because rapid changes in pH can kill your fish. The exact number will depend on the type of fish you have. pH-Your water’s pH should remain somewhere between 6.5 and 8.2.There are several different parameters you should keep your eye on: For this reason, we recommend investing in water testing kits and learning to perform these tests regularly. Regular water testing is the bedrock of good aquarium maintenance. ![]() ![]() Indeed, taking the time to cycle your tank can save you a lot of grief! Perform Weekly Water Testing Unfortunately, these shortcuts leave the bacteria without anything to eat and put the survival of your fish at risk. Novice aquarists will often take shortcuts by skipping this step or using ammonia-neutralizing supplements. Nevertheless, you should still regularly test the water and remove some of it if the harmful elements become too concentrated. If you avoid overfeeding or overcrowding your fish, then ammonia levels should remain at safe levels. After a week, you can add a couple more fish, but you should never add more than three fish per week. After this, put a couple of your hardiest fish, like gouramis or danis, in the tank. Use a cycling aid to seed the aquarium with good bacteria. You should start this cycle by letting your aquarium run for at least a day without any fish. Bacteria then convert that ammonia into nitrites and finally nitrate, which steadily accumulates until you change the water. This process occurs when fish digest protein-rich food and then then expel it as ammonia-rich waste. Before you even add any fish to your tank, you need to establish a nitrogen cycle.ĭuring a nitrogen cycle, unhealthy elements in the water transform into good bacteria that your inhabitants need to survive. By keeping an eye on these numbers, you will help your aquarium thrive! Cycle Your TankĬycling your tank is a crucial first step in saltwater and freshwater aquarium maintenance. ![]()
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