Fishkeeping - Maintenance - Beginners Articles

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Maintenance

Published by Daspricey on 15/4/2007 (2478 reads)

A quick summary of tank maintenance that every fishkeeper should do.

Just a quick article to show how often to do different maintenance to you fish tanks.

Every day

Check temperature
Check equipment is on and working properly
Head count of fish
Check all fish for anything peculiar about them (includes character, any growth and/or disease)

Every week

Test the water quality
A water change (aim for 25%)

Every 2 months

Squeeze the filter sponge (just 2 quick squeezes) in AQUARIUM water (can be left for much longer, I haven’t done that to mine for 9 months, depends on how fast it gets clogged)

Every 6 months

If you have fluorescent tubes, change the tube every 6 months

Every year

If you have an air pump, change the air line and air stone

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EagleC	Posted: 17/4/2007 8:37 Updated: 18/4/2007 23:38
Plants Adviser Joined: 28/3/2007 From: Hampshire Posts: 6359	Alternate opinion Hi, Nice article but I think it assumes too much If the water quality is good (Am:0, Ni:0, Na <20), then a 25% water change is unwarranted. Except as a freshen up so in those cases I'd say 10%-15% would be fine. If the water is not good then up to 50% may need changing. Some filteres will need cleaning every 4-6 weeks depnding on the setup. The filter should be checked for flow every week, if not daily. The manufacturers advise that flourescent tubes are replaced every 12 months. I doubt they would say this if they thought that they'd get away with selling us new ones every 6 months. Add to the weekly maintenance checking and trimming of plants and removing dead or dying plant matter. These are my humble opinions on the matter of maintenance through much research from various books, sites and expert advice plus a little experience. Please dont take offense that my opinion might differ to yours.

daspricey	Posted: 23/4/2007 21:15 Updated: 23/4/2007 21:15
Just can't stay away Joined: 19/4/2006 From: Yorkshire Posts: 100	Re: Alternate opinion whooops, forgot about the plant, not realy a plant person here. but that could be down to the owners discretion. Quote: Some filteres will need cleaning every 4-6 weeks depnding on the setup. The filter should be checked for flow every week, if not daily. i always thought of that coming under checking equipment working and on etc. Quote: The manufacturers advise that flourescent tubes are replaced every 12 months. I doubt they would say this if they thought that they'd get away with selling us new ones every 6 months. as the tubes get older they start to lose light intensity. esp if your tank is planted, you'de want as much light as possible. Quote: If the water quality is good (Am:0, Ni:0, Na <20), then a 25% water change is unwarranted. Except as a freshen up so in those cases I'd say 10%-15% would be fine. If the water is not good then up to 50% may need changing. 50% would be too much of a shock to the fish, little but often is the best. also frequent water changes lessens the chance of ammonia, nitrite & nitrate build up. Quote: These are my humble opinions on the matter of maintenance through much research from various books, sites and expert advice plus a little experience. Please dont take offense that my opinion might differ to yours. not at all, opinions have a part in fishkeeping.

EagleC	Posted: 2/5/2007 13:40 Updated: 2/5/2007 13:40
Plants Adviser Joined: 28/3/2007 From: Hampshire Posts: 6359	Re: Alternate opinion Quote: always thought of that coming under checking equipment working and on etc. Yes, true. Oversight on my part there. Quote: as the tubes get older they start to lose light intensity. esp if your tank is planted, you'de want as much light as possible. I dont think you or the plants notice the drop in light after just 6 months... but we can agree to differ on this one Quote: 50% would be too much of a shock to the fish, little but often is the best. that's pretty much what I was getting at, little & often. 50% would only be in an emergency case when water tests show that the water is going to kill the fish unless you do something quickly. Even so, it doesn't have to shock the fish if done right.

daspricey	Posted: 7/5/2007 14:10 Updated: 7/5/2007 14:10
Just can't stay away Joined: 19/4/2006 From: Yorkshire Posts: 100	Re: Alternate opinion Quote: I dont think you or the plants notice the drop in light after just 6 months... but we can agree to differ on this one Not all that great with lighting and plants but from my understanding, you can lose up to 75% of light intensity after 6-7 months. Not able to see it from the naked eye but the plants would feel the difference. Quote: that's pretty much what I was getting at, little & often. 50% would only be in an emergency case when water tests show that the water is going to kill the fish unless you do something quickly. Even so, it doesn't have to shock the fish if done right. In emergency's i tend to do 30% changes every day till the problem is gone.