How to care for an aquarium

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Recently, an aquarium has become a popular element in the design of a house or apartment. It is included in the interior from the point of view of decorativeness, however, it is often not taken into account that the aquarium is not beautiful furniture, but a member of the family! Yes, that's right, it is correct to consider an aquarium as an integral living organism, or rather, a biocenosis - that is, a set of living organisms inhabiting a certain space, including all types of interactions between them. In addition, it is wrong to assume that the inhabitants of your aquarium are fish and maybe a beautiful twig of algae. In addition to them, there are still a lot of inhabitants that you do not see, but, nevertheless, very important. These are microalgae and bacteria. Of course, not all of these inhabitants are useful, they often cause illness and death of fish, as well as pollution of the walls of the aquarium and stagnation of water.

Thus, the need for careful and systematic care of the aquarium becomes obvious. It includes not only feeding animals and periodic water changes, but also cleaning aquariums, inspecting, checkingequipment operation and many other activities. With the realization of such a need, the question sometimes arises of how to properly care for an aquarium. Care depends on the type of reservoir, its inhabitants and your goals.

How to care for an aquarium where only fish live

Don't forget to feed the fish daily. Choose food according to their individual needs. In addition, carefully dose it, since excess food settling on the bottom will not only mechanically pollute the water, but also promote the growth of unwanted flora. During feeding, carefully examine the fish, analyzing their behavior: if any fish is passive, does not eat, behaves unnaturally, it should be removed from the general aquarium in order to avoid the spread of possible disease.

Also don't forget to change the water on time. At the same time, you should not completely merge it - this is a common mistake for beginners. A useful microflora lives in the aquarium water, which should be preserved, and a complete water change can lead to a violation of the microflora and the development of pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, it will be correct to drain part of the water and add fresh. The amount of water to be replaced should not exceed 30%. At the same time, try not to mix the soil covering the bottom. If a large amount of waste has accumulated in the soil, the amount of feed should be reduced, as this means that the bacteria cannot cope with the processing.

How to care for an aquarium with complex equipment

If your aquarium is equipped with a filter, compressor andother equipment, it should be cleaned regularly (at least once every 2 weeks). Mechanical filters need to be cleaned every 2-3 days. If you do not have such an opportunity or desire, purchase other types of aquarium filters. Chemical also require regular flushing and periodic replacement of the filler. With biological filters, you should be extremely careful: you should not wash the entire filler at a time - only a third of it. Under no circumstances should the filter be washed with tap water. This can negatively affect the bacterial population and significantly reduce the quality of the filtration.

An important point is the cleaning of aquariums. It is convenient to clean the walls with special magnetic devices. However, be careful with scrapers that have blades as they can scratch the glass.

How to care for an algae aquarium

Aquarium plants, like land plants, require nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide and light for their normal development. In addition, damaged (dried or decaying) leaves and twigs should be removed as quickly as possible. If the nitrogen concentration in the water is low, additional fertilizers must be applied. However, this should not be done at random, it is better to analyze the water, otherwise you can disable the aquarium for a long time. Just like terrestrial plants, aquatic plants need to form a shoot so that it has a decorative look by cutting off excess parts.

How to care for an aquarium in summer

In the hot season, aquarium care is somewhat different fromwinter. So, the rate of evaporation of water increases, and therefore it becomes necessary to add it. Be mindful of the quality of the water you pour into the aquarium.

Also, there may be an overheating problem. Many fish do not tolerate high temperatures, so carefully monitor the readings of the thermometer and, if necessary, carry out an extraordinary water change with cooler water. But at the same time, avoid too sudden changes in temperature. Alternatively, you can lower a plastic bottle or a plastic bag with ice into the aquarium. Alternatively, special cooling devices can be used.

Systematic and high-quality care of the aquarium will ensure not only the decorativeness of the reservoir, but also the he alth of your pets.