Caring for your fish means caring for your aquarium. You will need to carry out regular (once a week or once a fortnight, depending on aquarium conditions) partial water changes.
– Never change more than 40% of the water at any given time and never completely empty your aquarium to clean it, it will stress your fish and disturb the natural balance of the aquarium. Change your filter media a half at a time to preserve helpful bacteria.
– Only use aquarium water to rinse media, never tap water.
– Never use soap or detergent on anything that will come into contact with your fish or their water.
– Take care when cleaning near the gravel, it can scratch the glass.
– Only put your hands in the tank when absolutely necessary. The oils on your hands can harm your fish. Avoid using perfume, hand cream, etc. before putting your hands in the water.
Don’t forget to maintain your regular supplies of water treatments too, they are a major influence on the quality of the water.
Without them aquarium conditions can deteriorate quickly.
Keep up with your stock of water Conditioner, Biological Enhancer and Biological Cleaner.
Always keep a Mini Master Kit handy to monitor levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH in your aquarium.
Keep a variety of foods for the different fish in your aquarium. Flakes are for surface feeders, slow-sinking pellets or granules for mid-water feeders and tablets for bottom feeders. All For Pets carries different foods that cater to the needs of all sorts of different species.
- FEED FISH and take care not to over feed.
- CHECK ALL INHABITANTS for disease, liveliness and normal behaviour.
- CHECK TEMPERATURE and make sure pumps, filters and lights are running smoothly.
- REMOVE ANY DEBRIS like dead leaves, uneaten food, etc.
EVERY WEEK:
- PARTIAL WATER CHANGE
Because wastes accumulate continuously, a partial water change – about 10 – 20% – is essential to ensure cleanliness and to reduce build up of unwanted chemical waste (frequency of water change depends on filter type and aquarium set-up).
Be sure to replace any water you remove with water that has been treated with a water conditioner, which should be at the same temperature as the aquarium.
- CLEANING INSIDE AND OUT
Use a gravel cleaner to remove waste and syphon off water.
Clean fluorescent tubes and fixtures to maintain a consistent light source.
Clean inner and outer glass surfaces with specially designed algae scrapers.
- WATER TESTING & CONDITIONING
Test the water and dose with a biologic enhancer.
Rinse foam media in aquarium water. In any filtration system the activated carbon insert effectively removes heavy metals, odors, discolorations and pollutants, leaving your aquarium water crystal clear and sparkling. To maintain water quality, it is important to replace inserts every 2-4 weeks.
EVERY MONTH:
- MAINTAIN FILTER
Check the impeller and change the relevant filter media.
- CHECK YOUR SUPPLIES
Food, water conditioners, media and other regularly used items.
EVERY YEAR:
- REPLACE LAMPS
Change your Fluorescent Bulbs. If your aquarium filter includes a UV unit, remember to replace the bulb.