Keeping your fish safe and healthy is fairly easy to do, providing that
you keep 'the way you mean to carry on', with regular water changes, etc.
Here are 11 good things to keep in mind, so as to achieve a good-looking
tank.
1. Keep up the water changes
every one to two weeks, of 25% new treated water of the same temperature
2.
When doing your water change, use a vacuum pipe to draw out the
debris from the bottom of the tank.
3. Check the water a few
days after you have done the water change to make sure that the levels
of Ammonia or Nitrite are within the limits, that should be, 0. Nitrate
can read higher say 20-50 ppm, no higher than that.
4. Check the plants, to
see how they are growing, (that is, if you are growing real plants.).
Check the lighting is working.
5. Just sit there and watch
your fish very closely, and look to see if any of them are ill, or have
some strange look about them? Are they swimming on an even keel, are they
looking bloated? There are lots of things to look for when keeping fish,
you will after a while, know if there is something wrong in your tank.
I have in the past seen that 'something is not right in the tank', and
been unable to place it, only to find a dead fish in the morning and the
tell, tell signs of the problem. I found that the fish were lacking oxygen,
as the water had a whitish look about it. So I added more oxygen to the
tank and found that the fish responded very quickly.
6. Keep all your nets and
other implements very clean, as this can cause infections and other problems
in the tank.
7. Keep a
record of how long you have had your lights on and adjust accordingly.
8. Look out
of the dreaded algae as this causes a lot of problems in a tank, also
making it unsightly, if left to grow.
9. Keep an eye the water
temperature as well, although this does not move much. We take this for
granted that the water is always going to be the right temperature. Heaters
CAN and DO malfunction, either getting stuck on or off allowing the temperature
to drop or go too high. It should read around the 25-degree's C, or 78
F. So there is a real need to watch that thermometer. Try checking it
2 or 3 times a day, or when you go by the tank. It only takes a second
or so and it really does help. If you catch it in time then you can rectify
the problem, soon than later when the damage is done and the fish are
suffering.
10. Clean your filter/s
out on regular bases, as if they clog up, the flow of water that goes
through them will eventually stop making the filter useless and then the
water will start to deteriorate.
11. Try and enjoy your
fish and plants, and make it a happy thing to do. When all your friends
and neighbours see your tank, they will be impressed with how well it
looks. Don't forget, this is a stress free hobby (well it should be) and
getting worked up about it, will do you no good at all, or your fish.
Next time I will cover some of the diseases of fish, which
is not the best thing to talk about.
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