| Most owners will find that setting their freshwater | | | | If your tank smells rancid, it most likely is, and that is |
| aquarium up was a breeze, the maintenance to keep it | | | | bad for your fish. Change out your filter media more |
| operational is the difficult part! The issues start to crop | | | | often to keep your water healthy. Although your fish |
| up anywhere from a few days to a week after you | | | | seem to be surviving, they are not flourishing and you |
| get your new aquarium up and running, most of you | | | | will spend a lot more time caring for the tank than |
| will not be geared up for it! Here are some of the | | | | necessary. |
| issues you will be faced with: | | | | Problems With Cloudy Water? |
| Dirty Water! | | | | There can be many causes for this, overfeeding is the |
| Floating debris in the water spoiling your view? Well | | | | most common. When you feed, make sure that |
| consider this - your fish don't care for it either! | | | | everything is consumed within 3 to 5 minutes and only |
| If you want low maintenance, consider power filters, | | | | feed twice each day, three maximum. Some aquarists |
| they do a wonderful job of removing drifting | | | | go so far as to say only feed once daily and if any |
| particulates from your aquarium. In addition to being a | | | | food hits the bottom of the tank you are overfeeding! |
| great mechanical filter, many models today have the | | | | Plan Water Changes At Least Twice a Month! |
| ability to add chemical filtration media that will help | | | | Depending on your tank size and fish load, most |
| reduce odors and remove toxins from the water. | | | | aquarists can get away with changing 15-20% of their |
| About the most challenging thing to deal with on a | | | | water twice a month - others need to do 10-15% |
| power filter is changing the cartridges every three to | | | | weekly. Gravel cleaners or siphons are awesome for |
| four weeks! If you think you can put up with that | | | | this purpose. Although any clean hose will work, we |
| inconvenience, you've a nice surprise coming. The | | | | prefer gravel cleaners as they will remove buildups of |
| filters are typically cartridges, designed to be | | | | dirt and uneaten food from the substrate while draining |
| disposable; it can be as easy as removing the old and | | | | off the water. |
| installing the freshly rinsed new. | | | | The inside walls of the tank will need to be gently |
| Algae! | | | | scrubbed, you can pick up sponges and scrapers at |
| For some reason, when you look at an aquarium with | | | | your pet supply store, just be sure you get ones that |
| beautiful fish swimming around, if there is any algae | | | | are safe for your tank. |
| your eye will be invariably drawn to it. | | | | Your decorations will get algae and scum build up over |
| One solution is to get a Plecostomus. Thought by | | | | time; you can easily clean them with a sponge after |
| many to be "less than attractive", it will happily assist | | | | soaking in hot salty water or try a 10% bleach solution |
| you with your algae control program; plus this unsightly | | | | for 15 minutes. Just be sure to rinse well and let dry |
| algae eater has a charming personality! Be warned | | | | completely before reintroducing to the aquarium. |
| though, most Pleco can get large so you will want a | | | | Absolutely do not use any form of soap, the least bit if |
| 30 gallon or larger tank is possible. | | | | residue can be fatal. |
| If you forego the algae eater, you'll be relegated to | | | | Preparing Water to Fill Your Tank |
| hand removal. But don't despair, our resourceful | | | | When preparing your water to refill the aquarium, |
| manufactures have provided us with some great tools | | | | remember to match the temperature and pH levels to |
| to make the task easier. | | | | the water in your tank, even minor changes in these |
| Remember that algae is a very basic form of plant life, | | | | two elements can stress your fish! |
| provide sunlight and it will grow! Even a few hours of | | | | A word of caution here, your tap water may not be |
| indirect sunlight can prove devastating, it is best to | | | | suited for your freshwater fish tank. You may need to |
| avoid strong daylight completely if that is an option. | | | | heat RO (reverse osmosis) or distilled water for your |
| Strong Scents! | | | | water changes. |