10 Ways to Say Adios to Algae


Say goodbye to algae - Don't overfeed!

Feed Your Fish Sparingly!
One of the most enjoyable times for the new hobbyist is watching the flurry of activity in the aquarium after that pinch or two of fish food hits the surface. Sometimes we're tempted to repeat the show 2-3 times a day, which is fine if your fish consume all the food within a couple minutes. The problems start if there is excess food, which is defined as "overfeeding." Overfeeding is the most common source of the algal nutrients ammonia and phosphate. Algae thrive on both the nutrients generated from uneaten food and fish waste. Many experienced hobbyists who learn to resist the feeding frenzy and only feed once daily - or feed smaller portions 2-3 times daily - find it's much easier to keep the unwanted green in check.
Time lights & change bulbs - Scrape glass often

Control the Lights
If you turn on your aquarium lights when you wake up and turn them off before bed, the extended light cycle may be encouraging extra algae growth. Put your lights on a timer to replicate a day/night schedule and stick to it. Keep lights on 10-14 hours per day for planted aquariums, 6-10 for ornamental setups. Also, change bulbs at least once a year. Aquarium bulbs lose their spectrum and intensity as they age; this weakened light will likely encourage algae growth.

Frequent Partial Water Changes
In nature, rain and water currents refresh water conditions by diluting and carrying away nitrate (a.k.a. algae fertilizer) before it can build up to excessive levels. Your closed aquarium system, however, requires regular water changes to remove excess nutrients. Ideal frequency is 10% weekly, but for a lightly populated aquarium, 30% monthly is sufficient. It's also a chance to siphon up all the sludge and dead plant matter in your gravel.

Test Your Tap
It is a good practice to test your tap water before changes, because it may contain algae-encouraging elements right out of the faucet. If the test results show significant levels of phosphate or other algae inducing elements, your battle against algae via water changes will be futile until they are reduced by an RO unit or a tap water filter. Maintain Your Filter Media
Keep algae's favorite nutrient out of your aquarium with phosphate controlling media and biological boosters for your filtration system. The right choice of filter media can make a big difference in phosphate levels: Drs. Foster & Smith PhosPure® Filter Media will remove phosphate and heavy metals. Combination Carbon-Phosphate Remover products are also available. The carbon keeps your water crystal clear and removes dissolved organics, the phosphate disappears, and best of all, so does the algae. Finally, change your mechanical and chemical media once a month, because as it becomes exhausted and saturated, it may leach the bad stuff back into your aquarium.

Check your tap water & remove phosphates

Choose Your Weapons
Algae on glass or acrylic has no chance against convenient scrapers like the Mag-Float, the Drs. Foster & Smith Algae Scraper or the Kent Pro series. What do you have under your aquarium cabinet?

Increase Competition with Plants
The more plants in your aquarium, the less chance algae has of taking over. Plants compete directly with algae for light and nutrients, and most often win if given proper conditions.

Stock with Algae-Hungry Catfish
Put some fish in your community to work on cleanup duty. While many algae-eating Plecos grow far too large for small aquariums, the Dwarf is just the right size. This hardy worker seems endlessly busy, seeking out any plant or structure with a hint of algae. Another small catfish, the Cory Cat, patrols the bottom of your aquarium, vacuuming up excess fish food before it can rot and turn into dangerous ammonia and nitrite.
False Julii Cory Cat

Know Your Enemy
Green Carpet Algae, which covers glass and structures is relatively easy to clean because we have the most weapons to combat it, including: algae scrubbers, and algae-eating catfish and invertebrates.
Green Hair Algae is more stubborn, and even catfish and plecos may avoid it. Your best bet may be to "spaghetti fork" it off your plants and structures with an Aqua Plant Clip. Again, your best protection starts with water quality so you don't have to roll up your sleeves later.
Beard Algae is the black scourge of planted aquarium hobbyists. A major takeover by this unsightly guest may only be remedied by pruning away covered leaves and removing affected driftwood.

Know When Some Algae is OK
Take a moment to sit back and look at your planted aquarium. Does it look natural? Is there a hint of green covering driftwood or rocks which makes the structures blend in with the underwater garden? If it's not covering your glass or choking out the leaves of your plants, there's little reason to panic. Algae may be unsightly, but it actually consumes excess nutrients and provides oxygen. No one "wins" the battle against algae. Success is finding a natural balance in your enclosed ecosystem.

Find the right size aquarium Home

There are three main goals that you must keep in mind when it comes to finding the right size home aquarium.

The first objective must be respected, it must be visually attractive and good coordination with the decor of your home.


The second objective is that it should be functional.


Finally, the third objective is that it should give good results both for your own needs and those of fish and other sea life that you are inside housing. The main factors that you need to do is review the size, shape, location, materials and type of water that you intend to use in your aquarium. All these factors are essential to find the home aquarium and will be based on your needs and those fish you buy.


When it comes to finding the right size home aquarium, it is important that you understand first and foremost that large is always better. Larger tanks are going to have more appropriate filtration systems and filtration systems mean fewer requirements for maintenance. Small aquariums which do not have their own filtration systems can get dirty much faster and it will take a lot more cleaning and maintenance over time with no real end in sight. The fish are going to live longer and in better health in large tanks with filtration systems effective than fish housed in small tanks. You also need to review the size and number of fish living in the reservoir. Larger is better here because the more space you have for your fish, the happier and healthier, they tend to be. As a general rule, is one inch of fish per gallon of water. So if you are housing 3 "tropical fish, you can safely house about 8 fish in a tank 26 gallons.


The shape of an aquarium is another consideration to be done, because it has an impact on the size of the aquarium and in the house where it can be placed. Larger aquarium are rectangle, thus limiting the places where they can be accommodated because they take quite a bit of wall space. On the other hand, some major aquariums are made to fit into corners or to be rather large and wider than they are ideal for tight spaces and places where there is not much horizontal space , Corner, but where space or vertical space is in abundance.


If wall space is rare, there are many options for aquarium to you. Think of choosing a smaller aquarium, which extends over a counter or the top of an entertainment centre. Aquariums can be integrated into heads, coffee tables, kitchen cabinets, and even in the tops of bars or other furniture, so there is no reason why you can not find an aquarium that suits you. If you want an aquarium that fits perfectly with the decor of your home, there is absolutely no reason why you can not find one.

Aquarium Plants - Artificial Vs Real



Nothing makes an aquarium look better then aquarium plants. The big question is it better to use real or artificial aquarium plants. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Real plants absorb aquarium fish waste, which makes the tank easier to clean. They also add additional oxygen to water and the reduction of algae. But the fish are likely either to eat or to uproot. Of course, it gives you more work in the maintenance of your aquarium. Remember that you want to enjoy your tank will not work on it. The largest live with aquarium plants is lighting. Most experts recommend fluorescent lighting A good rule is several reservoirs your ability to 1.5 and get the amount of artificial lighting required to give your own power. For example, 10 gallons 1.5 times tank means you need a system of fifteen watts. Do not overlook the advantage of indirect lighting from the outside. It is preferable not to use a filter of gravel under live with aquarium plants that these filters can affect plant growth.

Artificial plants on the other hand are handy when your fish eat your real plants. Fish May still uproot plants, but it can be helped by buying your plants artificial mats. These carpets look natural and give a beautiful appearance of your aquarium. There are two types of artificial aquarium plants, plastics, which have improved in recent years, or silk. In my opinion the best choice is silk they look more natural in the way they move through the water several times and you can not know if the plants are real or not. To avoid having to clean your artificial plants I recommend get a little algae eating fish such as red-tailed black sharks. It's always good to reduce the work you have to do for your tank, after everything that you want to enjoy your fish tanks do not work constantly on them.


Whatever the type of plants you choose remember that you want to be able to view the tank as a whole, as well as to clearly see the fish. So make sure you save your biggest plant in the rear means plants in the middle and your plants short at the front.

Temperature For Freshwater Aquariums


The name Tropicals, puts too much emphasis on the idea of a high temperature, for all fish species. There are a number of them who are not from the tropics, and a small number of them who come from the tropics, did not originate from hot water in particular.

It is understood that the majority of exotic aquarium fish, may be cold water, and rightly so, because the fish can get sick easier, and secondly, many of them are not prosper in the higher temperatures, because they need more oxygen than water can carry.


Placing them all in the water around 80 degrees, is not the kind that Aquarius think, who likes to high temperatures. The only thing you must not believe, is that each species has an exact degree of heat. Most of them have a tolerance of at least 10 degrees and can withstand 5 degrees change by more than 8 hours without injury.


Regarding individual species is concerned, is difficult to put fish in the hottest and most consistent places, the resistance and those in the cooler places. I think a lot of unnecessary worries and expenditure is given to try to keep aquariums or aquarium rooms within 2 degrees of a fixed point.


The nature does not provide such an environment, and it was observed that fish are stimulated by a change in temperature. The aquarium should not be too concerned about the variation between heat at the top and bottom of the aquarium. The change in the waters is considerable, but the fish seem to handle without difficulty. They can choose what level in the water they love.


Everything boils down to this: The average of exotic aquarium fish is pleased to an average temperature of 72-76 degrees. Sometimes, you do not let the temperature drop-down menu below 70 - degrees, and if it does it would not be bad, but raise the temperature more quickly. Taking the temperature above 8o degrees is fine, as long as their is enough oxygen in the water.


The breeding of most fish, means increasing the water temperature above 80 - degrees. If, causes uncontrollable, the temperature drops low of 60 degrees or 50 degrees, the thing to do is bring it slowly to about 80 degrees and keep it there for 24 hours or more.


The best way to keep an aquarium at the right temperature, with a heater. Égalise ventilation at the high and low temperature. The most asked question is, 'What size water heater is required for a capacity gallon? "This can not be answered intelligently without knowing the amount of cold to overcome. A general rule is 2 watts for raising each gallon of 5 degrees above ambient temperature. I prefer conservative size of heating units, so if a thermostat is not working, not fish fry.


It's Alright for fish to swim in warm water cooler in your aquarium, but its evolution quite different from a reservoir to another, which could vary the temperature of several degrees, either up or low. This is something that should not be done. The effect May not be apparent at once, but it is rarely escaped. It usually covers the "shaking" or "shimmies," Ichthyophthirius (ick), fungus or a general decline of descent. Changes should be made within 2 degrees of temperature. You should check the thermometers, because they can be cut as much as 4 degrees.

Deciding Between a Saltwater Aquarium or a Freshwater Aquarium

If you're looking for, to a certain degree of style and beauty to your home or office after an aquarium can do this. There are so many things that can be done when it comes to an aquarium as the centre of your institution, and it is the perfect way to combine the room decor and the company have a pet in your room.

Of course, if you use the search function in an aquarium, there is a lot of things to consider. Many people choose to implement a freshwater aquarium on a salt water aquarium searches without really into the benefits and disadvantages of both. In all actuality, if you have a nice solution for your needs and Aquarium Looking for a good investment, you should definitely a view in salt water aquarium. While people tend to go freshwater direction due to the fact that it is a much cheaper alternative, the beauty and diversity that a salt water aquarium offers is not easily surpassed.

Tropical Fish


In a salt water aquarium, you have much more variety to choose from as far as tropical fish. Blue Tang, Clown Fish, Fish Hawk, Fantail File Fish and more - are all from the choice, you can choose from when it comes to tropical fish in your aquarium. The tropical fish, you can choose from are bright and colorful and lively-all the things you need in an aquarium to help you feel better about your space and more alive. The fish, you can sign in a salt water aquarium are much more exotic and beautiful than anything else, a freshwater aquarium could house.


Maintenance


If you are not a motivated person interested in the aquarium maintenance, with a salt water aquarium is a bad idea. However, if you are interested in your fish and you want them to a healthy environment to live with salt water aquarium can be relatively easy to administer. There are several ways that you have to go about cleaning a salt water aquarium, as they require different supplies and a degree of dilution of water, fresh water tanks. Whatever the case, while the maintenance of a salt water aquarium is more work than the care of a freshwater aquarium, although the chances are much greater.


There is nothing like a beautiful tropical saltwater aquarium to your own. If you are in the market for something new, something beautiful and valuable to a specific item to your home or office a salt water aquarium may just be right for you. Be sure you have all the different fish and wildlife medicine, you can from your salt water aquarium and you will wonder why you ever as with a regular freshwater aquarium in your room.


Salt water aquarium wins on freshwater aquarium


In terms of overall spending decor, beauty, and the large variety of tropical fish can in a salt water aquarium, a salt water aquarium wins hands-down over a freshwater aquarium. But as they have a larger effort require more maintenance and efforts, you may have a fresh water aquarium for a carefree start into the world of tropical fish. In any case, an aquarium definitely adds a touch of personal character to a home or office environment.

Why You Shouldn't Over Use Your Fish Food

One of the worst things you can do when care for fish in an aquarium is to overfeed. There are two reasons why more than feed the fish in your aquarium is a bad thing, but we will examine two of the most popular.

First, the fish tend to eat what they can find, hungry or not. This is particularly true for goldfish, who tend to eat just what was available, even if they eat too much in the process. As a result, many fish can develop health problems as a result of more than overeating and eating. If you want to keep your fish healthy for a long time, it is essential that you put into serious consideration in the amount you are feeding. Do a little research on fish for your aquarium or tank. How much food are they supposed to eat? Betta and goldfish are known for over eating. Other fish also overeat if given the chance. We are not under the power advocates here, but rather how much learning is just enough food and constant at all times.


The second reason why more than feeding your fish is one of the worst things you can do to the health of your aquarium should be common sense. Most eat fish as much waste they produce in their turn. This excess waste is underway to make the tank sale. Any excess food is not eaten and processed by the fish is also underway to create other waste in the aquarium, and it is completely unnecessary. Not only the waste has a negative effect on the chemical composition of your aquarium, but it can also jam your filtration system, which will only allow your aquarium to become less and less healthy fish your companions. Your fish count on your filtration system to keep the water in livable conditions. When the chemical composition of the aquarium is compromised, the fish may become sick or die.


Now, it is important that you understand how to choose the correct amount of food for your fish. You should be feeding your fish everything they can consume up to about 3 minutes. If you have low fish feed or fish shy, you should see how much they can eat up about 15 minutes, and that this amount feed every day. May Your fish respond to food as if they are dying of hunger, but it does not necessarily mean they are underrepresented. Fish beg for food in the same way that your dog or cat beg for table scraps, so you must not let it deter you follow set guidelines with regard to their diet. Fish are not large stomach and did not need that large quantities of food. As long as they eat their food in 3 minutes or 15 minutes depending on your fish, you're probably on track with their feeding schedule.

How Many Fish Will My Aquarium Hold?

Do you have a new aquarium? If so, you must have a plan on how you are going to fill it with these beautiful fish.

Before you can see exactly what fish you want, you need to find out, many inches (or centimeters) of fish in your new aquarium.


The fish is naturally more space for swimming and set up their territory in a larger aquarium, but more important than the size of the aquarium is the shape and proportions of the tank. A long, flat fish tank is more than a short deep tank, even if they are exactly the same amount of water in each.


The reason for this is that the oxygen content of the water depends on how easy it can be delivered. The only place this can be done, where the air meets the water, which on the surface of the container so that the larger the area, the more oxygen available. Even the carbon dioxide that the fish must breathe from the water, and this also happens on the surface.


Also, the capacity of an aquarium, you must multiply the length of the aquarium by the depth to the water surface. For example, if your aquarium is 24in (60cm) long by 12in (30cm) deep, the answer is 288in2 (1800cm2).


The next thing you need to know is how many inches (or centimeters) of fish can be accommodated, and that will depend on what kind of fish.


Tropical Fresh Water Fish - 12in2 per inch body length


(75cm2 per cm body length)


Cold water freshwater fish - 30in2 per inch body length


(187.5cm2 per cm body length)


Tropical Marine Fish - 48in2 per inch body length


(300cm2 per cm body length)


Also, in our example tank over you could fit:


24-inch (60cm) of fresh water Tropical Fish


10 inches (25cm) of fresh water Cold Water Fish


6-inch (15cm) of the Tropical Marine Fish


To calculate the number of Customs (or centimeters) of your fish, measured from the mouth to the start of the tail, and do not forget that the fish you see in stores are usually young people and are not fully grown, you need to the size they are!


Get this right and you are on the way, with a successful aquarium.

What Not To Do When Setting Up A New Aquarium

There are many advantages of owning an aquarium, the pride of a beautiful environment established in your living room, to the satisfaction of rewarding hobby. Science has also shown that watching an aquarium can actually reduce your lower your blood pressure! But if you are not careful, you will not have a happy experience, and although the fish seem warm May, small things can erase your tank carefully planned. You can ensure that this does not happen to you ensuring that you follow a few simple rules and make sure you do not make mistakes.

Cleaning your aquarium


Many years ago, I came to the house dead dead aquarium. Aghast, I asked my family what had happened while I was there. Guilty faces, my husband explained that he thought he would clean the tank. But instead of doing so in the right direction, he dumped all the fish in a bucket of water (that I used for washing floors) and washing tanks, with a glass ammonia-based clean. This is the last time someone hit me, but reservoirs.


To keep my own aquarium, I use scraper and algae. If the tank is too green, I empty quarter of the tank, using an aspiration to collect excess waste and replenish with water that has sat overnight. If you really think that it is indeed necessary to clean your entire aquarium, fish and save half the water in a bucket of food security and to dump the tank. Wash all under the clean running water. If you feel you need to use abrasive salt. Nothing else.


Underfeed rather than Overfeed


Now, I do not advocate your hungry fish, but one of the worst things you can do to an aquarium is more than feed your fish. When you overfeed, fish passes more waste. This makes not only a reservoir dirty mess, but the chemical composition of water in your aquarium and also clog your filtration system. The fish should be fed what they can eat in 3 minutes for the top fish, or 15 minutes for bottom feeding fish or timid. Yes, people will come as piranhas hungry every time you go through the tank, but you feed your cat or dog all the time, he asked for more? Of course not, to realize that fish too begging. May It seems like you are not feeding your fish anything, but if you think about the size of their stomachs are you will realize that they must actually little food


Do not put too many fish in the tank


It is easy to overcrowd your aquarium, as it seems May large and small fish to consider and, of course, there are so many fish in the aquarium pet, but the aquarium is generally a dual filtration system. The general rule is four gallons in each fish and if you assume the fish are only an inch long each (excluding tail fins), so that should be 5 fish in a tank 20 gallons. Remember that in most elderly care books aquarium is different, but the 4 gallons to each fish is the most reliable amount.


Get a large tank.


Even if you think May, a smaller reservoir will be easier to clean, this is not the case at all. More aquarium, the tank is more to follow. Small tankers and vessels cleaning should be kept because they get dirty very quickly, but with the right amount of fish there, the greater the aquarium, after less research they need.


With these few steps, you'll be on your way to have a beautiful, trouble-free as the aquarium with a minimum of care, will be central to your decor.

Aquarium Water Changing Tips And Guide

Change water varies depending on the type of aquarium you hold - tropical, cold water or marine - and if you use tap water or purified water. Changes in water are an essential part of keeping fish and, if done properly, can not be overstated. Remember that in nature, the greatest form of filtration is dilution, as waste products are dispelled by the immensity of the water body, and even the best filters will not replace nitrates and minerals essential to your aquarium.

Frequency


It is advisable to replace about 25 percent of the aquarium water per week, as this should help to maintain low nitrates. If you use tap water for the changes, test to make sure that the pH and hardness are grateful for your fish. Also check that the level of nitrate in tap water is sufficiently low. If nitrate is reading at 40 parts per million (ppm) or more, it could actually contribute to an increased level of nitrate in the main tank, and if so, you should consider to find other sources or water purifiers. If you have any doubt about the ability of your tap water, consult your local authority.


Tips: The most effective way to maintain a clean tank is combined with water filter change maintenance, wiping algae and gravel vacuuming.


Equipment


Set aside some clean buckets and tubes siphon especially for water changes and not use them for other purposes, such as washing the car. If you use large containers to store water, check that they are made from food-grade plastic, because some plastics May sure your fish to die if the leaching of chemicals into the water. Keep water stored in the dark to stop the proliferation of algae and posing an air stone into it to keep it fresh. If you use water by reverse osmosis, air a stone placed in it can help to maintain the pH stable. If left too long without ventilation, May become very acidic


Tip: A natural source of the tank water is rainwater. It is naturally soft and devoid of minerals, but should be filtered through carbon to remove all traces of pollutants. If you receive stormwater runoff from a roof, make sure the roof is made from a cleaning appropriate, inert material.


Dos water in the tank and Don'ts


Take note of the following items to help you avoid problems in your water-changing routine. Poor water changes May do more harm than good.


Do


* If you use purified water with chlorine and minerals removed, first add an addendum mineral essential to replace electrolytes, and then bring water to the appropriate temperature using a heater / thermostat and thermometer


* If you use tap water to bring the water up to the appropriate temperature using hot water from a kettle or using a heating alternative. Use a thermometer to check temperature is the same as that in the main aquarium.


* If you prepare the water for a reef aquarium, use only hot water to free copper. For this reason, the hot water tap if generally regarded as dangerous.


* Always dechlorinate the water before adding it to the main aquarium. The untreated water may kill beneficial bacteria on all surfaces, such as gravel and decorations, as well as in the filter.


Do not


* Add water that is too cold. It May source of stress and give your fish an outbreak of white spot.


* Add water that is too hot. It will have an impact on levels of oxygen in the tank and filter May kill bacteria.